Virgin Atlantic's Corporate Change Challenge
The Problem
In common with the rest of the airline industry, Virgin Atlantic experienced difficult times in the post 9/11 period. The company approached TMI during 2002 with a change agenda aimed at maintaining growth, sustaining profitability and clearly differentiating the company through service delivery.
The Solution
TMI engaged with a series of specific activities to support the corporate change agenda, including investigation and research into the status quo, design and implementation of a change program in partnership with the airline, and full integration of a new service strategy and values into the business - actions which were all measured against a defined set of key business indicators established during the investigation.
Activities at the investigation stage included analysis of existing data relating to customers and employees, focus groups, one-to-one interviews, review of previous developmental work, and facilitation of top team events to create the change strategy.
Following the investigation stage, TMI designed and supported the communication of the change strategy. This stage included the design and implementation of: top team sessions, management briefings, assessment centres to select internal facilitators, train the trainer and trainer coaching sessions, Leading Service First workshops for all staff, and Living Service First workshops for all managers.
An absolute requirement of the program was sustained change. A number of individuals who exhibited 'on value' behaviours were selected from across the business to teach them to become facilitators for the change program. These people acted as role models and were empowered to help colleagues to interpret corporate values in their local contexts. The facilitators picked up the baton after the Service First Workshops to sustain the change.
TMI also ran a series of Senior Team workshops to facilitate understanding and buy-in to values. Continuing buy-in was then achieved through communication of a measurement strategy, clearly linked to business success.
Finally, TMI provided consulting relating to structures and systems within the airline.
The Outcomes
The key indicators for the impact of the change process were measured in areas such as employee and customer satisfaction through both internal and independently conducted surveys.
Examples of measured success
- Increased staff motivation
- More than double the volume of compliment letters
- Increase revenue by up to 37%
- Increase in attendance by up to 7%
- Increase in productivity by over 15%