The Mersey Partnership (TMP) is a not for profit organisation, supported by both public and private sectors, with the remit of promoting Liverpool and the surrounding areas as a place in which to live, work, invest in and visit. Over the years, as the organisation has become more successful, it has been funded to undertake a wider range of responsibilities, and as a result its staffing numbers have increased from around 30 to over 80 today.

One unforeseen consequence of this significant growth is that the organisation’s people had become detached from the overall objectives. Staff turnover was high and communication between teams was poor. “We realised that to continue our success, we needed to invest more time and effort in our only significant resource,” says former TMP Chief Executive Dr Robert Crawford. “At the same time we recognised that to get the best out of people, we had to make TMP a more enjoyable place to work.”

Having provided HR advice and support to TMP for a number of years, Ariadne Associates were asked to assist the senior team in transforming the culture. A number of key priorities were identified, including the need to set up some core values for all to work to.

“Simon’s role in establishing our values was extremely important. He spent a good deal of time involving our staff across the organisation to develop the values, and reviewed our recruitment and appraisal systems to ensure they were consistent with the new values. Most importantly he helped us to start a significant transformation, which we are now committed to completing,” says Robert Crawford.