Supporting organizations going through change
Impact at a Glance
Organizational culture is often described as "the way we do things around here", but in a company where here means multiple plant locations, corporate offices, and yard operations spread across geographies, culture becomes far more complex to define, let alone unify. For manufacturing-led organizations, the challenge is compounded: shift workers and plant floor employees often operate in a world entirely separate from the one experienced by senior leadership — different rhythms, different information flows, and sometimes, a very different sense of whether the company's vision has anything to do with their day-to-day reality. When a strong and tenured senior leadership team holds a clear picture of where the organization is going, but the people building and shipping the product aren't sure they're part of that picture, the gap between intent and experience becomes the culture. Closing that gap — honestly, deliberately, and with input from every level — is the hardest and most important work a leadership team can do.
"Engaging Harbinger to support us through with the people change activities for our ERP and Culture initiatives has been integral to our change journey success. Their expertise, dedication, and personalized approach have exceeded our expectations. Thanks to their guidance, communications, and adaptability, we’ve been able to navigate complex organizational shifts. I highly recommend Harbinger to any company seeking transformative results."
Dave Carter, President, Brampton Brick Limited
Who is Brampton Brick?
Brampton Brick is a leading global manufacturer of clay brick and concrete masonry products, with operations spanning multiple plant locations and a corporate head office. The organization serves contractors, builders, and distributors across North America, delivering on a promise of quality and reliability built over decades.
With a workforce that spans office, plant, and yard environments, Brampton Brick recognized that the true source of its competitive advantage lies in its people, and that unifying that workforce around a shared culture and vision was essential to its long-term growth.
What was the challenge?
A Culture in Need of Alignment
For several years, Brampton Brick had been on a transformational journey toward what it called "One Trusted Source" — a unified model for how the organization operates, communicates, and delivers value (both internally and to its customers and vendors). The ambition was clear: align people, processes, and technology to grow together as a single, cohesive enterprise.
However, to truly achieve that vision, leadership recognized an urgent need to understand the current state of the culture — and to be honest about what was working and what was not. Key challenges included:
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Low alignment between the executive team and front-line leaders on how to achieve the organizational vision
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A divide between plant, yard, and corporate employees — siloed operations that eroded trust and created inconsistency in how people were treated and informed
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Limited psychological safety, with employees citing a lack of recognition, insufficient communication from leadership, and concerns that their voices were not being heard
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An unclear change management capability, with 56% of employees feeling the existing culture was a barrier — not an enabler — to change
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Gaps in leadership skills and capacity to lead change, communicate effectively, and manage resistance
"56% of employees felt the existing culture was a barrier to change — not an enabler."
What did we do?
Harbinger partnered with Brampton Brick's leadership team to design and facilitate a multi-phase culture assessment and activation program. Our work began with deep listening — and ended with concrete recommendations and measurable commitments to change.
Culture Discovery and Stakeholder Engagement
We began by engaging employees at all levels — executives, leaders, and staff — through facilitated workshops and structured discussions designed to surface honest perspectives. Key questions explored:
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What does a healthy culture look and feel like at Brampton Brick?
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Where are we at our best — and what does that tell us about who we are?
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What does "One Trusted Source" mean to the people living it every day?
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What are the barriers to change, and what support is needed to overcome them?
The workshops drew out a rich picture of both organizational strengths and areas requiring urgent attention. Employees shared a deep pride in their work and a genuine commitment to quality, and expressed a strong desire for more consistency, fairness, and meaningful connection across locations and levels.
Organizational Alignment Assessment
We measured alignment across five critical dimensions — vision, how to achieve the vision, the COMPASS (MS D365) project, communication about the vision, and organizational process and policy. Results revealed a consistent pattern: executive alignment was stronger than leader alignment, and both groups identified communication as the most significant gap.
These findings gave leadership a clear, evidence-based foundation from which to prioritize action.
Employee Engagement Survey
The survey results told an encouraging story about the fundamentals. The large majority of employees reported a clear understanding of what was expected of them, felt equipped with the tools and resources to do their jobs well, and believed they were in roles that played to their strengths. There was also a strong sense of collective commitment, where most employees felt their colleagues were just as invested in doing good work as they were.
At the same time, the survey surfaced important areas for growth, particularly around recognition, communication, and development. A significant number of employees reported not receiving acknowledgment for their contributions recently, and many felt their voices weren't being heard. Perhaps most telling was the gap in ongoing development conversations — a significant number of employees indicated that no one had checked in on their progress in some time, and that opportunities to learn and grow had been limited over the past year.
Recommendations and Roadmap
Drawing on the workshop insights and survey data, we developed a comprehensive set of recommendations organized around four pillars:
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Trust and Relationship Building: Executive team commitments to plant visits, consistent policy application, and psychological safety
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Communication and Transparency: Development of a structured internal communications plan cascading from executive to front-line
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Support for Sustained Change: Micro-learning opportunities for leaders, team-building activities, and re-energizing the COMPASS project
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Accountability and Succession: Identifying boundaries, developing a succession plan, and celebrating wins across the organization
Recommendations were shared organization-wide, with the executive team publicly committing to action, turning the findings into ownership rather than mere observation.
What was the outcome?
The culture program at Brampton Brick delivered more than insights — it delivered momentum. For many employees, it was the first time they had been asked, at scale, how they were feeling and what they needed. That act of listening, in itself, began to shift the culture.
A Foundation of Trust
The facilitated conversations and workshops created a safe space for honest dialogue across all levels. Employees articulated a clear and consistent desire: to be treated as equals, to know the company has their best interests at heart, and to see leadership show up, not just in messaging, but in presence. This feedback directly informed how the executive team plan roadshow visits to all plant locations and the commitment to structured, two-way communication.
Clarity on "One Trusted Source"
One of the most powerful outcomes was the shared articulation of what "One Trusted Source" actually means to the people living it. Employees defined it as a cultural commitment: a common goal, consistency in how things are done, and trust — built through honesty, transparency, and relationships that cross plant and department lines.
"One Trusted Source means trust — honesty in action and words, transparency from leadership, and relationships that cross plants and departments." — Brampton Brick Employees
An Engaged Workforce Ready for Change
With the survey infrastructure now in place and a commitment to run it annually, Brampton Brick established a repeatable mechanism for listening to its people and measuring progress over time. Early results showed meaningful strengths to build on, and the organization now had the roadmap and the will to address the gaps.
Upcoming initiatives flowing directly from this work included a new Performance Management program, an organization-wide communications strategy, leadership development opportunities, and a renewed focus on employee wellness and recognition.
The culture work at Brampton Brick is a powerful example of what becomes possible when an organization has the courage to listen honestly — and the leadership to act on what it hears.