Case Study
3 min read
In the aftermath of 9/11, the UK’s largest air traffic organization was deep in the red, under intense scrutiny for mismanagement and plagued by system outages. A new CEO was appointed amid the chaos.
The largest air traffic services organization in the United Kingdom was effectively bankrupt in the wake of the September 11 attacks on the United States. In addition to transatlantic flights temporarily coming to a halt, the formerly public company had never found its footing after being partially privatized in a private-public partnership. The organization had received a great deal of negative media coverage of over-expenditures, failure to make a profit or return a dividend, and regular IT system outages at a new control center. After refinancing, the company appointed a new CEO.
The new CEO immediately launched an ambitious series of road shows that would take place over the course of 12 weeks. He had engaged JMW in prior leadership roles, and now in his new role, asked JMW to work with his senior management team on creating “clear ways of working to generate a greater sense of camaraderie and purpose.” It was critical that the collective mindset within the organization shift from one of “civil service” and “business as usual” to one of possibility and new levels of breakthrough performance.
JMW collaborated with the company’s senior leadership team, introducing them to high-performance tools and techniques. In a series of sessions, the team aligned around a future that far exceeded previous expectations or experience at the company. As they embraced new ways of working, leaders created what they decided to call a “21 Destinations” vision and plan of action, including stretch targets that previously would have been viewed as impossible.
Next, they shared the 21 Destinations vision with the top 60 senior managers and key supervisors in the business. The purpose of these programs was to engage key players in embracing the vision and galvanizing their teams around a high-performance culture. Over time, a total of 180 senior managers and supervisors throughout the organization completed the program and became integral ambassadors in the turnaround. JMW also advised the senior team as it developed a 21 Destinations Board of Directors presentation that resulted in enthusiastic board support.
In addition, leaders were equipped to powerfully intervene when inevitable problems and difficulties arose. To maintain their momentum, the senior team worked with JMW coaches on being leaders who fostered an environment of accountability and ownership.
A strong collective vision rolled out across the company as executives took on roles of facilitators and coaches for extraordinary achievement. Annual road shows became a part of the organization’s best practice, engaging the “hearts and minds” of all staff at all levels. Employees began to set and achieve targets that previously would have seemed unattainable. Board members demonstrated repeatedly that they were fully aligned with the effort. The culture of the company was transformed, with even skeptics allowing their resistance to give way to the momentum of tremendous opportunity.
Within three years, the organization had delivered on 16 of the 20 destinations, and in another year’s time, they had completed 20. Key advances included delivering a new control center, reducing the total number of centers from four to two, and reducing delay per flight rates by 90%. The company removed layers of management and reduced staff where there were inefficiencies or redundancies. A decision to stop offering high-cost pensions to new employees resulted in significant savings over the next 10 years, reducing total debt by £114 million.
At the end of its first year with JMW, the company turned its first-ever profit and shareholders received their first-ever return on investment. Over the course of five years, share price increased 700% and the organization delivered 340 projects worth £1 billion—on time and on budget. The same business that had struggled under the weight of public scrutiny was now the recipient of well-publicized praise, earning accolades as an employer and the world’s leading navigation provider.
The JMW engagement resulted in a long list of key “firsts.” Five years after beginning the work with JMW, the organization was voted the Best Air Navigation Provider in the world by an independent panel of peers. In addition, the client company:
There are very few occasions in one’s career that you can look back and reflect on a simply amazing team, but this was one. JMW had us believe that anything was possible, and we had our managers inspiring their employees to get the bar as high as possible and then clearing it time after time.”
-Reflection from the company’s CEO
