“One of Scott’s strengths is his ability to become intimate with an organization—asking insightful questions to learn about the culture and then using this information to guide change.”

SETH ZIMMER,

Executive Director of Organizational Development

Leading Growth in a Post-Merger Environment

The Need:

The largest telecommunications company in the world was formed with the merger of BellSouth, Cingular Wireless, AT&T Mobility, and SBC Communications, encompassing over $120 billion in revenue.

The post-merger challenges included: 

• Integrating brands under “One AT&T”— a merged company of 285,000 employees—with a focus on growth, innovation, and strength
• Aligning senior executives on an integration strategy, transition plans, expansion opportunities, and addressing challenges to growth
• Achieving the “investment thesis” envisioned by the board of directors by fostering collaboration and teamwork, and removing silos across the new organization

The Solution:

Scott led an engagement to introduce and develop leadership strategies and approaches for executives and senior managers, which included:

• Using leadership effectiveness as a primary lever to drive results in the business
• Aligning the officers and senior managers on the strategy and execution plans, key to enabling the four Fortune 500 companies to combine as one powerful Fortune 10 entity—one with massive growth capacity
• Strategically using innovation as a driver of growth and the foundation of the organization’s culture to keep pace with the continually changing telecommunications industry
• Establishing a leadership framework and model to be used in developing and promoting leaders at all levels, as well as recruiting new leaders

Results:

• During the three-year engagement, the merged company thrived—revenue increased from $118 billion to $124 billion against the backdrop of the Great Recession.
• Collaboration, reduced waste, and innovation in this process contributed to a net income increase of $12 billion to $20 billion.