Scenario A large software company wanted to roll out its global strategy. Leaders in the Asia Pacific office addressed how they could they make it come alive for everyone in the region.
An initial assessment revealed an internal arrogance among the Asia Pacific staff members. They believed they did their work far better than their competitors and their past performance reinforced that attitude. They questioned why change was needed when they were already successful.
Approach Adopted
The company’s business, however, was not as stable as many believed. Competing companies were starting to take some of its market share and customer satisfaction was hitting unacceptable numbers.
To launch the strategy in Asia Pacific, the regional head decided first to make sure that everyone understood why it was important to change. He knew this could be accomplished through emails, town hall meetings and manager briefings. But in the end, he decided to launch a powerful 3-poster teaser campaign to have more impact.
The first poster showed a plane flying into turbulence and the copy read, “Even though it was sunny out of the window today, there was turbulence just ahead.” It was sent to every office in Asia Pacific.
The second poster showed someone hanging onto the ledge of a skyscraper by his finger tips and the copy read, “Are we losing grip of our customers?”
The third poster was planned but never executed. It simply wasn’t required. A groundswell of curiosity and concern occurred as a result of the first two posters. And when a final image capturing the new global strategy was sent out, the staff members understood its importance and also knew they had to change. The campaign helped everyone (including the arrogant staff members) understand the biz case. After that, they rapidly and successfully rolled out the strategy.
