Applied Microbiology International: Culture Transformation

The Problem

When Lucy Harper became the Chief Executive of her organisation, she inherited issues with a dysfunctional office culture. There was a lot of infighting, presenteeism, and lack of motivation. Dealing with long-standing employees resistant to change was hugely frustrating. Lucy knew she must change the culture, and needed help to implement the scale of change required.

What We Did

Lucy partnered with T4P transform the culture. David provided an independent sounding board, giving her ideas and helping her develop an objective and positive perspective on the situation. This also helped her gain deeper insights into her team’s behaviour, motivation and personal drivers.

Moving the office to London and using T4P to recruit and select a new team was a major turning point. By using Harrison Assessments during the selection process, Lucy was able to uncover candidates’ genuine strengths and potential derailers. The assessments provided insights into their work motivations, behaviour under stress and cultural fit, enabling Lucy to build a team aligned with the organisation’s progressive vision and values.

The Result

T4P’s support and the strategic use of the Harrison Assessments facilitated a transformative culture shift within the organisation:

Insightful recruitment: The Harrison Assessments allowed Lucy to look beyond interview personas and identify candidates with similar work attitude and motivations, particularly those driven by the organisation’s cause. As a result, new hires were open-minded, communicative, progressive, and genuinely motivated by the organisation’s mission and goals.

Genuine leadership: Lucy’s leadership style developed to inspire, motivate and develop the team. This was particularly noticeable during the transformation prompted by the COVID pandemic. The organisation is now completely remote, but Lucy creates regular opportunities for face-to-face communication. New colleagues have praised the positive work culture and the fit of the new team members, noting a stark contrast from the previous environment. And in 2024, Applied Microbiology International were awarded one of the Sunday Times’ Best Places to Work – an award which is determined by the entire team’s anonymous feedback.

Aligned, ambitious and values-driven: As the organisation grows, Lucy and her team continue to leverage T4P’s coaching and the Harrison Assessments to navigate interpersonal dynamics and create an aligned, ambitious and values-driven team.

“Working with Talent4Performance has completely transformed our organisation. The people we’ve recruited are ambitious for the organisation, open-minded, communicative and motivated by doing good.”

“Moving the office to London was a turning point. We were making a fresh start, and we used Talent4Performance for all the Harrison assessment work associated with all the recruitment. It helped us see past interview personalities and our own unconscious biases.”

“David’s coaching has been essential in helping us navigate cultural and organisational changes. His insights and support have been crucial in maintaining a united front and a positive work environment.”

Dr Lucy Harper, Chief Executive