SETTERWALLS

THE SITUATION

Setterwalls is a leading, full-service business law firm in Sweden, with three independent, partner-led branches. In October of 2018, the Board of Directors appointed Minna Skyman as CEO of the Gothenburg office. Ms. Skyman has deep experience in partner-owned consulting agencies and business transformation. She immediately recognized opportunities for transformation and subsequent growth. Ms. Skyman has a unique qualification as a CEO – she was certified in Barrett Analytics in a previous role. She engaged Tor Eneroth, one of BVC’s most experienced consultants. Together, they set out on a three-year journey of culture transformation.

Cultural Transformation Journey: Alignment of Culture, Structure & Processes

Values were at the core of the transformation, starting with a Culture Values Assessment – in 2019, as a guide to understanding the current and desired culture of Setterwalls and again in 2022, to measure change and where to go next. Setterwalls’ leadership team was very committed to the transformation. Every leader participated in 360 feedback through Barrett Leadership Values Assessments. Further, this transformation journey did not represent a “change of guard” in the firm, rather 80% of the same leaders who were there in 2019 are still there in 2022. This is a huge testament to their dedication. Values were not only at the core of the measurement system; they underpinned the cultural transformation journey. Values of the desired culture were used to develop team action plans, personal development plans, and structural business changes.

“In HR one often talks about how important it is to create and cultivate a good workplace culture.  Culture can however be hard to work with on a practical level as the concept is very broad. What surprised me is how practical the process of culture transformation becomes when, through Barrett
Analytics, you are able to measure culture. Suddenly, culture becomes something tangible. Based on the result, you can prioritize which aspects of the workplace culture you want to focus on; whether it is cultural behaviours you want to enhance or behaviours you want to change”

— HR Manager, Setterwalls

THE CULTURE SHIFT

The changes to the culture were dramatic. In three short years, the overall Culture Score shifted from 38 “Poor” to 69 “Good”. Cultural Entropy shifted from 22% “Requiring Focus” to 7% “Low and Healthy.”

“The true value really lies in the journey itself and I have personally been quite surprised to experience the strength of our cultural transformation. Today, our employees look at Setterwalls as their company and with a long-term view of their employment. Together we have created a working environment which is friendly, respectful and with a lot of positive energy. We have tried to remove the down-sides of the hierarchy within the firm, a situation which historically has had negative effects such as preventing new ideas and creativity.”

— Board Member, Setterwalls

OUTCOMES

Setterwalls very intentionally created change in the structure and processes to address the gaps identified between the current and desired culture.

Employee Health (Home/Work Balance):

• Hiring a greater number of associates to create “slack” in capacity
• Firm well-being program initiated
• Weekly meetings with HR and team leaders to balance the associate workload

Long-Term Focus:

• A long-term business plan was developed with the input of all employees
• Increased clarity & communication – to ensure all were moving together
• Company monthly meetings to increase transparency and access to information

Shared Values Teamwork:

• Every team developed and adopted their own Cultural Development Plan

Commitment Professionalism:

• Clear management & governance structure and processes were defined
• New HR programs were created, including performance review and compensation
• The admin teams adopted a new approach to supporting the firm

“Sometimes you must make tough staffing decisions for the benefit of the firm.”

— Minna Skyman, CEO, Setterwalls

THE IMPACT

The transformation has had a substantial impact on the overall firm, employees and clients. Setterwalls has improved its brand reputation, decreased turnover, and increased revenue by 30% from 2019 to 2021. The commitment to this transformation is evident across the firm. Associates eagerly ask for the next phase of whole systems transformation. To ensure the culture continues to stay vibrant, Human Resources leads onboarding culture training with all new employees to understand a key component of Setterwells’ success its culture and values.

“There is a new tone in the firm. How we talk to each other is a big change. Leaders are more aware of their actions. They understand this is important. We all must think about our actions and how they impact others.”

— Minna Skyman, CEO, Setterwalls

“Setterwalls culture is much more open and accepting. In short, I feel that there is much more of an understanding of culture if I for example am unable to work on a certain case. Also, I have changed. I am very open if I fail at something or if something does not turn out the way I wanted it to.”

— Associate, Setterwalls

“The biggest surprise for me was that the culture transformation happened so quickly. Not from one day to the other, but less than a year after the project was initiated we had a very different – and much more beneficial – culture in our company. This was reflected on all levels within the organization – empowered support staff, fee earners committed to the company on a long-term basis and partners working better together.”

— Board Member, Setterwalls