CDI Holdings · Case Study Library
Mission-Directed Work Teams® (OTWG) · Clayville, South Africa
Clover Clayville
Overcoming Resistance and Building Ownership Through OTWG
Clover Dairy & Non-Dairy Branded Goods · Clayville Manufacturing Site · MDW® implemented as “Operation Together We Grow”
80%+
OEE achieved
(from below 60%)
(from below 60%)
20+
OEE percentage
points gained
points gained
12
Months full transformation
timeframe
timeframe
Leaders
Emerged from
within the teams
within the teams
Background
Fear, Instability, and the Will to Change
Clover Clayville is a manufacturing facility within Clover's dairy and non-dairy branded goods portfolio — one of South Africa's most recognised FMCG companies. Facing production instability, rising market demand, and a workforce defined more by anxiety than engagement, site leadership recognised that operational improvement alone would not be enough. Cultural transformation was the prerequisite.
Clover adopted MDW® under the internal brand “Operation Together We Grow” (OTWG) — a name that signalled, from the outset, that this was not a management programme being done to employees but a shared journey being built with them.
Clover adopted MDW® under the internal brand “Operation Together We Grow” (OTWG) — a name that signalled, from the outset, that this was not a management programme being done to employees but a shared journey being built with them.
The Challenge
Scepticism Is Not the Enemy — It Is the Starting Point
Before OTWG, Clayville's OEE sat below 60%. Teamwork was minimal, ownership absent, and employees were anxious about job security. When OTWG launched, initial reactions were exactly what long experience with failed change programmes predicts: scepticism, resistance, and fear of additional workload.
The question was not whether resistance would come. It always does. The question was whether leadership would persist through it — patiently and visibly.
The question was not whether resistance would come. It always does. The question was whether leadership would persist through it — patiently and visibly.
The Approach
Persistence, Presence, and the Patient Work of Trust
1
Visible Leadership CommitmentLeaders stayed present, consistent, and visibly committed — walking the talk through the resistance phase without retreating into instruction. Patience and perseverance were modelled from the top as the non-negotiable expectation. OTWG did not wait for morale to improve before leaders engaged; engagement was the mechanism through which morale improved.
2
Structured Coaching and ReviewsMaster coaches and team coaches played central roles — but with a deliberate discipline: encouraging ownership and stepping back to let teams lead. Coaching that creates dependency fails; coaching that builds capability and then withdraws creates the ownership that sustains performance when the coach is no longer in the room.
3
Transparency and Peer-Driven MotivationPerformance metrics were shared openly across teams. Wins were celebrated. The visibility of results created constructive peer pressure — teams seeing others succeed generated the desire to match them. Transparency replaced anxiety with accountability, and accountability created momentum.
4
Team Empowerment and Natural Leader DevelopmentNatural leaders were identified within teams and actively supported to step forward. Employees who had previously felt invisible gained a sense of belonging and genuine ownership of their area's performance. OTWG created space for contribution — and found that when space is created with respect, people fill it with capability.
Starting Conditions
OEE below 60% — poor machine availability, performance, and product quality combined.
Minimal teamwork, no shared ownership of performance or improvement outcomes.
Widespread employee anxiety about job security and the purpose of change initiatives.
Lack of empowerment — employees waiting for direction rather than leading improvement.
Initial OTWG launch met with scepticism, resistance, and doubt about staying power.
Results — Within 12 Months
From Fear to Performance, From Compliance to Pride
80%+
OEE Achieved
Overall Equipment Effectiveness climbed from below 60% to above 80% — a step-change in machine availability, performance, and quality combined.
12 Months
Transformation Speed
A 20+ percentage point OEE improvement delivered within 12 months — from a starting point of active resistance and cultural disengagement.
Quality
Complaints & Expiries
Significant reduction in product complaints and red-band expiries as team ownership of quality standards replaced reactive inspection.
Owned
Team Accountability
Marked increase in communication, problem-solving, and shared accountability — teams driving improvement rather than waiting to be managed.
Proud
Culture & Morale
Shift from fear and anxiety to proactive performance and genuine pride in the work — the most durable result of any transformation programme.
Leaders
From Within the Teams
New leaders emerged from within frontline teams — people who had not previously been identified as leaders, now owning areas and driving results.
“
With MDW® as the backbone, Clayville turned scepticism into ownership — and instability into performance. The leaders who made this possible were found not in management, but in the teams themselves.
CDI Case Study · Clover Clayville OTWG Programme
Key Insight
Clover Clayville proves that resistance is not a reason to slow down — it is a signal to stay the course with greater patience and presence. A 20+ point OEE gain in 12 months did not come from better machines or better processes. It came from people who were finally given the space, the coaching, and the respect to own their work. Mission-Directed Work Teams® creates that space by design.
