Articles appearing in Newspapers, Magazines, Blogs and Client Newsletters

Speeding to Synergy

Cate Lawrence examines issues relating to merger integration, and how three organizations have employed communication process improvement methods, including the Management By Strengths (MBS) program, to achieve remarkable results during challenging times.
White Paper published by Lawrence Research Associates (2010)

Case Studies:

Delta Airlines Technical Operations Division
Delta Airlines and its TechOps Division use the Management By Strengths (MBS) system to support continuous improvement initiatives. Brett Haupt, TechOps Leadership and Development Facilitator said: “We started using MBS in a ground swell effort to work better, faster, cheaper, than our competitors out there. …We are now using MBS as part of our management leadership development training corporate-wide.”

Hendrick Automotive Group
The second-largest privately owned dealership group in the U.S., Hendrick Automotive sells new and used cars and light trucks manufactured by more than 20 automakers. At the heart of this winning recipe is a very organized process for building relationships with customers, and a step-by-step plan for integrating new dealerships and employees, which includes the Management By Strengths program in its employee training and coaching.

Mercy Health Partners
When Mercy General and Hackley Health merged in 2009, the community reflected deep seated, generational biases about the two competing hospital systems. Roger Spoelman, C.E.O. at Mercy Health Partners says, “So we really did have to create a new culture in the organization. And I have to say that MBS was part of the foundation of that new culture.”Within eight months of the merger, Mercy Health Partners was named one of the nation’s Top100 Hospitals and Top 100 Hospitals for cardiovascular care by the Healthcare business of Thomson Reuters.