Case Studies

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Staples

Staples is a growing company that cares about its customers and employees. TeamBuilders WorldWide has had the honor of partnering with Staples in Florida, Connecticut and at its corporate headquarters in Framingham, Massachusetts.

Profile

Staples launched the office supplies superstore industry with the opening of its first store in Brighton (Boston), Mass., in May 1986. Its goal: to provide small business owners the same low prices on office supplies previously enjoyed only by large corporations. Staples is now a $13 billion retailer of office supplies, business services, furniture and technology to consumers and businesses from home-based businesses to Fortune 500 companies in North America and throughout Europe. Customers can shop with Staples however they choose, either by walking in, calling in or logging on.

Initiative

Staples’ home office has an extremely talented group of folks designing and delivering its training programs. TeamBuilders WorldWide had a wonderful opportunity to work directly with these two groups to create a stronger synergy that, at the end of the day, benefited its internal and external clients. Our focus was on the challenges and opportunities that a matrix environment presents when it comes to effective communication and execution.

Objectives

Identify, prioritize and strategize on items and actions that impede communication, seeking and sharing information.
Surface and build on issues of collaboration and cohesiveness.
Create a “Declaration of Interdependence” for commitment and accountability.
Enhance abilities to react to change.
Eliminate the “Us and Them” culture that existed between the two areas of the business.
Have fun and get to know each other.

Results

We identified the drivers moving them towards Staples’ aggressive Human Resource objectives. We then identified and prioritized the restrainers impeding the group from accomplishing these goals. Once we had the prioritized items, subgroups were able to begin strategy sessions to remove these barriers. The changes were carried beyond our meeting and presented at the monthly meeting. The teams committed to these changes in the form of a written document for accountability known as their “Declaration of Interdependence”.