Case Studies

Below you will find some case studies as well as videos from some of our valued clients. 

Background

Aish Technologies is a systems design and manufacturing company that specialises in the protection of electronic equipment in harsh environments.  The company has a history that extends back over 100 years, and has an enviable pedigree in the supply of rugged technology across the world.  

Aish Technologies is based in Poole, England, in a purpose-built facility that allows the company’s full range of design disciplines and advanced manufacturing techniques to be carried out on one site.

Although Aish Technologies has in-depth expertise that can be applied in any number of specialist areas, the company is renowned for the development and manufacture of innovative, purpose built, rugged multi-function consoles, electronic cabinets, racks and enclosures, flat panel displays and Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP) systems.  The development of these successful products has given them the expertise and knowledge to provide a service to their customers in the design, development and manufacture of a wide range of military and commercial hardware.

This has resulted in more & more customers turning to Aish Technologies for the solution to their needs, attracted by a strong technical base, disciplined programme management and excellent advanced manufacturing facility – attributes that customers such as BAE Systems, NGSM, Thales and SEA rely on to maintain their position as world-class technology companies.

To achieve these results the management is committed to supporting and developing its 240 staff to deliver such success.

 Approach

In 2015 Lloyd Bates Managing Director of Aish Technologies and Dorothy Westerman from the HR Function invited Steve Jones into the business to discuss Employee Engagement in their business.

By their own admission they had been attempting to recapture the engagement that had once existed when they had 100 staff. However, as the company had grown so rapidly to 240 staff there was a feeling that the culture was being challenged and a desire to recreate a culture of engagement within their business, which had previously existed.

Part of the disconnect within the business had been brought about by the old and the new, it being a second-generation business, with the previous owner, Lloyd’s father, having recently retired.

Steve Jones proposed a year long programme whereby the senior management team and the board met with Steve two days per month, sometimes together, sometimes separately, to explore and implement an Employee Engagement programme.

The programme was designed to be very intuitive around the needs of the organisation and to be inclusive of Lloyd and Dorothy’s thoughts and insights.

Business Goal 

The goal was to unite the leadership team and the board behind a common goal of Employee Engagement to ensure that the success of the organisation was brought about by the people it employed by harnessing their full potential a capability toward a common cause.

Results

The year long programme proved to be very successful indeed. Not only did it achieve its objective of uniting the leadership team and board through the use of Motivational Maps and the supporting appraisal process, it went even further.

The business united behind a common cause, played to its strength, became brave in its marketplace, which improved orders and profitability.

This led to the company winning awards, locally and nationally, as a business that demonstrated true growth and passion for delivering change, while including ambition to develop their workforce and to maximise technological, commercial and M & A opportunities.

In Lloyd Bates own words on winning such awards:

 “In the last year we have grown from £14.2 million turnover to £18.7, million, 30% growth and this year we are on track to deliver £21.5 million turnover, another 15% growth.”

“Our success is brought about by our people. We put a lot of effort into development about people and employee engagement, getting them to understand the journey we are on, our aspirations.”

Bates highlighted a clear vision, clear objectives, clear leadership, understanding motivations, communicating regularly by briefings and newsletters, keeping everyone up-to-date with the progress on the journey.

“You can put a plan in place but with out employee commitment you won’t achieve it.”

“If you can deliver what you are good at, then you can grow organically which we have done.”

In 2004, Warren Munson, the Founder of Inspire Professional Services, left his tax-focused position at a major national firm, noticing an opportunity in the market for a tax and business advisory firm focused on entrepreneurs. Since then he’s built a loyal team of directors and employees who support over five hundred entrepreneurs throughout the various stages of their business’ journey.

Since 2010, Inspire Professional Services have won numerous business awards and have doubled in size expanding their client base within the South West Region of the UK.

They started to look at Employee Engagement just before their 10^th anniversary in 2013. The company had experienced rapid growth but were in danger of losing sight of their core beliefs ‘to enable ambitious and driven entrepreneurs to succeed’. The business was beginning to feel like a big firm, similar one that Warren Munson had left behind all those years ago.

Keen to make sure that Inspire didn’t fall into the trap of becoming yet another big accountancy firm, Inspire Professional Services, called on and engaged the services of Steve Jones of Skills for Business Training Ltd.

There was a recognition that the company needed to change and get back to its routes. There was a clear desire and drive within the business to re engage with its core spirit, essence and beliefs.

 Central to the work Steve Jones undertook with the leadership team of Inspire Professional Services and its employee was the use of Motivational Maps.

There was an appetite in the business to truly to engage and understand the individuals and teams within the business, to create a motivational, goal driven organisation aligned to a common cause.

Along with many concepts and ideas, the use of Motivational Maps and the Motivational Maps Appraisal Process, became instrumental in achieving this objective.

Business Goal

Warren Munson was keen to get back to basics by keeping the spirit, essence and belief of his business ‘alive’ as they grew rapidly and ensure that the business did not become a large impersonal business. To do this Warren was keen to use an Employee Engagement process that was underpinned by Motivational Maps to drive performance, by understanding the motivational drivers, goals and ambitions of his employees and teams.

Results

Inspire Professional Services were able to reconnect with their core spirit, essence and beliefs and continue to grow and win awards. The business is now thriving more so than ever with a workforce that are fully engaged behind the business. The Employee Engagement process is very much alive and underpinned by the use of Motivational Maps in all areas of the business including appraisals.

The business is now well known for the support it gives to the local community and entrepreneurs. They now annually run an Entrepreneurs Conference for over 250 entrepreneurs at the famous BIC in Bournemouth, where successes and challenges of entrepreneurs are openly shared.

In full support of their pledge ‘to enable ambitious and driven entrepreneurs to succeed’ the business are excited about embarking on the next phase of their journey, their very own coaching programme for entrepreneurs – The Complete Entrepreneur’

The Coaching Programme is based on the Inspire Professional Services journey and those of its clients and is outlined and captured brilliantly in Warren Munson’s supporting book ‘The Complete Entrepreneur’

It shows how far a business can evolve and is a far cry from the dark days of their 9^th year where Warren had questioned where his business was heading.

Due to Warren’s foresight and actions regarding the desire to engage with his staff fully Inspire Professional Services have made great advances.

His story, which is outlined in his book, is a fascinating one and shows what can be achieved with the right mind- set, support, tools, techniques and frameworks.