The company has developed and offered a newproduct, which was not an obvious extension to the existing product range. Within the company, a small group was responsible for the marketing and positioning of the new product. This group was highly motivated, but was perceived as an island and was not supported by the company.
The new product called for a change of image both internally and externally. The implementation proceeded very slowly and uncertainly because it was perceived as a threat internally and as a weak position externally. Internal lack of comprehension complicated the work processes of the company, and the weak external position fostered confusion for customers.
Intervention:
In the first step, we focused on the commonalities of existing and new products.We developed a series of workshops with the responsible persons, structures,and supplementary variants to the existing range of products. In another ongoing workshop, we collaborated on the unique features of each product section and the cross-product assistance measures necessary to develop useful synergies.
It became clear that there were systemic barriers between the representatives of the establishment and the initiators of the new orientation. We organized a special mediation workshop, in which the representatives from both directions established an agreement mechanism, so that the problem was solved.
Subsequently, a bonus system was defined and implemented, which promotes mutual and sustainable support. The next step was the integration of the new group into the existing corporate culture and the making of its work operations and market plans transparent. We implemented a pairing system, with two people working as coordinators between the two product areas, in order to regularly exchange information and jointly coordinate possible activities.
We moderated these workshops. For this approach, we used our business and psychosocial know-how as navigation help. As a result,internally and externally, the company established a new image of itself as serving clients and working with transparency.
Results/Effect:
Internally, appreciation for both the existing and the newly implemented areas grew. Externally, customers understood the new product range as a complement and an extended competency of the supplier.