- Home
- CiscoInner Details
CISCO Training
Academy
About the Company
Cisco Systems is the global leader in IT, empowering organizations to seize opportunities by connecting the unconnected. With a customer-first philosophy, Cisco has built its reputation on creating long-lasting partnerships and delivering innovative solutions tailored to address specific challenges. Since its founding, Cisco has revolutionized IT through pioneering technologies like the multi-protocol router, embodying a commitment to addressing customer needs and fostering growth.
The Challenge
In 2000-2005, Cisco Norway faced pressing challenges that threatened its business performance:
Declining Order Intake
Sales in Norway were slightly declining, signaling a need for immediate intervention.
Low Customer and Employee Satisfaction
Both metrics lagged behind other countries in Northern Europe, undermining operational effectiveness and team morale.
Fragmented Leadership
A relatively new management group needed to establish trust, define a unified vision, and create a strategy that aligned with Cisco’s global values while addressing local market dynamics.
To overcome these challenges, Cisco Norway required a structured approach to leadership development, strategy formation, and team engagement.
The Solution
Cisco Norway engaged Improve to lead a comprehensive development process, focusing on building leadership cohesion, defining a shared vision, and creating actionable strategies to restore growth and satisfaction. The solution was built on a systematic approach to identifying challenges, setting goals, and empowering employees.
Key Components of the Program
SWOT Analysis
Conducted a detailed analysis to understand strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, providing a foundation for strategic planning.
Leadership Development
Personal Development. Team Development. Partner Development. Cultural Development. Corporate Business Idea, Vision, Goals, Strategies. Values. Established a new leadership definition and team values, including Open Communication, Respect, and Responsibility (ÅRA in Norwegian), to guide collaboration and decision-making.
Goal Setting and Action Planning
Developed ambitious organizational goals, breaking them down into department and individual objectives to ensure accountability and clarity.
Employee Engagement
Involved employees in solving challenges and aligned their contributions with organizational goals, fostering a sense of ownership.
Cultural Shifts
Introduced open office layouts for leaders to encourage accessibility and transparency, and eliminated restrictive training budgets for system engineers to accelerate expertise development.
The Results
Cisco Norway achieved transformative results during the three-year engagement
Order Intake Growth
New orders more than doubled, surpassing initial targets and revitalizing the business.
Customer and Employee Satisfaction
Cisco Norway became the top-performing country in Northern Europe for both customer and employee satisfaction, driving a culture of excellence.
Productivity and Profitability
Achieved the highest productivity and profitability metrics in Northern Europe, establishing Cisco Norway as a regional leader.
Diversity and Inclusion
Improved employee satisfaction among women, reversing previous trends and fostering a more inclusive workplace culture.
Success Factors
The program’s success can be attributed to several critical factors:
Strong Leadership Alignment
Built a well-coordinated and confident management team, evidenced by high scores in employee satisfaction surveys and 360-degree leadership evaluations.
Employee Involvement
Empowered employees to contribute to solutions, creating a shared sense of purpose and engagement.
Cultural Transformation
Implemented structural changes, such as open office layouts and enhanced training opportunities, to create a more dynamic and collaborative work environment.
Challenging the Status Quo
Improve’s ability to challenge the leadership team to reflect, innovate, and deliver pushed Cisco Norway to achieve extraordinary outcomes.
Discover how we can empower
your success
Partner with Improve and experience why companies from every sector choose us as their trusted growth and results partner.
