Case Study: Edison International

Challenge:

In the wake of the California Energy Crisis, Edison International needed to turnaround its performance and restore confidence in the company’s future. Internal research uncovered a number of cultural issues that stood in the way of success.

Connecting employees to corporate values in meaningful ways: To make the corporate culture relevant to individuals, we framed Edison’s strategic story in the voice of its employees. We rolled out a compelling visual campaign, featuring dynamic photos of employees from across the company sharing their perspectives on the corporate values and their personal accountability for the company’s success.

Actions:

• Leadership alignment through off-site retreats
• Articulation of new company vision, 2 new company values and guiding behaviors
• Cross-department communications planning sessions
• “Drumbeat” communications campaign—alignment with annual goals rollout, employee storytelling, “yearbook effect” visual campaign, manager “conversation starters,” and interactive portal site
• Integration with operational priorities—ERP
• Peer and corporate recognition programs—Annual Chairman’s Award
• Integration with HR Processes: new employee orientation, performance management, culture workshops for leaders
• External reinforcement through corporate advertising campaign

Results:

Employee engagement results showed marked improvements:

• 86% agreed that how they act is just as important as what they accomplish
• 81% felt that their work contributes to the company’s vision
• 80% believed that living the company’s values is as important as achieving its business goals

Recognition is not a job only suited for leaders: As part of the launch of a new interactive intranet site, we also introduced values-themed e-cards for employees to recognize their peers for modeling Edison’s values and guiding behaviors.

Shining a light on values-based performance. To reinforce specific behaviors and provide employees with clear role models, Edison introduced the Chairman’s Award. This company-wide recognition program required significant coordination across multiple business units, geographies and organizational structures. The Award and supporting publicity served as a culmination of the culture communication campaign’s first-year efforts by providing clear and compelling examples of the power of values-driven performance.