Case Study
Building a People & Culture Strategy
From the Ground Up
The Challenge −
A large service provider had grown rapidly, and business functions hadn’t caught up. The People & Culture function needed a strategy that would let it build the capability the growing organisation needed.
The Approach +
A desktop review and stakeholder interviews built a comprehensive understanding of the business context and an honest appraisal of the P&C function. The whole P&C team was brought together to co-design the key initiatives.
The Outcome +
A clear, practical strategy suited to the size and maturity of the function, including horizon-based measurement and a three-year roadmap for delivery. Enhanced appreciation across the business for the value P&C could provide, and an energised team.
Our Approach
The organisation, a large privately owned service provider, had grown quickly on the strength of its service delivery. Its People & Culture function hadn’t kept pace. There was no existing business strategy to anchor the work, so the engagement started with discovery: a desktop review of what already existed, alongside stakeholder interviews across the business.
That discovery work gave a comprehensive, honest appraisal of where the function stood — what was missing, and what was already working and worth building on. From there, the whole P&C team was brought together to co-design the strategy’s key initiatives, rather than receiving a strategy handed down to them.
Outcomes
The result was a full People & Culture strategy with horizon-based measurement and a three-year roadmap for delivery, built to be realistic for this team at this point in the organisation’s growth.
The organisation came away with a clear, practical strategy suited to the size and maturity of its People & Culture function. The business gained a stronger appreciation for the value the function could provide, and the P&C team came out of the process energised, with a roadmap they had helped build themselves.
Background
This engagement was delivered under MAKR Consulting, working directly with the organisation’s People & Culture leadership and broader team.
The organisation’s rapid growth had outpaced the systems and structure supporting its people function — a common pattern for fast-growing service providers, and one that requires a strategy grounded in honest current-state assessment rather than aspiration alone.
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What this engagement shows
A strategy built with the team that will deliver it lands differently to a strategy built for them. Discovery-first work and genuine co-design produce a roadmap people are willing to own.