Got a problem? Just call Steph

Stephanie Werner is at the helm of consulting firm, Integris Group Services. Leading with a unique, values-based approach, and offering boutique services to her clients, she’s come to be a known problem-solver in the industry. So much so, that her clients simply say: Just call Steph.

With a decades-long track record in governance and risk, Stephanie Werner has made a name for herself as a corporate problem-solver. But, her firm, Integris Group Services, operates with a twist: it leads with a unique, values-based approach to enact people-driven change within organisations. 

Now, her clients know that if they have a problem, they can simply just call Steph. But how – and why – did Werner carve out this niche approach? The consultant was working her way up the corporate ladder at a sizable firm when she developed a chronic illness that would often render her unable to work conventional office hours. 

“I went from working long hours, and being on a great career trajectory, to being quite ill, often not physically capable of getting to work, and unable to work during the day,”  Werner, says. 

But rather than the illness spelling the end of her career, Werner recalls the support of two managers who made adjustments to enable her to continue working in an outcomes-based style, often from home, at times that supported her recovery. 

“This was in 2013 – it was well before flexible working or working from home was the norm. It really flipped my perspective on the importance of support and care for employees by the organisation,” she says. “I became passionate about this and eventually started my own business to help other organisations do for their employees what was done for me.” 

That business was Integris Group Services, which Werner launched in 2017 after more than a decade operating in governance, risk, quality assurance and business improvement across various industries. But again, it isn’t a regular consultancy firm: Werner’s personal challenges led her to prioritise the health and well-being of both her team and her clients, which she does by leading Integris with a core set of values. Those values are honesty, integrity, conviction, action, and sensitivity. 

Internally at Integris, that values-based approach has manifested in a strong culture of trust and flexibility within the team. Externally, that’s resulted in strong relationships with clients. “We have a reputation for being able to help people by implementing solutions and systems with clients, and showing them how and why they work,” she says. “We make a safe space for organisations and employees to engage.” 

At its core, Werner’s approach involves creating a safe environment by listening to, mirroring and validating her clients and their employees. In practice, that looks like neutralising politics, setting the tone for collaborating and aligning teams on achieving necessary outcomes. 

“We find by doing that, we see the tangible improvements through the initiative, like improved productivity, reduced risk and uplifts in operations,” Werner says. 

“But we also see that by assisting management to adopt a values-based leadership approach within the organisations we’re working with: team members begin to contribute to and help lead change.”  

The ultimate goal is for Integris to remove the heavy lifting involved in implementing initiatives. And while every experience with Werner and the team at Integris is unique, their values-driven approach is consistent. 

“We now have clients who seek us out, or continue to come back to us, because we are a values-driven organisation.We’re not just the consultants that come in, advise and walk out,” Werner says. 

“We roll up our sleeves, help get things done, and make the impact clients are looking for in a way that sets them up so they don’t need us again.” 

So far, Integris has saved clients more than $10 million in direct costs (such as potential infringements or prosecutions) and their clients note a 30% productivity uplift from the changes Werner and her team have facilitated. 

For more information visit www.integrisgroupservices.com.au