To the Desert and Back

Dove, Lipton, Knorr, Ben & Jerry's, and Slim*Fast are a few of the brands that are part of the $66 billion global empire known as Unilever. When the story opens, one of its divisions is in deep trouble declining volume, eroding margins, critical quality problems and is close to being sold off. Then Tex Gunning, its visionary new division chairman, takes the stage, an expanding circle of young leaders takes charge, and once-skeptical workers embrace a challenging message of growth. The result? The division grows by double digits, year in and year out, and energizes Unilever's path to thrive around the globe. To the Desert and Back tells the inside story of the transformation in the words of the people in all quarters of the company who made it happen. It documents five years of personal soul-searching, teamwork, companywide learning conferences, memorable journeys to the mountains and desert, and inspired promotions that show how these efforts produced a remarkable top-to-bottom turnaround. This story delivers authentic and convincing proof that a revitalized business is about personal growth. The lessons learned from this dramatic business turnaround provide unexpected insights and encouraging inspiration for other companies and leaders ready to embark on their own remarkable journey of transformation, growth, and success.

Dove, Lipton, Knorr, Ben & Jerry's, and Slim*Fast are a few ofthe brands that are part of the $66 billion global empire known asUnilever. When the story opens, one of its divisions is in deeptrouble-- declining volume, eroding margins, critical qualityproblems-- and is close to being sold off. Then Tex Gunning,its visionary new division chairman, takes the stage, an expandingcircle of young leaders takes charge, and once-skeptical workersembrace a challenging message of growth. The result? The divisiongrows by double digits, year in and year out, and energizesUnilever's path to thrive around the globe.To the Desert and Back tells the inside story of thetransformation in the words of the people in all quarters of thecompany who made it happen. It documents five years of personalsoul-searching, teamwork, companywide learning conferences,memorable journeys to the mountains and desert, and inspiredpromotions that show how these efforts produced a remarkabletop-to-bottom turnaround. This story delivers authentic andconvincing proof that a revitalized business is about personalgrowth.The lessons learned from this dramatic business turnaroundprovide unexpected insights and encouraging inspiration for othercompanies and leaders ready to embark on their own remarkablejourney of transformation, growth, and success.

Preview: The View from the Desert ixPart I: Turnaround1. Wake-Up Call 32. Rebuilding the Business 15Part II: Takeover3. Merger or Takeover? 314. Going into Therapy 415. Revolution and Chaos 55Part III: Transforming the Organization6. 180 Leaders in Charge 677. Community or Cult? 798. The McVan den Bergh Clan 89Part IV: Transforming the Business9. Growing a Market: Foods 10310. Growing a Brand: Fats 11711. Cascading Change: Uniquisine, Calvé, Royco, andNassaukade 129Part V: Transfer12. To the Desert 14513. The Legacy of Growth 155Part VI: Takeaways for Leading Change14. Change Models and Methods 16915. Change as Theater 18316. Holistic Integration 195Appendix 1: Cast of Characters--Then and Now 207Appendix 2: Learning History 211Notes and Sources 221Acknowledgments 243About the Authors 247Index 251