The flight attendant had to ask her twice, “Anything to drink, ma’am?”
A version of this article appeared in the November–December 2018 issue (p.143–147) of Harvard Business Review.
Case Study: Can You Fix a Toxic Culture Without Firing People?
A CFO wonders how to turn around a struggling division.
James Graham/Getty Images
Summary.
In this fictional case study, Noelle, the CFO of an automotive parts manufacturer isn’t sure how to turnaround a seemingly toxic culture. The division had struggled through the financial crisis but was now on more stable footing, and as a numbers person, Noelle had assumed that once the division was out of the red, the people problems would go away. But after an unpleasant trip to the company’s largest plant, she realizes something needs to change. The CEO is proposing further layoffs but Noelle wonders if rallying around the people still left and transforming the culture might work better.