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Our Organization + Culture practice

We help people turn
purpose into practice inside organizations.

Organizations – and leaders – have to do more in the face of more:

More complex needs across more diverse stakeholders

More competition for more limited time, attention and energy

More social, political and economic upheaval creating more divided people, organizations and communities

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We get it. It feels hard to create momentum in this moment.

We need to build organizations that have momentum in their DNA.
We call organizations that do this best: generative.

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Generative organizations create sustainable value for themselves, their stakeholders, and the world

Generative organizations are:

Purpose-driven: they have a shared narrative defining who they are and why they exist that serves as a driving force for alignment and clarity

Inclusive: they deliver value to everyone their business touches (employees, customers, partners, the environment)

Adaptable: they respond dynamically to pressure, organizing and reorganizing people to generate new ideas and impact

Sustainable: they act in ways that enrich rather than exhaust the people and planet they depend on

Generative organizations

thrive in uncertain environments

foster cultures of innovation

turn ideas into action

attract and retain great talent

create abundance for stakeholders

How we help you build a more generative organization

Purpose Development

We create a shared north star to drive passion and performance

  • Organization and team purpose design
  • Mission and vision statements
  • Values and behaviors
Purpose Activation

We galvanize people to power momentum

  • Executive coaching and action-planning
  • Leadership storytelling and communications
  • Design of big, bold actions that bring purpose to life
Organizational Health Assessment

We uncover the hidden dynamics impacting performance

  • Employee surveys
  • Ethnographic surveys
  • Analysis of cultural + systemic barriers
  • Action planning for org health improvement
Org Design + Transformation

We translate strategy into systems

  • Org and team structure design
  • Decision-making process design
  • Culture + behavior change
  • Innovation capacity-building
Employer Brand Definition

We turn companies into communities

  • Employee value proposition development
  • Employee experience design
Future of Work

We make work work for everyone

  • Flexible work model design
  • Hybrid team and culture-building
  • Pilot design for new ways of working
  • Hybrid and flexible work design

Work

Transforming a legacy education leader’s business model around a new purpose. 

A legacy learning company asked us: How do we redefine our purpose to reorient our business model and re-energize our people?

We partnered with their leadership team to develop and align on a purpose that served as a catalyst for their next chapter. Working to understand their organization from the inside out, we were able to develop a compelling direction that not only served to invigorate the team, but also created a filter for decision-making, guiding their M&A and growth strategies.

  • purpose activation
  • communications
  • stakeholder engagement
  • org diagnostic
  • employee experience

Creating employee experiences to make purpose real on the ground for a major fashion brand

A global fashion house asked us: How do we inspire our people to reinvigorate a classic brand for the next generation of consumers?

After building a deep understanding of their employees from the C-suite to the frontlines, we were able to identify what would resonate with and inspire them. We designed a series of bold, engaging employee experiences and programs to bring their purpose to life in the lived experiences of retail associates and their customers, generating fresh energy for the brand across the organization.

  • purpose activation
  • employee engagement
  • culture & behavior change
  • employee experience

Architecting new innovation systems and capabilities in a global sports apparel business.

A leading retailer came to us with a challenge: How do we innovate beyond our core business to drive deeper impact in the communities we serve?

We redefined their purpose from pure apparel to enhancing performance to open up whitespace opportunities for the business. We then partnered with leadership and key stakeholders to design an innovation process and a governance model for developing new community engagement initiatives to bring their purpose to life.

  • innovation
  • org design
  • role design
  • communication
  • decision-making process

Designing the future of work for a
leading non-profit

An 150+ year old, leading nonprofit organization asked us: how can we design a future of work model that feels equitable for frontline staff and maximizes our ability to drive impact on our mission?

Building from a deep organizational analysis and resulting insights, we developed a new hybrid work model that addressed the diverse needs of employees across the organization. Spurred by the insight that the mission itself needed to be a compass rather than a catch all, we then embarked on an initiative to revisit the 10 year strategic plan. Working in partnership with executive leadership, we crystallized a set of ambitious outcomes and set organizational goals which helped focus teams, align priorities and drive impact.

  • org diagnostic
  • leadership alignment
  • leadership development
  • future of work

Helping a tech startup redesign teams to achieve rapid scale

A fast growing tech startup approached us with the question: how do we rethink our organizational structure to support accelerated growth?

Building from a strong understanding of the org’s growth goals, strategy and existing operating norms, we assessed the leadership team’s structure, capabilities and practices. We aligned on a set of recommendations for how they should operate and what capabilities they should add to accelerate growth. From there, we were able to work closely with their leadership team to design their cross-functional squads to ensure an integrated, customer-centric product approach.

  • org design
  • leadership alignment
  • executive coaching
  • change leadership

Our impact

Transforming a legacy education leader’s business model around a new purpose. 

A legacy learning company asked us: How do we redefine our purpose to reorient our business model and re-energize our people?

We partnered with their leadership team to develop and align on a purpose that served as a catalyst for their next chapter. Working to understand their organization from the inside out, we were able to develop a compelling direction that not only served to invigorate the team, but also created a filter for decision-making, guiding their M&A and growth strategies.

Creating employee experiences to make purpose real on the ground for a major fashion brand

A global fashion house asked us: How do we inspire our people to reinvigorate a classic brand for the next generation of consumers?

After building a deep understanding of their employees from the C-suite to the frontlines, we were able to identify what would resonate with and inspire them. We designed a series of bold, engaging employee experiences and programs to bring their purpose to life in the lived experiences of retail associates and their customers, generating fresh energy for the brand across the organization.

Architecting new innovation systems and capabilities in a global sports apparel business. 

A leading retailer came to us with a challenge: How do we innovate beyond our core business to drive deeper impact in the communities we serve?

We redefined their purpose from pure apparel to enhancing performance to open up whitespace opportunities for the business. We then partnered with leadership and key stakeholders to design an innovation process and a governance model for developing new community engagement initiatives to bring their purpose to life.

Designing the future of work for a leading non profit

An 150+ year old, leading nonprofit organization asked us: how can we design a future of work model that feels equitable for frontline staff and maximizes our ability to drive impact on our mission?

Building from a deep organizational analysis and resulting insights, we developed a new hybrid work model that addressed the diverse needs of employees across the organization. Spurred by the insight that the mission itself needed to be a compass rather than a catch all, we then embarked on an initiative to revisit the 10 year strategic plan. Working in partnership with executive leadership, we crystallized a set of ambitious outcomes and set organizational goals which helped focus teams, align priorities and drive impact.

Helping a tech startup redesign teams to achieve rapid scale

A fast growing tech startup approached us with the question: how do we rethink our organizational structure to support accelerated growth?

Building from a strong understanding of the org’s growth goals, strategy and existing operating norms, we assessed the leadership team’s structure, capabilities and practices. We aligned on a set of recommendations for how they should operate and what capabilities they should add to accelerate growth. From there, we were able to work closely with their leadership team to design their cross-functional squads to ensure an integrated, customer-centric product approach.

Interested in partnering with us?

Contact us at hello@cocollective.com to explore how we can support you in building a more generative organization.

1

Use our rapid diagnostic to uncover organizational barriers and enablers to achieving your strategic goals

2

Kick-start organizational alignment with our one-day team purpose activation lab

Interested in partnering with us?

Contact us at hello@cocollective.com to explore how we can support you in building a more generative organization.

1

Use our rapid diagnostic to uncover organizational barriers and enablers to achieving your strategic goals

2

Kickstart organizational alignment with our one-day team purpose activation lab

What we're thinking & talking about

future of work hub

Future of Work Hub podcast
March 2022

Kit Krugman and Derek Newberry share their strategies for thriving in the future of work

Listen Now

 

UpNext

Up Next podcast
January 2022

An interview with Kit Krugman on creating work-life boundaries in a hybrid workplace

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The Culture Puzzle

The Culture Puzzle: Harnessing the forces that drive your organization's success

Read Derek Newberry’s latest book on how to build a great organizational culture

Read More

 

CampaignUS article

CampaignUS
August 2022

The work/life liberation illusion: Who really benefits from remote work flexibility?

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