Strategic transformation, Adizes methodology implementation

When we entered the project with Irina Sotnikova and the A.maze.S team, we had a very serious internal request. We understood: if we wanted to reach a different level of business — in terms of turnover, processes, manageability — we needed a completely different approach to how the company itself was structured.

We are the Discovery group of companies. A family business with a thirty-year history that has grown very quickly in recent years: new directions, new projects, new people, new businesses within the group. And at some point it became obvious that the old system could no longer withstand this speed of change.

To be honest, it was a transitional period. When the old management model has already stopped working, and the new one is only just forming. When the business needs not just energy and speed anymore, but: systematization, structuring, increased efficiency, normal coordination, clear zones of responsibility, and the ability to scale without constantly overheating key people. That’s exactly why we entered a major change implementation project.

What was especially valuable to me was that the work didn’t come down to «consulting on paper.» It was a very live and very applied process: organizational diagnostics, working through accumulated problems, launching a POC, creating a Synerteam, regular meetings, implementing new management approaches and, most importantly, — teaching people to solve problems together and go through changes.

Honestly, Synerteam is a really cool thing. We liked it a lot. And I think it’s one of the strongest things that has appeared for us over the past year and a half. People started meeting and openly talking about problems. But that’s not even the main thing. The main thing is that they started solving them together. Before, many departments simply didn’t interact with each other this deeply. But here people started meeting regularly, discussing big issues, negotiating, looking for solutions.

And the most telling thing for me — when we said that we would now try to move forward on our own, people genuinely started worrying that such meetings might end. Over this year and a half they became so engaged with this format of work that now they themselves want to keep using this approach within their own business units. That’s a very strong result.

As for Irina herself — I felt very comfortable working with her. I like how thoughtfully she approaches issues, how she reasons, how she holds her position in difficult moments. Because there was a lot of emotion in the process, internal disagreement, resistance, situations where the company was literally «shaking» from the changes. And here it was important that Irina calmly and clearly held the frame where it was necessary.

That said, I’ll be honest: implementing change is a very hard thing. And probably the main piece of advice I would give to companies considering this kind of work: no one fully understands how deeply the changes will affect the organization and the people within it. Everyone says: «Yes, we’re ready to change.» But when the changes actually start happening — it turns out that everyone’s readiness is very different.

That’s exactly why I would especially recommend this kind of work to companies that are in a similar transitional stage. When the business has grown quickly, but the management system hasn’t kept pace with that growth. When the company is trying to move from «go-go» into a more mature, systematic management model and is preparing to scale. Because going through this stage on your own is very difficult.

And now I already understand: without this project, moving to the next level of business would simply have been impossible for us. Yes, there’s still a lot of work ahead. But now we have a much more mature management foundation that we can build on going forward.

Daniil,
CEO, Discovery Group of Companies