A detailed breakdown of the re-brand and organisational development programme led by Colin for AECOM during his time with the company outlining some of the issues faced with change management in a global copany.

1. Case Study Three: AECOM, April 2009 – January 2010
Issue/Challenge: Colin was employed as a Communications Specialist with American based
consultancy group AECOM through one of their subsidiary companies Cansult Maunsell in March
2009. Shortly after joining the company the head office in America announced that they intended to
roll out a Rebranding and Organisational Development programme for the Middle East, Europe,
Australia and the Far East. This programme had already been introduced in the United States and
Canada and had been brought in to bring all operating companies under one AECOM brand and also
to introduce a new Organisational Management programme using a Matrix management process.
Colin was given the responsibility as Project Manager for the 15,000 AECOM employees across the
Middle East region in six countries. The programme was to be macro managed from the Head Office
in the US and involved a complex strict timetable over nine months with detailed brand instructions
and extensive stakeholder engagement culminating in a road show by CEO’s in the relevant areas to a
timed and simultaneous launch on a precise time and date.
Process: The brand roll-out involved detailed colour pallets and Tone of Voice guidelines for all
collateral both printed and electronic with new Intranet and Internet sites. The Organisational
Development programme also demanded that Sector Leaders in specific specialism’s such as
Highways, Water, Infrastructure,Airports etc would not only need to report to regional country based
Regional Managers and the Middle East CEO in Abu Dhabi but to their relevant Global Sector leaders
back in the United States. This process was further complicated by AECOM announcing that they
intended to also open a Global Sales office in Dubai. Within a month of joining the company Colin
was handed this process by his line manager who went on leave. The programme was tightly
controlled by the US with weekly conference calls from California or New York with strict time
based targets set against a performance matrix. Both the rebrand and the Organisational Programme
met with some strong opposition in the Middle East on a number of fronts. A number of operating
companies (particularly the Architecture Company in the Middle East) were vehement about losing
their identity and way of working. A number of the country based Regional Managers in the various
countries saw their local influence being over ruled and Sector Leaders either opposed or could not
understand why they had to report back to the US as part of the matrix management system. To
overcome the difficulties Colin carried out a regional road show with the country based managers,
carried out face to face meetings with Sector Leaders as well as attending their regional meetings and
had severalmeetings with the Architecture Company. (Colin had faced similar difficulties with his
previous company Hyder Consulting and was able to use some hard learnt best practice). Other issues
included reaching site based staff in countries that had no electronic access with information. This
was achieved using a network of PA’s,secretaries and other contacts that Colin had set up. Colin also
had to successfully challenge the States on some cultural issues on content which would have not
been suitable in Islamic countries and would have cost AECOM work.
Result: The whole programme, which culminated in regional road shows and country based
presentations by the CEO and followed by a globally timed launch party in all countries, was
delivered on schedule. Colin later received a commendation from the AECOM head office in the US.
Communication and Engagement