Case History: High Performance Team Program
Westpac Institutional Bank: Risk Leadership Team
By Lisa Doig, Director Corporate Evolution and Andrew Carriline, Chief Risk Officer, Westpac Institutional Bank
The Program
The Results
underwent 360 feedback through the Lifestyle
Inventory (LSI) survey and their Individual Values
Andrew Carriline, Chief Risk Officer of Westpac
Assessment; the team diagnostic consisted of
Institutional Bank (WIB) engaged Corporate
interviews by Corporate Evolution focusing on
Evolution in March 2010 to take the Risk
team strengths/areas for
Leadership Team on a high performance
"My LSI was a wake-up call
improvement/blind spots
team journey. The overall objective was
as well as a survey by a top
– my peers thought I was
to take a siloed team, with good
management consultancy
doing a reasonable job but
functional skills but considered to be
assessing the Risk function
low performing, to a high performing
and interviews with its key
my team thought I was a
team standard. Andrew's remit was to
stakeholders around the
major blockage. I really
deliver to the Institutional Bank
level of value creation. On
stakeholders a well articulated risk
needed to look at my own
the organisational side,
strategy, and for the team to become
the Risk function was
behaviours first."
sought after as true business partners to
included in two Westpac-Andrew Carriline
the business.
wide surveys - the Barrett
values survey as well as
Diagnostic: Wake Up Call
the SPS Engagement Survey.
The Client's Goal
The diagnostic survey took many forms: individual,
team and organisational baseline measurements.
On the individual side, each team member
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In all surveys, a similar conclusion surfaced: that
this team was not delivering value to the business
and were not working together as a team. They
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were entrenched in siloed behaviour within the
function and in their efforts to manage risk, they
were inadvertently oppositional to the very
business partners they were meant to engage. Risk
was a constraint not a facilitator.
deeper from an IQ to an EQ (emotional
intelligence) and MQ (meaning intelligence) level.
By that we mean the Team Purpose and Vision
process connected at a deeper meaning level
around why the team members come to work
The Chief Risk Officer, Andrew, was also in for
every day ("why, why, why exercise"), what
some confronting feedback. When he got back his
difference they want to make in the lives of others,
LSI - he was surprised to be described as displaying
how to harness their unique strengths and what
very aggressive defensive
legacy they want to leave in the
behaviour as perceived by his
Bank. This connection at an
Risk Team Purpose
team, certainly not the Leader
EQ/MQ level is what energised
and aligned the team and for this
that he aspired to be.
To lead a dynamic risk
to be more than an intellectual
culture that delights our
Westpac Institutional Bank
exercise.
Executive Team had begun its
customers, shareholders
own culture and leadership
Phase 2: Commitment to a shift
and
the
community
journey with Corporate
in Personal Leadership Mindsets
Evolution. This began his
and Behaviours
questioning around his own
With the high performance team fundamentals in
Leadership - where he was and wanted to be.
place and a Purpose that created the motivation
Coupled with the LSI feedback, he took the
for "why change", the next phase focused on "who
courageous leap to invest in this High Performance
do we need to be - and who do I need to be - as
Team program. The Bain & Company survey results
Leaders to achieve this vision?"
and demands on the risk function to deliver
extensive new capability post the global financial
Critical Success Factor: This required commitment
crisis (GFC), across a wider geographic footprint,
at a personal level.
created the "burning platform".
Phase 1: Aligning the Team
The objective of the first two workshops was to
align the team around high performance team
fundamentals, defining its:






Team Purpose
Team Vision
Team Priorities
Behaviour Shift ("Froms-Tos")
Values-based Team Charter
100 Day Plan
This phase was divided into two different
workshops (1 day and 2 days) in order to build up
momentum and to deliver tangible goals.
Critical Success Factor: The turning point in these
workshops occurred when the dialogue moved
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Building personal commitment began with
conducting the LSI 360 feedback prior to the team
members attending the 2-day Personal Leadership
workshop. For most of the team, it was
confronting to see how their self-assessment
compared to their boss's, peers and subordinates'
feedback. The 360 feedback is a critical piece as
preparation to the 2-day workshop to frame the
"why change" and "it's not about them - it starts
with me" reality.
Leadership growth was facilitated with team
members on two levels: how to reduce
"interference" (our reactive behaviours) and then
how to open up our "potential" and purposefully
integrate a personal purpose and desired legacy
into their daily lives. The two days were designed
to create breakthrough at a very personal
leadership commitment level.
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Phase 3: Accountability towards Team Goals
Often team development programs end there. But
the integration of the shift in the business comes
after the workshops. Is it for real? Will the Leaders
really change? This next phase, therefore was
critical and required commitment by the Leader,
Andrew, to role-model being courageous, to go
outside his comfort-zone and at the same time be
openly vulnerable and supportive of his team.
The Risk Team Leadership Team meetings became
more productive and efficient. A new Leader
joined from another part of the
Company and after the first
"We have seen a whole
meeting she remarked “This is
Leadership Team shift
so different! These WIB Risk
from bystanders to
Leadership Team meetings are
enablers, working as one
the most constructive meetings
team and completely
of these kind that I attend in the
whole organisation” .
engaged and motivated ”
This phase consisted of three
components to drive the desired
change:



potential. Call it an "epiphany moment" - but this
shift meant the transformation was unstoppable.
It was noticed by his team, their subordinates and
his peers, the Executive Team members. He chose
to let go of needing to control every aspect of the
team, which meant the whole system could begin
shifting and coalescing towards a more connected,
collaborative and constructive environment.
Tracking progress of
actions against the 100
day plan
Coaching of each leader
monthly for 6 months
Team Observation and
feedback from the
facilitator on the team
dynamic
Each of the Leaders in the team
embraced the coaching; the
results were tangible. Some of
the feedback included: "We are shifting to a high
performance culture, starting to act as a team and
there are also quite profound personal changes in
a number of the Leadership Team members".
-Leadership Team Member
Critical Success Factor: Setting up and tracking of
the 100 Day Plan.
The 100 Day Plan comprised numerous tasks that
the team agreed were priorities. Each task had
two team members assigned to it. This forced the
team members into working with each other,
taking risks together and building trust. The
Business Manager took accountability for following
up the 100 day plan with the team to make sure
they completed their tasks. This effort was not to
be underestimated. In fact, this effort was vital in
delivering demonstrable value to their
stakeholders. Mindset shift isn't enough, the team
had to deliver on their goals.
Critical Success Factor: 6 Month Coaching
Probably the most important shift in the entire
program was with the Leader in one of the early
coaching sessions. He was committed at a deep
level to shift some old habitual ways of reacting
which he could now see were limiting his
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Critical Success Factor: Team Observation
Every month, the Corporate Evolution facilitator
observed the team meeting. This was a small
activity with a huge pay-off. Feedback to the team
on what's working / what's not working, created
sustained focus on living the team agreement.
Phase 4: Cascading to next level of Managers and
Sustaining the Shift
The final phase was cascading the cultural shift to
the next level of risk leaders around the world.
This included:




1 day workshop x 2
LSI 360 Feedback + coaching
Risk Leadership Team Group Session
1 day "Leader as Facilitator" workshop for
the Leadership Team
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This phase was designed for the Leadership Team
to start role-modelling the desired culture change
in their own teams and to become the facilitators
of change with the phased exit of Corporate
Evolution.
at: min $4.5 M benefit for $0.25m
investment = (18x Return On Investment)
 My personal leadership development:
87.5% excellent; 12.5% Good
 Team development: 87.5% excellent;
12.5% good
One Leader remarked, “seeing the
 Tangible outcomes:
shift in culture of the leadership
1 Year On: SPS Engagement
62.5% excellent; 37.5% good
team is now starting to permeate
 Tangible Outcome
Survey
through the rest of the team. It is
Comments
equipping us to be part of the
" Risk stand out as having
o "The way in
growth agenda, not a reluctant
which the LT was able to identify
made improvements across
follower of it."
a better operating model,
the board. It would appear
resolving potential conflicts
Summary
the culture program has
through open and honest
Critical Success Factor: Leadership
discussion and then to work as a
made a significant impact on
commitment to the program over
team in making the new
Risk results"
the long term
operating model effective"
o "Other
-General Manager HR, WIB
This case history was very
business stakeholders are
successful for the client. The overtalking about the changes in the
riding critical success factor was that the Leader
WIB Risk team. That in itself is a
was committed, at a personal level, to his own
huge initial measure of success"
transformation as a leader and was committed to
o "Having the 100 day plan
this program over the 8 month period. With his
workplan was critical. We just
shift in mindset, he was fully supportive of the rest
had no choice but to go forward.
of his team to undergo their own journey. His
No turning back. Now with
role-modelling made it easier for the team to be
momentum it's impossible to
willing to be uncomfortable, challenge themselves
turn back"
and because of that, were able to move forward
o "I'm getting recognition for my
together. At the last workshop, when we asked
part in driving this cultural shift
them to self-assess where they were on the High
which is turning into a legacy.
1
Performance Team Curve , they remarked with
That's also a measure of success"
some surprise and congratulations to each other "we are a high performance team! - we have the
Stakeholder Survey (from top management
fundamentals in place AND we're committed to
consultancy questions):
each others' growth and success".
 Impact that the shift in WIB Risk's behaviours
Tangible Results
had over the past year? 60% small positive
impact; 12% big positive impact; 24% no or
End of Program Survey:
negative; 4% n/a
 To what extent has WIB Risk demonstrated a
 Return on Investment (ROI): Impact of
more partnering approach over the past year?
coaching and transformation estimated
20% high to very high; 60% improving; 20%
same as before or less.
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"The Wisdom of Teams" Katzenbach & Smith
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SPS Engagement Survey 1 year on:
Risk: Greatest shift in WIB. 73%-93% across
engagement scores. 11 of 15 elements - greater
than 5 points better than the benchmark. Ganesh
Chandrasekkar, the General Manager HR who has
been very supportive of the program remarked in
the Executive Summary: "The Risk team stand out
as having made improvements across the board. It
would appear the culture program has made a
significant impact on risk results".
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