RRD Focuses (CONT’D FROM PAGE 1)
mitted to innovation? We became globally recognized as the company that printed phone books. What did we do when phone books disappeared — we innovated. We are amazing printers; that is the core of who we are. So, we had to transform the company around our core abilities.” In regard to the North American packaging business, the company began to define the idea of a turnaround in culture as Change Initiatives. “The failure rate for change initiatives, including busi- ness turnarounds, is a staggering 70 percent,” said Pru- ett. “Most organizations struggle to adapt to new environ- ments with only one-third of change initiatives succeeding. It underscores the necessity for a more nuanced, adaptive approach to managing change that goes beyond tradition- al methods and embraces the unpredictable human ele- ments at play.” Once the packaging business was stabilized and began
homes. “Put simply, when you open your mailbox, more than likely, the piece of mail that you’re touching is from us,” said Pruett. From 2004 to 2016, the company pursued an aggres-
sive path of acquisition that brought many businesses not previously associated with RRD under its um- brella, including folding carton and label facilities. In 2020, Chatham Asset Management purchased RRD and the task of re-aligning the company was set in motion.
“Last year, we celebrated our 160-year anniversary,” Pruett said. “How do you stay in business that long if you are not com- Lisa Pruett
to make money, Pruett and other members of the company’s management team real- ized that team members were not thriving. “We needed to build something more enduring so that we were a place people wanted to work,” said Pruett. “We then be- came very intentional about culture build- ing. And this was what we considered the crucial stage for long-term success.” As a concept, ‘culture’ can be nebu- lous. The challenge was to bring a range of sometimes differently defined ideas into real-world business realities. “How do I make a good culture?” She asked. “How do I make my team feel engaged? So, we began our multi-year journey to develop a culture that helps us when we take these initiatives.” But initial turnaround tactics, while nec- essary, weren’t sufficient for sustained growth and resilience. RRP ran up against three obstacles that needed to be immedi- ately addressed. First, Pruett said much of what the com- pany was able to accomplish early on was surface-level fixes. It was necessary to go through these steps, but the deeper wounds were not healed. “Secondly, we saw moral erosion,” she said. “The aggressive measures necessary when you’re doing a turnaround or seek- ing significant change and improvement, whether they’re layoffs or plant closures, can erode morale, trust, and engagement.” Lastly, there was a lack of shared vision. Without alignment with everyone on the team as to the direction in which the com- pany was heading and why the changes were being made, the fixes felt temporary.
Corrugated boxes make the world go ‘round in a truly circular motion. The industry’s long-standing commitment to sustainability adds up to an incredible 50% per unit reduction in the greenhouse gas emissions for an average corrugated box from 2006 – 2020, and we’re still improving. Boxes transport everything with the right combination of new, fresh fibers and recycled fibers to maximize reuse and enable circularity. New fibers come from renewable, sustainably managed trees that take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere – tackling a major threat to our climate. And, more than 90% of corrugated boxes are successfully recycled. If you’re thinking circular, you’re thinking corrugated. Learn more about the renewability, recyclability and responsibility of boxes at: https://www.fibrebox.org/life-cycle-assessments.
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May 5, 2025
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