Client need

The company had recently executed a major transformation in strategy to focus on the active management of client assets. Over the previous 18 months, the strategic shift included the divestment of legacy businesses across continental Europe, the acquisition of two major new businesses in the UK, while simultaneously making significant investments in organically building a sub-scale business into a world-class Asset Management team.

The innovative, “Vertically Integrated,” strategy required the organization to pursue a significant cultural shift based on collaboration and change, which they named “Being a Change-Maker.” In addition, there was a significant gap in knowledge and understanding regarding how these “formerly independent” business units should operate as an integrated operating business. Finally, the shift in strategy required a more stringent focus on building a high-performance culture as well as the required capability across the company’s entire talent pool.

Solution

In collaboration with our client we designed a six-month modular programme, which aims at developing the leadership mind-set and knowledge required to execute the company’s strategic transformation. The target group for the programme, which consisted of three 2-day modules, were 200 mid-level managers in “high-impact” roles across all of the five major business units. In addition, there was a wide range of leadership experience across the target participants.

Key features of our solution:

• Strong “self-awareness” track centred on a customised 360-degree feedback process. This helped the leaders gain a deeper understanding of their behavioural preferences and how those preferences are experienced by their key stakeholders.
• Wide variety of learning methodologies including
  • (1)- Experiential dialogue – exchanging perspectives and peer coaching to explore each leader’s personal leadership and change challenges. Inter-module activities to practice new ways of leading and driving performance. Working in “Home Groups” to explore leadership problems, share knowledge and provide feedback in a confidential and safe learning environment;
  • (2)- Self-discovery and engagement – gaining a deeper understanding of themselves from a targeted set of psychometric instruments and through the eyes of their key stakeholders. Interactive exercises to share personal feedback with their co-participants as well as inter-module activities to regularly engage their key stakeholders and managers back at work in their development;
  • (3)- Exposure – to the corporate and business unit strategies through dialogue with senior leaders regarding their leadership challenges and stories;
  • (4)- Education – expand the ability of these leaders to diagnose various leadership situations and develop and execute the appropriate leadership solutions by exploring “real” business and leadership challenges via a series of customised “Case Studies.”
• Senior leadership sponsoring – Each cohort was sponsored by a senior leader, who plays a key and active role throughout the delivery of the Programme.
• Focus on exploring the new strategy, understanding the leadership challenges associated with its execution, and building a compelling leadership story for personal and organisational change.

Impact

To capture the perspective of individuals who experience leaders on a daily or near daily basis, we asked each participant’s stakeholders, via a short “Follow-up” 360-degree survey, to rate the degree to which each participant has improved effectiveness against each of the six programme objectives as well as “an overall improvement” in leadership effectiveness. The survey was conducted approximately six months after the initial 360-degree feedback data was collected. In addition, Stakeholders were asked to rate each participate on a progress scale of “-3” to “+3” with “0” being no change.

To date 534 Stakeholders have provided 55 Participants with their follow-up 360-degree feedback. Highlights of their feedback include the following

• 71% of Stakeholders indicated that the participant had improved their overall leadership effectiveness, with 31% indicating that the participant had substantially improved in their overall leadership effectiveness.
• 70% of Stakeholders reported an improved ability in Leading Change with 34% indicated a significant improvement in Leading Change.
• 71% reported a positive change in how these participants “lived the company’s values” with 38% indicated a significantly positive change in living the values.

2017 Silver Award from the EFMD Excellence in Practice Awards

The OMW “Enabling Positive Futures” Programme received the “2017 Silver Award” in the Executive Development category from the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) “Excellence in Practice Awards.” The Excellence in Practice Awards recognise outstanding and impactful Leadership and Development interventions between partner organisations.

Click here to see the full case study submitted to EFMD

To see a shorter, 6 page, version of the EPF case study, click here