The Made in Group's virtual industry meetup focused on a critical topic: how a high-performance culture can deliver exceptional business outcomes in today’s competitive labour market. With an emphasis on attracting and retaining top talent, the keynote speaker, Chris Houston, MD of Tadweld, discussed how cultivating a culture of Quality, Teamwork, and Innovation has led to significant improvements in productivity, employee retention, and long-term profitable growth.
Chris shared Tadweld's success story, emphasising their investment in employee engagement, specialised training, and career development as key drivers of their high-performance culture. These efforts have led to measurable benefits, such as increased productivity and improved employee retention, contributing to Tadweld’s long-term success. The company’s commitment to development is exemplified by its recognition as a nominee for the Insider Media Manufacturing Future Talent Award. Additionally, the use of personal development plans at Tadweld ensures that employees continuously grow and develop the skills needed to excel, which in turn strengthens the business.
In his talk, Chris offered practical advice on aligning company culture with business goals, demonstrating how the right cultural strategies can create lasting value for business owners, drive innovation, and sustain operational success. The audience gained insights into how creating a culture that encourages open communication, empowerment, and recognition can be a catalyst for high performance.
Other participants included a panel of industry leaders:
- Cherelle Jones from Partners PR
- Phil Stanley from TWP Group
- Nick George from Jenks & Cattell
- Tom Marren from Womag
- Emma Hudson from Weightlifter Bodies
- Richard Gould from Sheffield Tech
- John Pay from Thurston
- Curt Stennet from Made in Yorkshire
- Lee Morral from John Cotton Group
Key Takeaways:
-
Early Stages of Cultural Transformation: Most firms acknowledged they are in the early stages of their cultural journeys, working towards empowering their teams, flattening organisational structures, and fostering better communication to understand individual goals and aspirations.
-
Measurable Benefits: The benefits of a high-performance culture are evident, with firms reporting higher staff retention, productivity, customer satisfaction, and profitability. However, the journey to achieving this is not simple and requires sustained effort.
-
Empowerment and Accountability: Phil Stanley discussed the importance of moving away from measuring success purely on top-level metrics like OTIF (On-Time In-Full) and instead empowering individuals to understand their role in achieving these outcomes. Encouraging autonomy and decision-making at all levels was highlighted as a key factor.
-
Entrepreneurial Mindset: Tom Marren emphasised the value of cultivating an entrepreneurial culture where employees are empowered to solve their own problems without always relying on management approval.
-
Action-Oriented Leadership: Emma Hudson highlighted the importance of acting on employee suggestions and building trust by following through on commitments. This approach enhances employee engagement and helps employees understand the full employee lifecycle.
-
Inspiring Teams through Healthy Competition: Nick George shared how Jenks & Cattell fostered healthy competition among teams by organising initiatives like the Three Peaks Challenge, raising £6,000 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital. He also introduced a reward scheme, “Eagle Eye,” for spotting risks, dangers, or improvements, further inspiring collaboration and competition.
-
Quick Wins and Trust Building: Chris Houston explained that building trust in the cultural transformation process is essential. He recommended starting with small changes, such as installing a new coffee machine, and communicating these quick wins back to the team to demonstrate progress and commitment.
-
Consistent Communication: Richard Gould and Lee Mansell, new to their roles, emphasised the importance of consistent communication and empowerment as the foundation for driving productivity and healthy company culture, drawing on their experience from larger organisations like Unipart and Yorkshire Tea.
-
PR and Culture Advocacy: Cherelle Jones, a communication expert, discussed how PR can be shopfloor-led, not just driven by the leadership team, and how effective communication can build advocacy and enhance company culture. She noted the stark differences between companies that communicate well and those that do not.
Overall, the session demonstrated that while creating a high-performance culture is a long and challenging journey, the benefits are substantial. Empowering teams, acting on feedback, and aligning culture with business goals were emphasised as critical factors in sustaining operational success and achieving business excellence.