Culture Shift That Drove a 95% Engagement Turnaround
Transforming Team Culture to Build a High-Performance, High-Engagement Workforce
How one team went from disengaged to high-performing using a structured, metrics-driven culture shift
The Challenge
A business optimisation initiative revealed deep-rooted cultural issues within a core internal team — marked by:
Poor engagement and low morale
Limited accountability and ownership
Weak collaboration with other departments
An internal culture and engagement survey (NPS-style) revealed a team score significantly below the global benchmark. The data pointed to a disengaged, unclear, and undervalued team environment — severely affecting both productivity and team satisfaction.
The Solution
SMD Consulting's founder led a structured cultural transformation program, designed around the actual feedback surfaced from survey results. The strategy focused on both team behaviour and leadership support.
Key elements included:
Targeted workshops on accountability, ownership, and high-performance mindsets
Facilitated team conversations about collaboration responsibilities
Leadership alignment to make team members feel seen, heard, and valued
Regular pulse checks to maintain visibility, traction, and trust
This was a hands-on, feedback-driven process — not a one-off “engagement initiative” — and it empowered the team to take control of its own culture.
The Results
Engagement score jumped to be equal to the global benchmark in Year 1
In Year 2, surpassing global and organisational benchmarks
Measurable shifts in team behaviour, collaboration, and initiative
Stronger team cohesion, resilience, and shared accountability
The business now has a repeatable model for culture change that can be scaled across departments
What This Means for Your Business
Cultural change doesn’t need to be fluffy, theoretical, or slow. This case shows that when you combine data with real dialogue and leadership commitment, you can unlock performance by transforming team mindset.
Want to Strengthen Team Culture in Your Business?
Let’s talk about what’s really going on behind disengagement — and how to fix it from the inside out.
