CN Group
ACORN HELPS ACHIEVE STRATEGIC BUSINESS GOALS
The CN Group is one the UK’s strongest and oldest media groups. It began with the publishing of the Carlisle Patriot back in 1815 and the company now has significant business interests in publishing, broadcasting and print services – including TV, Radio, newspapers, directories and the Web.
The media industry is undergoing massive change due to the proliferation of the web, satellite and cable services and general decline in newspaper circulations. This means media companies must re-engineer their businesses to ensure they are adequately placed to adapt to changing tastes.
CN Group enlisted the help of leading management consultants Wallace Walker to help them design a new business strategy for the future. A key part of this work was to ensure the company had the right management team, equipped with the right skills, to take the business forward.
Wallace Walker partnered with Acorn to create a 3 year leadership and management development programme. The objective was to ensure CN Group had a senior management and leadership team capable of thinking strategically with the necessary skills to grow and expand the business within a volatile and unpredictable marketplace.
THE ACORN APPROACH
Before the programme could begin, Acorn spent time with Wallace Walker and CN Group to get under the skin of the business, understand the long term objectives and get a feeling for the main issues and pressures facing the senior leadership team.
This involved a series of investigations across the business including a questionnaire, in-depth interviews and an analysis of core competencies and knowledge. This process led to a detailed programme design that mirrored the strategic business plan.
The ongoing programme includes:
- Leadership development – focusing on business performance
- 1 to 1 coaching – to help individuals realise their full potential
- Team coaching – to ensure teams throughout the business pull together to reach the organisation’s business goals
Return on Investment
This is a long term project that is still going on. However early results have achieved:
- A comprehensive leadership development strategy closely aligned to meet business objectives
- A consensus among senior leadership team as to cultural changes required to drive the business forward
- A shift in attitude from key management to implement and cascade new skills throughout the workforce