Strategy:Case Study

Our brief: Give us direction

A business that has gone through a merger often has issues. This business had gone through three…

Managers had never set out where the business was going, who was leading it, why they were doing it and what the implications of it were. For years they coasted until one year, they lost their place in the local market, and nationally they dropped out of the Legal top 200. Now it was time to decide.

Where we started: Cutting through 100 years of indecision

Our task was to create a strategy; easier said than done in this organisation of 18 partners, with three mergers behind it, nine different departments and no history of ever planning or strategising.

What we did: We set them on the right course and never let them stray

Step one was to get the organisation to understand just what was at stake and take some hard decisions. We spent time with the senior management, asking questions which were painful to the business and hadn’t been asked before. Where was it going, why, how, what was needed, how long would it take and what were the barriers? We started to ask questions of their clients, their prospective clients and of their introducers. We also asked their people, to get the real story, and we started to analyse everything that moved!

How we succeeded: We created a perfect fit that they could stick to

Once we had gained all of this information we created an individual plan completely structured to the culture of the business and geared to their strengths and their business objectives to ensure it would work. It was nothing gimmicky, just simple things that would make a tangible difference to the business.

We altered the structure to match people’s skills and attitude to their position. We set firm objectives, created a path and started the journey. We helped them create the firm they wanted to be and we’re still with them today as they build even more momentum.

Importantly, the strategy we helped create for them was one that was hard for competitors to follow - a strong factor for implementing a successful strategy. 

Not only have we helped them to create a strategy that is taking the lead in their field, but we’ve helped add to their profit by just under £300,000 and growth in turnover of nearly £1.4m.