Grant Thornton, a UK professional services firm, embarked on an ambitious cultural change initiative called "Ambition 2015" to shift its culture and grow revenues. The head of talent development, Mel Wombwell, led workshops and programs to help employees transition from solely task-focused work to building deeper client relationships. By asking open-ended questions of clients and showing vulnerability, employees found they could better understand clients and win new business. While cultural change is ongoing, Grant Thornton has already seen phenomenal success through shifting behaviors and beliefs across the organization.

1. 70 culture, vision &
Section heading values
When we talk of deep behavioural shifts, why can
this be tricky? Sometimes, all it takes is for the right
people-person to connect a group of leaders, ask
enquiring questions and create a concrete shared
vision that creates real, noticeable change within
an organisation. Natalie Cooper reports on how
professional services company Grant Thornton
achieved exactly this.
Philosophy for behavioural change
I n its recent service reviews, clients of Grant Thornton
– one of the largest professional services firms in the
UK – are consistently commenting on feeling change within
we need to explore together?’, ‘What is the vision?’,
‘What’s the culture we need to have in place to
achieve that vision?’, ‘Who are you and what do
the company. With a population of about 4,500, including you stand for?’, ‘What’s really driving the need for
a national leadership board of six headed up by CEO Scott change?’and ‘How much do you want this and why?’
Barnes, it has ambitious plans to grow the business from its
current turnover of £410 million to £500 million by 2015. Making the difference
Following the launch of its ‘Ambition 2015’ initiative “The ‘what’ of Grant Thornton is to provide tax,
in October 2011, Grant Thornton’s leadership team – assurance and advisory services, but the ‘why’ is to
along with Mel Wombwell, who joined as head of talent share knowledge, expertise and insights with our
development and resourcing in September of the same clients,” she says. “The way financial structures are
year, and her new talent team (now seven in total) – have set up within organisations makes all the difference
been taking their people on a journey of change. between success and failure. Our future growth will
It was at this time when the board, made up of six come from building collaborative partnerships
partners, had a reshuffle. Three remained, and three fresh with clients.”
faces were brought in. In February 2012, global CEO Ed Wombwell and her team began to create tools to
Nusbaum revealed the new global brand promise for the help employees transition their belief systems from
company, with the taglines: ‘An instinct for growth’ and solely ‘getting things done expertly’ to connecting
‘Unlocking the potential for growth’. with clients on a more emotional level. She explains:
The first step for Wombwell and her team was to bring “Although people who come to work for Grant
the new board together and ask: ‘What are the questions Thornton are exceptionally brilliant, they’re used to
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2. business matters of the heart 71
Section heading
task and process. Our people are extremely professional
and work hard with their clients to get the job done.
“Now, we’re coaching all our colleagues to listen to their
clients, and treat them more like they would a good friend
“C hange can come from all
“
levels in an organisation,
it just takes bottle
by asking open and insightful questions. For example,
you wouldn’t not ask a friend: ‘how’s everything going?’ to a gym – it’s never a done deal, or like waves on a
You’ve got to build strong relationships with people and shore – there’s always the next exciting one on its
understand what’s going on inside them so you can create way. Cultural change is ongoing,” she adds.
a meaningful relationship on a much deeper level rather “It all comes down to a coaching ethos. Change
than operate at the surface. We’re asking our people to can come from all levels in an organisation, it just
genuinely engage with clients as individuals, and lay takes bottle and when you’re trying to game change,
themselves open to being more vulnerable, ‘to show the you’ve got to engage people emotionally in their
real them’ instead of being reserved and contained. This hearts. That only works when you change behavioural
can be quite a scary and frightening concept.” and belief systems to get personal buy-in so everyone
is aboard the same boat.
First wave of change – identifying the brand promise “We’re already having phenomenal success. There’s
To give people the space to think how they would carry been a big management shift. Traditionally, if you look
this out in practice, Wombwell and her team devised a at elders in tribal cultures they are expected to know
series of two-day workshops, plus a day’s follow-up six all the answers. We’re saying to our people that it’s ok
weeks later, called: ‘Being a Game Changer – leadership not to have all the answers. Instead of grappling with
& advocacy’. All participants were asked to pair up that, it’s ok to feel vulnerable, we’re only human after
with someone else as their coaching buddy and in the all,” says Wombwell. “We’ve taken a leap of faith and the
follow-up day they were encouraged to share stories, shift has changed to listening to clients. Just by asking
experiences and ideas from their learning. more open questions, our partners are now winning
To ensure a smooth cultural change programme, new business.”
the board were first asked to identify the partners they She offers an example. “One of our partners simply
felt were passionate about leaving a legacy, positive asked their client: ‘What’s important to your business
spokespeople and could energise others. “You need to going forward?’ By the time the partner walked out, he
find early adopters,” she comments. “Picture a business had won a huge chunk of business. And the partner’s
in the shape of an hourglass. We wanted to cut right feedback?: ‘It’s brilliant.’”
through it from the top down to identify the 10% of our As part of the cultural change and to meet ambition
people who stand out from the crowd and are the change 2015, the Exceptional Connections programme will
makers – then give them the tools to become even more continue to be rolled out over the next two years.
influential in championing the change programme.” Wombwell and her talent team have created a suite of
The first workshop was piloted with the early adopters 20 additional programmes aimed at new joiners,
in January 2012 with 40 partners and directors. Between colleagues and leaders. “Grant Thornton is a great place
February and August, the programme was rolled out, and to work. We’re really investing in our talent and they
400 colleagues have now taken part. really appreciate it. Not only that but we know we’re
adding so much more value to our clients too. Cultural
Second wave of change – exceptional connections change is not a sprint, it’s a marathon, but it’s worth it,”
In June 2012, the talent team introduced a more in-depth smiles Wombwell.
programme called ‘Exceptional Connections’. Wombwell
likens it to a kind of rewiring process that takes place
over five days during a six-month programme. It involves
extensive coaching, emotional intelligence analysis Melanie Wombwell
and deep enquiry questioning, for example: ‘How do you head of talent and resourcing,
think you’re perceived?’, ‘What do your clients think of Grant Thornton
you?’ and ‘How do you have the conversation with clients Mel joined Grant Thornton UK in 2011 and was
around the brand promise of ‘instinct for growth’? previously owner and managing director of a niche
She says you can’t just tick a box to say ‘right, that’s consulting and executive coaching business for
it’ and that the cultural change has ended. “It’s like going 15 years.
www.grant-thornton.co.uk
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