My services grew organically back when I supported the post-merger integration of Siemens-Westinghouse in the power-generation business:
Explaining
I started out offering classroom training. In Germany. In front of Germans. In the German language. Ten foundational topics. Over two and one-half days. We went deep. Always addressing the three key questions:
Where do we differ in how we think, therefore in how we work? What impact do those differences have on our collaboration? How can we get the differences to work for, not against, us?
I then did the same on the American side, in the U.S., in the English language. Same teams. Same topics. Common understanding.
Integrating
Those trainings went well. Management from both sides came to me: “Hey John, we’re hearing good things about the training. Can you help our teams integrate? It’s not going as smoothly as we thought it would.”
I could help. I called them Policy Workshops. Background interviews with key people. Deep analysis. Identified the blockages.
The same three questions, but now applied to specific situations, teams, and problems. Drafted a workshop design, discussed and refined it with the respective manager. Then executed. Off-site, five German and five American colleagues. Working through the issues together.
Solving
Those workshops went well, also. Management again: “Hey John, those really helped. Keep going. Lots to integrate.
In the meantime, can you do workshops here on the German side, and over on the American side? Not intercultural, however, pure organizational development. We like your approach. Folks feel comfortable with you.”
And I could help. Similar skill set, method, steps. Listen. Understand. Analyze. Draft. Discuss. Modify. Execute. Colleagues produced solid results.