Overview
Hudgell Solicitors supports clients who have experienced injury, accidents or medical negligence by providing legal advice, and care and seeking financial compensation to protect their clients’ future. The provision of a high level of customer service sits at the heart of the Hudgell culture.
An opportunity arose to acquire a significant competitor, thereby almost doubling the size of the business. At the same time, Hudgell’s managing director identified the need to reduce his focus on the day-to-day running of the business in order to give more time to strategic growth and long-term development. Against this backdrop, an upcoming change of regulation was being seen as having the potential to significantly affect future fee income and profitability.
Hudgell Solicitors knew that if the acquisition was to be successful, priority had to be given to cultural integration. However, they also saw the acquisition as a chance to review and strengthen the culture of the overall business so they could continue to deliver client excellence in a changing marketplace.
Our approach
Success criteria for the integration of the two businesses included: everyone being treated with fairness and respect (including any staff who ultimately left the organisation); providing clarity to people as soon as feasible; overall staff engagement levels maintained post-integration; no cases appearing in court for employment tribunal; customer service levels maintained; productivity levels kept at >85% pre-announcement levels and no regulatory issues caused by the integration.
We used our 3 Stage Approach to work with the senior team on the integration and subsequent embedding of a new culture.
The immediate priority was on a review and cultural assessment of the 2 merging entities to evaluate how aligned they were and to identify the key differing business and people practices between the two businesses which would need to be resolved as part of the integration phase; highlighting any enablers and blockers we identified.
Using our Culture Design Process and working alongside the SMT, we developed a new mission and values which were used to inform the rebrand of the overall business. The integration approach was then developed based on the new values and a ‘Best of Both’ philosophy – taking what each entity was good at and using it across the board. This enabled a smooth integration, and we rolled out a robust communications plan to keep everyone engaged and informed.
Key to the success of this initial integration phase was the identification of how the newly acquired staff would map into the operating model. This included running the HR processes for mapping people into roles and supporting the assessment exercise.
We then led the overall cultural alignment activity, with a view to embedding the newly defined mission and values into every aspect of the business. Internal culture change communication was key to delivering a successful alignment. However, as with any culture change programme, the importance of ensuring a successful integration within areas such as processes, supplier relationships and performance management should not be underestimated.
Successful alignment only comes through engaging employees in change so active two-way communication and engagement activities were put in place.
Finally, in order to enable the MD to refocus his energies and future proof the business, we worked with the senior management team in order to redefine roles, responsibilities and decision making accountability with a view to meeting the priorities and targets identified within the new business plan. This included developing personal leadership skills and capabilities in areas such as financial/commercial awareness and team leadership.
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