avianca
Sector: Airline
Project Overview
avianca is the largest airline in Colombia and the second-largest airline in South America.
It has been the national flag carrier of Colombia since December 5, 1919, when it was founded as SCADTA and on June 21, 2012, it became an official member of Star Alliance.
In 2021, avianca was looking for effective ways to align its company culture with its objectives.
To drive success, this process involves integrating new values, behaviors, and strategies.
So, the Colombian airline didn’t go through its critical stage of cultural transformation alone. Recognizing the complexity of the challenge, the airline partnered with DOOR International, which specializes in organizational change by applying the Culture Partner’s methodology. This collaboration was pivotal in shaping the strategy and execution of avianca’s cultural shift.
How did DOOR’s expertise contribute to the process, and what outcomes emerged from this partnership?
Client
avianca
Contact
Renato Covelo
Contact Position
CPO at avianca
Project Overview
avianca is the largest airline in Colombia and the second-largest airline in South America.
It has been the national flag carrier of Colombia since December 5, 1919, when it was founded as SCADTA and on June 21, 2012, it became an official member of Star Alliance.
In 2021, avianca was looking for effective ways to align its company culture with its objectives.
To drive success, this process involves integrating new values, behaviors, and strategies.
So, the Colombian airline didn’t go through its critical stage of cultural transformation alone. Recognizing the complexity of the challenge, the airline partnered with DOOR International, which specializes in organizational change by applying the Culture Partner’s methodology. This collaboration was pivotal in shaping the strategy and execution of avianca’s cultural shift.
How did DOOR’s expertise contribute to the process, and what outcomes emerged from this partnership?
Client
avianca
Contact
Renato Covelo
Contact Position
CPO at avianca
Project Activities
avianca needed to cultivate a uniform culture that extended beyond physical manifestations, such as posters on the walls, to include the mindset of every employee. This unified cultural approach was crucial for aligning the organization towards efficiency and accountability, and to also ensure that all team members were committed to a shared vision and objectives.
In developing the cultural framework, DOOR used Culture Partner’s methodology and integrated six core beliefs that reflect avianca’s vision, purpose, and values. These beliefs emphasize the importance of cost efficiency, dedication to achieving results, streamlining processes, and embracing the airline’s key results.
Active engagement in behavioral change became possible by establishing strong communication channels throughout avianca.
avianca started the transformation process with ‘96 Culture Heroes’, a selected group of employees from different departments and seniority levels.
Project’s Trivia
- Type of training: Face to face and virtual workshop
- Number of participants: 13k (From Core and Support team)
- Countries involved: Latin America, USA and Spain
- Language: English and Spanish
- Topics: Culture transformation, multi year journey
Project’s Results
DOOR helped avianca redefine its purpose, vision, and values before diving into the multi-year cultural journey.
avianca learned through experience that cultural transformation is an ongoing journey, not a quick fix. This realization came from observing the need to continually nurture, monitor, and adjust their approach over time, highlighting the importance of persistence and adaptability in achieving lasting change.
It has been two and a half years since the company underwent the initial transformation and now is ready to revisit and refresh its culture because of feedback, accomplishments, and experiences that have been gathered throughout that period.
Enduring change is possible with the right mindset and actions.
#CultureHeroes
96 Culture Heroes, a selected group of employees from different departments and seniority levels.
These “heroes” were trained and certified to lead and implement the required cultural transformation across the organization to its 13,000-member workforce.
96
From Crisis to Prosper
The COVID-19 pandemic crisis caused Avianca to file for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy in a New York court on May 10, 2020.
But, the company was able to turn around from Chapter 11
proceedings to the most punctual airline with the help of
DOOR International. By focussing on their 2023 key results, Cirium, the industry leader in aviation analytics, has awarded avianca the Global 2023 winner on-time performance (OTP)
