Ms. Nguyễn Minh Hương, CEO of Golden Communication Group, has long pondered the question: How can an organisation be built to be both excellent and sustainable?
She reached out to us after reading The Agile Manager and Open Management.
To understand more about what we shared, she attended several training courses by Teal Unicorn. As she recounts to us, little by little she realised:
- This is exactly the mindset and approach she had been pursuing.
- This is a way to build a sustainable business.
- This is an opportunity for Golden to transform powerfully, becoming a more ethical, human-centered organisation that creates greater value for society.
Thus, our journey together began.
Things Didn’t Go as Planned
Initially, we planned to start from the overall system and then gradually improve the smaller systems within. However, as we delved deeper, we uncovered a core issue:
Golden’s multiple subsidiaries and operational structures were causing massive waste and stifling growth. Although they only had a total staff of about 170 people, they were five independent companies organised by product, under a parent group:
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Golden Digital: Focused on digital marketing strategies and online campaigns.
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Golden Event: Specialized in organizing events and experiential marketing.
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Golden PR: Handled public relations and corporate communications.
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Golden Screen: Concentrated on video production and media content creation.
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Golden Ad: Dedicated to traditional advertising services.
While each unit had its own rationale for existence, the overall fragmentation resulted in inefficiencies in company operations:
- Overlapping processes, leading to excessive coordination time between units.
- Resources spread thin, preventing focus on high-value activities.
- Isolated teams, lacking connection and collaboration.
We mapped out a cause-and-effect diagram to highlight that:
- If Golden continued with its 5 subsidiaries + head office, the company would remain burdened by a cumbersome, disconnected structure, making resource optimization difficult.
- If Golden wanted to grow strongly and break through, it needed to become a unified entity—a leaner, more agile organization.
This revelation was eye-opening. No one had previously realised that their familiar system was the company’s biggest barrier to success. Sometimes you don’t see the wood for the trees. But when they saw the data and operational bottlenecks, they could no longer deny the truth.
Though the transition was challenging, the team quickly reached a consensus to transform the organisation into “One Golden.” [We like to help a client come up with a catch phrase to label and identify the vision, the goals of the advancement. This gives people a banner to rally around, a brand to hang everything under, and a shorthand language.]. This was not just a strategic decision but a major turning point, shifting the company from a complex, inefficient system to an agile, high-performing organisation.
Key Actions We Helped Golden Implement
1. Transparency – The Core Driver of Acceleration
1.1 Making Workflows and Information Transparent
A major obstacle in any organisation is the lack of transparency in work and information. When people don’t know:
- Who is doing what?
- Which tasks are the most important?
- Which projects are stuck?
- Which teams are overloaded?
Confusion, delays, and inefficiencies are inevitable.
To address this, we helped Golden visualise its workflow using:
- Kanban: A visual work management system that enables everyone to see the big picture—what needs to be done, who is working on what, and the current progress of tasks. This reduces bottlenecks, clarifies priorities, and increases workflow efficiency.
- Daily Stand-up Meetings: Short daily meetings to align team focus, provide updates, and solve blockers together.
When everything is clear, open, and easy to track, the organisation runs smoother, and productivity improves.
1.2 Making Organisational Capabilities Transparent
We also helped Golden measure individual capabilities and map out the organisation’s overall competency using our Teal Shu-Ha-Ri framework:
- Shu (Follow the Rules): Employees learn and adhere to standard processes.
- Ha (Adapt and Innovate): Employees understand the principles and flexibly apply them.
- Ri (Mastery & Creativity): Employees work autonomously and continuously innovate.
With transparent capability mapping, people work more effectively and feel empowered to grow professionally.
2. Transitioning from Waterfall to Agile Work Methods
Golden previously used the waterfall model, where tasks were completed in separate stages, with each department waiting for the previous one to finish. This resulted in disjointed teams, lack of focus, and minimal creativity.
To change this, we introduced Teal Hackathons—intensive problem-solving events where teams collaborate within a short time to develop new ideas, solutions, or products.
This approach helped teams:
- Solve problems faster, without waiting for sequential phases.
- Foster creativity, instead of working in isolated silos.
- Improve cross-department collaboration, from creativity to production and business.
3. Empowering Self-Managed Teams and Shifting Leaders to Coaches
Golden evolved towards self-managed teams, where members take ownership of their work and results. Instead of acting as “bosses,” managers transitioned to coaches and mentors, guiding teams rather than giving orders.
The result? A significant increase in employee autonomy and accountability.
The Results
After just one year of unifying into One Golden and optimising the way they worked and managed, the company achieved remarkable outcomes:
- Revenue increased by 5-8%
- Profits surged by 80%
- Productivity (per employee) grew by 110%
- Higher income for employees – everyone received 3 months’ additional salary, and top performers received 4-5 months’ extra pay.
More importantly, the company culture transformed. Employees became proactive, taking initiative in their work instead of waiting for instructions. They embraced responsibility and teamwork, contributing directly to the company’s growth.
The Power of Leadership and Team Commitment
This transformation was possible thanks to the unwavering commitment of CEO Minh Hương. Amid doubts and resistance, she stayed true to her vision.
We also deeply appreciate Golden’s leadership team and employees. Even when they didn’t fully understand the changes, they chose to move forward together, believing in a better, stronger organisation.
Transformation is a Never-Ending Journey
Organisational change is not a project with a start and end date—it is an ongoing journey of continuous improvement.
Golden is still evolving—creating a happier workforce, delivering better results, and increasing customer satisfaction.
We are truly proud to have been part of this journey. And we firmly believe that if more companies dare to innovate and step out of their comfort zones like Golden, we will witness a stronger, more agile, and more sustainable generation of businesses.