{"id":18426,"date":"2018-01-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-01-22T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/srv662288.hstgr.cloud\/blog\/how-vision-credit-union-successfully-merged-two-different-leadership-teams-and-workplace-cultures\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T23:52:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T03:52:57","slug":"how-vision-credit-union-successfully-merged-two-different-leadership-teams-and-workplace-cultures","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.outbackteambuilding.com\/blog\/how-vision-credit-union-successfully-merged-two-different-leadership-teams-and-workplace-cultures\/","title":{"rendered":"CASE STUDY: How Vision Credit Union Successfully Merged Two Different Leadership Teams and Workplace Cultures"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!--more--> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"blog-photo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.outbackteambuilding.com\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/January_-_How_Vision_Credit_Union_merged_cutures_and_leadership.jpg\" alt=\"how-vision-credit-union-successfully-merged-two-different-leadership-teams-and-workplace-cultures-1\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"i-think-now-the-managers-are-trying-to-communicate-better-with-their-branch-staff-theyre-recognizing-that-they-werent-the-only-ones-affected-by-the-merger-carolin-robinson-manager-of-risk-vision-cred\">\u201cI think now, the managers are trying to communicate better with their branch staff. They\u2019re recognizing that they weren\u2019t the only ones affected by the merger.\u201d \u2013 Carolin Robinson, Manager of Risk, Vision Credit Union<\/h4>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-challenge-a-merger-brings-together-two-different-types-of-workplace-cultures\"><br>THE CHALLENGE \u2013 A merger brings together two different types of workplace cultures<\/h4>\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"quick-facts\">Quick Facts:<\/h5>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Two separate credit unions merged together in 2014<\/li><li>Each organization had its own workplace culture<\/li><li>Needed a way to engage employees and bring their cultures together<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Whenever two organizations merge, it can be a challenge for the leadership teams to bring together their workplace cultures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was the exact situation that Vision Credit Union faced in May 2014, when two local credit unions merged to form the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cBecause of the merger, we were really struggling with the two different cultures within the organization,\u201d<\/em><strong>&nbsp;says Carolin Robinson, Manager of Risk at Vision Credit Union.<\/strong><em>&nbsp;\u201cWe wanted to try to bring the managers from both credit unions together, so they could bring the cultures together.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the years, Carolin says the half of the organization that she came from had built up some valuable culture elements that she didn\u2019t want to lose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cThe workplace that I came from had a strong culture with the staff,\u201d<\/em><strong>&nbsp;says Carolin.<\/strong><em>&nbsp;\u201cIt was really just a different type of culture, and I wanted to bring some of that forward.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The leadership team at Vision Credit Union agreed with Carolin, and found an opportunity to explore their new workplace culture further at their annual manager retreat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cEvery year, Vision Credit Union has a manager retreat for two days,\u201d<\/em><strong>&nbsp;explains Carolin.<\/strong><em>&nbsp;\u201cI thought this would be a good opportunity to really try to merge these managers and cultures, so they could get to know each other better.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Carolin volunteered to help plan the retreat, and started to search for an external partner who would be able to help their managers make the most of their time together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>Because of the merger, we were really struggling with the two different cultures within the organization. We wanted to try bringing the managers together, so they could bring the cultures together.<\/em>&#8220;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-solution-skill-development-training%25c2%25a0active-employee-engagement\"><br>THE SOLUTION \u2013 Skill development training:\u00a0<a href=\"\/training-development\/active-employee-engagement\/\">Active Employee Engagement<\/a><\/h4>\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"quick-facts-2\">Quick Facts:<\/h5>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Lyndon Friesen, Skill Development Facilitator<\/li><li>Led an interactive training session on Active Employee Engagement<\/li><li>Provided key takeaways and insights to help bring managers together<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Carolin discovered Outback Team Building &amp; Training, and decided to reach out for a free consultation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cI spoke with the team at Outback, and they referred me to Lyndon,\u201d&nbsp;<\/em><strong>says Carolin.&nbsp;<\/strong><em>\u201cWe had a few meetings with him over the phone, and Lyndon was really dedicated to making sure that we could achieve what we wanted.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Carolin started working closely with Lyndon Friesen, the Lead Skill Development Facilitator at Outback Team Building &amp; Training. Together with the team from Vision Credit Union, they decided on the focus of their half-day training program,\u00a0<a href=\"\/training-development\/active-employee-engagement\/\">Active Employee Engagement<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cWe worked with Lyndon to design a program of awareness, that would help bring the managers together<\/em>,<em>\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;<strong>says Carolin.&nbsp;<\/strong><em>\u201cWe didn\u2019t want to push too hard, because this was the first time we had done something like this. So we wanted to make sure it was informative, but didn\u2019t make anyone feel uncomfortable.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the date of the training session grew closer, Carolin couldn\u2019t help but feel a little nervous about how the team would react to what they had planned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cI had some trepidations going into it,\u201d&nbsp;<\/em><strong>Carolin admits.<\/strong><em>\u201cBecause I knew that some of the managers here have very different attitudes about employees, and different management styles. I wasn\u2019t sure how they were going to react.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite her worries, Carolin says the program turned out to be a huge success \u2013 and one of the highlights of the retreat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cLyndon was amazing! He did a fabulous job,\u201d&nbsp;<\/em><strong>Carolin praises<\/strong><em>. \u201cEveryone came up to me afterwards and told me how helpful the session was, and how much they enjoyed it. People who I thought wouldn\u2019t be engaged, were engaged. I was really impressed.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>Lyndon was amazing! He did a fabulous job. Everyone came up to me afterwards and told me how helpful the session was, and how much they enjoyed it. People who I thought wouldn\u2019t be engaged, were engaged. I was really impressed.<\/em>&#8220;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-results-a-more-connected-and-unified-workplace-culture\"><br>THE RESULTS \u2013 A more connected and unified workplace culture<\/h4>\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"quick-facts-3\">Quick Facts:<\/h5>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Improved communication and engagement from managers<\/li><li>A more connected and unified workplace culture<\/li><li>Glowing feedback from training session participants<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Carolin says that the Active Employee Engagement training session really made a real difference for the branch managers who attended the retreat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cWe talked a lot about employee engagement, and the different emotions that happen when there is a big change in an organization,\u201d&nbsp;<\/em><strong>says Carolin.&nbsp;<\/strong><em>\u201cWe talked about where people can get stuck, and how they can move on. Those parts really resonated with the managers.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since going back to work, Carolin says she has noticed a positive shift in their workplace culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cI think now, the managers are trying to communicate better with their branch staff,\u201d&nbsp;<\/em><strong>says Carolin.&nbsp;<\/strong><em>\u201cThey\u2019re recognizing that they weren\u2019t the only ones affected by the merger. They\u2019re more conscious of the fact that this was a big change for everyone.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And while Carolin says she knows that one half-day training session can\u2019t change everything, she is excited to see how their workplace culture can continue to grow in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cApparently, now I have to do the manager retreat every year,\u201d&nbsp;<\/em><strong>Carolin laughs.&nbsp;<\/strong><em>\u201cThat\u2019s how successful it was. Everyone told me that I have to plan it again. So we\u2019re probably going to use you again next year.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cWe talked a lot about employee engagement, and the different emotions that happen when there is a big change in an organization\u2026Those parts really resonated with the managers.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\" id=\"want-to-develop-your-workplace-culture\"><br>Want to develop your workplace culture?<\/h4>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Help your team drive employee engagement with a half-day training session.<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cI think now, the managers are trying to communicate better with their branch staff. They\u2019re recognizing that they weren\u2019t the only ones affected by the merger.\u201d \u2013 Carolin Robinson, Manager of Risk, Vision Credit Union<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9665,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"categories":[29,34],"class_list":["post-18426","blog","type-blog","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-case-studies","category-training-development"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Case Study: How Vision Credit Merged Two Leadership Teams - Outback Team Building &amp; Training<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Find out how Vision Credit Union successfully merged two different leadership teams and workplace cultures with a little help from the Outback team.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.outbackteambuilding.com\/blog\/how-vision-credit-union-successfully-merged-two-different-leadership-teams-and-workplace-cultures\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Case Study: How Vision Credit Merged Two Leadership Teams - Outback Team Building &amp; 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