Putting Marketing back at the centre and restarting the organisational engine

Role / department

Directors, managers and operational staff of the marketing department

Industry

Food

Areas of intervention

Strategic leadership · Strategic relational dynamics · Assertive and decisive communication

THE CLIENT

International food company with 1,900 employees in Italy, 10 plants and a presence in 24 countries

Starting point

The Marketing department, made up of 32 professionals across three reporting levels (Directors, Managers and operational staff), was going through a very difficult phase.

The main issues were:

marketing playing a marginal role in company strategy
weak leadership, strongly geared towards micro-management
an internal climate marked by widespread frustration
superficial and ineffective internal and cross-functional communication

Together, these factors were slowing down project delivery and reducing marketing’s impact on the organisation.

The challenge

The aims of the intervention were to:

⁰¹Bring marketing back to the heart of strategic decisions

⁰²Build a common, shared vision

⁰³Reduce stress and internal misalignment

⁰⁴Develop more effective leadership: less operational, more focused on guiding

⁰⁵Improve the quality of communication across levels and functions

The 6unico! journey

1. Context analysis and alignment

reading the dynamics between reporting levels
analysing marketing’s positioning in relation to other functions
identifying decision-making and relational bottlenecks

2. Leadership and team intervention

developing the leadership of the Marketing Director’s direct reports
work on delegation, accountability and strategic vision
a shift from operational management to more mature, horizontal leadership

3. Developing relational dynamics

work on collaboration across levels and functions
dealing with tensions and things left unsaid
realigning individual and functional goals

4. Communication and organisational alignment

better internal communication
clearer, more intentional ways of exchanging information
higher-quality decision-making conversations

The transformation

01.

Leadership

a shift from a micro-managing style to more strategic, distributed leadership
horizontal leadership developed within the team

02.

Organisation and processes

greater clarity in roles and responsibilities
fewer operational bottlenecks and decision-making delays

03.

Relationships and communication

more effective communication across levels and functions
less tension and a better internal climate

The results

Marketing regained its central role in company strategy
A stalled strategic local marketing project was unblocked
Internal stress significantly reduced
Better communication within and between departments
Horizontal leadership concretely developed

Conclusion

Through a systemic intervention on leadership, relationships and communication, marketing became a leading function again, able to influence decisions and support company growth.

The work showed that when structure, dynamics and behaviours are addressed at the same time, even complex environments can regain coherence, speed and effectiveness.

Putting Marketing back at the centre and restarting the organisational engine