Case study | Culture and change

A four-year case study in culture change.

How Estée Lauder New Zealand used TetraMap to build a common language and earn national recognition for its people practices.

The journey from awareness to action

From leadership programme to common language.

When Estée Lauder Companies New Zealand set out to become an accredited Investor in People, an initial review found a passionate, people-focused culture — but also real gaps in leadership development and performance management. HR Manager Sandra Lyon, new to the business at the time, could sense the potential but knew development was needed.

Auckland-based consultant Jan Alley, now a Master TetraMap Facilitator, was already known to the business and was engaged to design a 10-month Emerging Leaders programme, using TetraMap as its underlying language. Sandra admits she was initially sceptical that something so simple could genuinely change behaviour across the business — until she saw how quickly people started talking about it, and how those who hadn’t yet learned it were asking when they could.

TetraMap went on to become embedded well beyond the original programme — in sales training, coaching, performance management and strategic planning. In 2009, Estée Lauder NZ achieved the Investors In People award, with the official recognition report specifically citing TetraMap as the common language that let staff challenge and improve working habits, individually and in teams. Four years on, it had genuinely changed the way the business operated.

The challenge

What was the situation?

Estée Lauder Companies New Zealand was already a people-focused organisation with a passionate workforce, but its 2006 diagnostic identified several areas for development:

  • Strengthening leadership development and growing future leaders

  • Improving performance management

  • Developing interpersonal communication

  • Increasing sales across affiliate brands

  • Balancing strong loyalty to individual brands with the wider culture of the NZ business

  • Creating greater consistency in how people understood and improved their own working behaviours

Sandra Lyon, then new to the business, recognised the potential of the culture but also the need to address these development gaps.

The solution

Building a common language for leadership and development.

Auckland-based HR and training consultant Jan Alley was engaged to design a series of development initiatives, including a 10-month Emerging Leaders programme.

TetraMap was introduced as the underpinning model and common language throughout the programme and other workshops.

It helped employees:

  • Recognise different behaviours and working styles

  • Develop greater self-awareness

  • Understand how others might interpret situations differently

  • Improve interactions across different working styles

  • Talk more openly about working habits and behaviours

Although Sandra was initially sceptical that a simple model could become embedded across the business, employees quickly began talking about TetraMap. Its use subsequently expanded beyond Emerging Leaders into sales training, coaching, performance management, strategic planning and other development initiatives.

“By sticking with the simple framework, and through repetition and reinforcement, we have had a really positive impact on our corporate culture.”

— Sandra Lyon, Human Resources Manager, Estée Lauder NZ

The result

What were the outcomes?

TetraMap became embedded as a common language across the organisation, rather than remaining a standalone leadership-development tool.

  • 2009: Estée Lauder NZ achieved the Investors in People award.

  • The Investors in People Recognition Report specifically identified TetraMap as a common language among staff for understanding their own and their colleagues’ working styles.

  • It provided a platform for employees to openly challenge and improve working habits and behaviours, both individually and within teams.

  • TetraMap was adopted across multiple areas of people development, including Emerging Leaders, sales development, induction, sales training, strategic planning, coaching and performance management.

  • The ELC NZ Leadership Team also used TetraMap to support strategic focus and identify how the NZ business was adding value to the wider global organisation.

The strongest overall outcome: TetraMap moved from being the framework behind one leadership programme to becoming an embedded organisational language for development, communication and strategic thinking.

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