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Social Styles Strengthen Core Corporate Values

Lancaster Laboratories is well-known as an innovative, quality-driven provider of independent analytical chemical and biological testing services. In an industry where technical skills are often prized over interpersonal skills, it is also known for a strong set of values that emphasize the importance of its employees, relationships with customers, support for its community and creating an open, entrepreneurial workplace.

To ensure that these values were embraced by all of its 750 employees, Lancaster Laboratories turned to Strategic Enhancement for assistance.

Making the Values Come Alive
Susan Hall, senior consultant for Strategic Enhancement, recalled that "the company was interested in creating systems that would help employees 'walk the talk' described in its values statement. They weren't looking for a quick fix. They wanted to create a permanent, sustainable change in the culture."

Hall worked closely with Beth DiPaolo, Lancaster Laboratories' Manager of recruiting and training to define its existing and ideal cultures and its short- and long-term goals. Hall explained, "As expected, the majority of the company's employees are highly-educated scientists who tend to be very focused and task-oriented. For some, effective communication was secondary to the scientific process."

To heighten awareness of different communication styles and their impact on productivity and group effectiveness, Lancaster Laboratories introduced Social Styles to its organizational development curriculum "because it supported virtually every one of the company's values," explained Hall.

The training focuses on helping individuals learn their own communication styles and identify the styles of those around them. Unlike other communication styles training, Social Styles also teaches participants how to apply what they've learned to improve their relationships with others, including peers, co-workers and customers.

Social Styles quickly became the cornerstone in the company's drive to live their values. "Our employees loved it. Very quickly, we began to see a shift in the way people communicated with each other and in their openness to other viewpoints. As more employees were trained, they began to use social styles language in meetings," said DiPaolo.

As interest in the training spread at the "grassroots" level, it also made its way to senior management. "After several months, I was contacted by a member of our senior management team who wanted to know more about Social Styles," she explained. This contact led to a senior leadership retreat during which senior managers were trained in Social Styles. Soon after, the decision was made to require all team leaders to complete Social Styles training so that all team members spoke a "common language."

Hall credits DiPaolo's "passion, belief in and commitment to the training" as major contributors to the success that the company has experienced. "Beth's energy and commitment to the process have helped create enthusiasm and demand for the training and her ability to model versatility is recognized by her co-workers as well as her clients. Beth's efforts are a huge reason for the training's success," added Hall.

Building on Success
"Social Styles really made our values come alive. We care about our people and their interactions on all levels. Social Styles is a practical tool that helps foster a healthier, more productive environment," said DiPaolo. "It reinforces the value we place on respect for differences and the unique contributions of others."

The success of the Social Styles effort opened other opportunities to collaborate with Strategic Enhancement, noted DiPaolo.

Strategic Enhancement was the logical partner to help Lancaster Laboratories move to the next level, said DiPaolo. "Everything Strategic Enhancement does reflects the services they offer. Susan's approach to sales and service is exceptional. The two are completely intertwined. She's professional, efficient, collaborative and versatile - all the things we want our employees to model. She's a living example of what she sells."

The Pennsylvania-based company has since benefited from Leading from Within which helped senior managers take a more introspective look at personal leadership styles and how they support the company's values. Contributing Team Member and its forerunner, The Power of Versatility, have helped participants learn to leverage what they know about their own and others' communication styles.

Signature Service was presented to service team members working with external customers to increase their understanding of customer issues and concerns. It is now being rolled out to all supervisors and all team members who have direct client contact. Hall currently is working with DiPaolo to create a sales development curriculum.

DiPaolo especially looks forward to the discovery process. "It's always a productive exchange. Susan asks great questions and listens carefully to our answers. She's always looking for ways to improve what we are offering or might offer."

Transporting the Values
"Strategic Enhancement helped us align our organizational development initiatives with our values. As a result, the importance of these values has been strengthened," said DiPaolo.

Ensuring that all team members - including those who work remotely at client sites - understand these values and operate accordingly can pose a unique challenge. Lancaster Laboratories has responded by requiring all employees working remotely as part of a team to participate in Social Styles training.

DiPaolo explained, "It's important that all team members feel connected to Lancaster Laboratories and its culture, regardless of where they are located physically. Social Styles is an exceptional way to learn about each other and foster good relationships. It gives employees who work remotely a strong link to Lancaster Laboratories and a chance to refresh key skills they'll need to work effectively with their new 'team.'"

It's proven to be a very effective strategy. At one client site, DiPaolo facilitated Social Styles training for a group combining both employees and clients to strengthen the client relationship. It was so successful that she will be returning to facilitate a Contributing Team Member course to reinforce what the group learned earlier. In fact, one client who had left the work group has requested to participate in the follow-up training due to its effectiveness.

"He told me that transferring to the other was like 'walking back in time.' The group was less productive and less effective. He's now trying to convince his supervisor to offer Social Styles through their training department. That's quite an endorsement," she added.

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