Universal Weather and Aviation: A Culture of Purpose
A Harrison Assessments Case Study
“We recognize that every single person is different, and subsequently, everybody’s growth model and what they want to become is different. We’re trying our best to connect the aspirations of our employees with Universal’s mission to bolster its future success.”
Veronica Delgado
Former SVP HR & Global Workforce Development
Universal Weather and Aviation
The Challenge:
In a competitive industry in which customer service is as critical as meeting regulatory requirements, Universal sought to transform its culture to prepare for the future.
The Solution:
Veronica Delgado rebuilt her HR team to lead the transformation of both the culture and talent management integration; Harrison Assessments predictive talent analytics system facilitated the transformation.
The Result:
Over a fast-paced 3-year period, Universal implemented innovative talent solutions to accomplish cultural strides, increase employee engagement, enhance teamwork and improve high potential development.
Universal’s culture centers on the importance of entrepreneurial spirit and shared family values. The company diligently encourages its employees to unite under common goals while also inspiring them to differentiate themselves within their positions. By restructuring the company’s onboarding process and strengthening its internal relationships, Veronica Delgado and her team—branded as the “people and places team” to enforce community—have demonstrated how orchestrating these behaviors helps the company succeed; at the same time, they have promoted creativity by recognizing the beauty of the differences found within individual uniqueness.
When Universal was seeking a way to combine its HR function with the mission of the CEO, Delgado crafted a powerful solution. Universal’s diverse and capable HR team utilizes Harrison Assessments’ talent-analytics system to match candidates not only with the right job but with
Universal’s culture.
Benchmarking Critical Position
As a job-specific behavioral assessment, Harrison enabled the HR team to benchmark a critical position in which it was experiencing high turnover during the intense six-month training. Within the first year of implementing the new success template for selection, turnover of new hires was reduced more than 30 percent; through more effective implementation of Harrison’s candidate-specific behavioral interviewing guide, Universal expects to further reduce turnover.
Partnering with Veronica Delgado’s team, Sheryl Dawson, CEO of Dawson Consulting Group facilitated leveraging Harrison Assessments’ best-in-class solutions to achieve cultural transformation, from hiring and onboarding to succession planning and leadership development.
Succession Planning Process Enhanced
Harrison is the preferred system to assess and validate Universal’s modified nine-box high-potential process. The comprehensive development reports provide predictive value for leadership roles, as well as Emotional Intelligence, and other competencies; in addition, they enable leaders to target specific traits for development and accelerate succession readiness.
Delgado plans to further optimize the ROI in Universal’s cultural transformation by customizing a culture-success template using Harrison’s system, facilitating selection and development consistent with its cultural values.
Cultural Engagement & Retention
Successful new hires are acclimated into their respective teams by being partnered with other employees, guaranteeing that each new employee receives the onboarding support they need specific to their engagement expectations; for high potentials, Harrison Assessments’ employee-specific Engagement & Retention Analysis, with fulfillment and motivational gap recommendations, facilitates a culture of mutual responsibility in which employee and manager collaborate to ensure engagement and retention.
“We recognize that every single person is different, and subsequently, everybody’s growth model and what they want to become is different,” Delgado says. “We’re trying our best to connect the aspirations of our employees with Universal’s mission to bolster its future success.”
Once employees settle into their positions, Delgado and the leadership team cultivate their sense of the company’s familial culture by encouraging them to become involved with every aspect of the organization.
Through Delgado and her team’s efforts, they have successfully built a culture that thrives on taking the initiative. As Universal navigates its way through management changes, Delgado confidently believes that the culture she and her team have worked hard to inspire will persist for years to come, empowering employees to leverage their passions, take risks, and enjoy everything life offers, with no reservations.
Adapted from
Profile: A Culture of Purpose
By KC Esper
“Delgado’s strategic approach to implementation, coupled with integrated HR processes, enabled Universal to build on each success across the talent cycle for organizational and employee success.”
