Fixing the plane while flying – Publicis Media’s talent chief on a year of upheaval

Publicis Media recently underwent a major global upheaval with the restructuring of the company and all its agencies. How did those changes affect workforce and morale? And what challenges did that create for you as global chief talent officer?

“When talking about the restructure, I am a fan of this metaphor: ‘We have been fixing the plane’s engine while flying’. In essence that means we needed to make sure the plane did not crash, but at the same time we had to fix the engine. We were creating a new model of business and the challenge was to set a new and exciting vision of the future. But yet we wanted take the staff with us and get them to embrace the change.

“The majority of the most senior people in Publicis Media have changed roles. Most people now have a new manager now and new key performance indicators. And we are moving into an era of collaboration without the vertical silos, and that has had a big impact on the leadership style. When you are in a silo, you can be a commander and controlling leader. But when you move into a matrix-style, cross-business structure, you have to move from being a commanding and controlling leader to being inspiring, empowering and open to collaboration. And it takes some time to change that mindset.”