The challenge for Pulse was to support the leadership in ensuring the whole organisation was connected to the new growth vision. With geographic expansion, a new strategic vision and a new CEO, we were asked to review internal communications and support the development of the senior team.

When relatively new organisations evolve rapidly, the pace of change can sometimes be so fast that staff and customers can feel disconnected, left behind or overwhelmed. Success is great – but at what price? We found Abcam’s history needed to be incorporated into the overall internal narrative. By revisiting and celebrating earlier innovations people were able to better grasp the new visions and its continuity. In this way the workforce felt less alienated and part of the overall success.

A rigorous discovery process identified some of the internal barriers that were holding employees back from engaging with the new vision. It also identified a number of dilemmas held by the leadership team. The rapid pace of change was indeed found to be central to these issues. From this, a set of six founding principles and a new narrative that incorporated the past were created to help the organisation feel more empowered and confident.