UGM leadership development Case Studies
Meeting the specific needs of clients means that UGM embarks on a wide array of assignments. Our Case Studies represent a small cross-section of our portfolio of experience, providing brief insights into how we have helped many clients. Contact us to learn about the numerous other projects we've worked on over 30 years in business.
Developing Distributed Team Leadership - LEADING AT ALL LEVELS
The Senior Leadership Team of a large division believed that the business would benefit from more of their people showing leadership. UGM worked with teams in the business, using the customised UGM Team Behaviours Profile to analyse leadership behaviours. Teams completed an online questionnaire and feedback about how members in the team were distributing leadership was provided during a team development meeting. Engaged discussions ensued. Importantly, many team members recognised that often they were exercising leadership, even though they weren't aware of it. This also encouraged some to consider stepping up more often. Team members were provided with information on the eight influencing behaviours and took time to reflect on which of the behaviours they contributed most often.
Achieving business transformation through leadership development
A business unit in a large company engaged UGM to assist with leadership transformation over a two-year period. Unsurprisingly, the greatest potential to maximise value from investments in development is when these occur at multi-level. Comparing the 'before' and 'after' demonstrated a remarkable transformation, including setting the unit up for sustained success in a challenging environment. A variety of the iniatives, each major projects in their own right, are detailed separately below. A key focus was working closely with the head of the unit to help determine the most strategic means of achieving desired outcomes, and that executive support continued for the duration of the larger project. In addition, UGM provided highly customised (and tightly aligned and 'on message') support for individual teams as needed. This helped teams solve challenges that might have impeded the overall transformation effort had they not been addressed. It also had valuable team building benefits. The business unit was also interested in extending its leadership influence more widely in the business and UGM facilitated an open session with interested stakeholders from outside of the business unit. Stakeholders were given the opportunity, at an early stage in the transformation, to contribute their perceptions about the business unit and the way in which it might add overall value. These perceptions and insights were also vital in formulating and finessing what became a compelling CVP.
StrengThening the Senior Leadership Team
One strand of assistance to a business unit in a large company involved supporting the senior team, including recharting strategic direction and developing a clear Customer Value Proposition (CVP) and Employee Value Proposition (EVP). This was achieved through a specialist senior management course, which included custom developed workshops designed to tackle key business issues. Along the two-year journey we also assisted with strategising and implementing a number of vital senior team personnel changes. The senior team also participated in highly customised leadership development workshops that addressed critical leadership issues in the business, as well as receiving just-in-time, role-oriented executive coaching support relating to both leadership and management in the business. The renwal and strengthening of the Senior Leadership Team had a profound and positive impact on the value the division was able to deliver to the organisation. An invigorated leadership team played a major role in returning the best engagement scores of any division in the company.
Leadership Development for High Potentials
UGM provided an end-to-end leadership development service for high ptoentials, from rigorous selection of participants through to managing the final presentations event at the end of the Program. Emerging leaders participated in a combination leadership course / management course, since developing both leadership and management skills was vital. The Program covered a broad scope of leadership and management topics but there was nevertheless a high degree of customised input which directly addressed strategic alignment and ongoing business challenges. Significant learning was achieved through action learning projects that leaders completed as part of the program. These projects also stimulated discussion within and beyond the division, adding further value. As a result of the outcomes and impact of the first iteration, the 9 month long leadership development / management course for high potentials was repeated. This group of highly talented, motivated and aligned individuals made a leading contribution to the success of transformation, including stepping up and assuming greater responsibility over time.
Empowering middle managers - Working while Learning
Middle-management plays a critical role in the translating strategy into action. However, they are often too busy to attend training for extended periods and are often unhappy with the type of training they receive. UGM ran a managment course / leadership course for a division of a large company, comprising a series of regular 3 hour skills workshops for leaders / managers at this level. The content for the mangagement workshops was chosen on the basis of being immediately relevant, and the highly practical nature meant that managers could bring and progress their work as they participated in the workshop - no down time! In this way their leadership development / management course was tightly aligned with business needs, and the support provided assisted managers move the transformation agenda along while developing leadership and management skills which would benefit themselves and the business in the future. Additionally, these managers were encountering a convergence of messages from the senior team, from the high potentials and also from their people. Topics for middle managers included influencing effectively, persuasion and communication, change management, achieving well-being at work and strategies for the future.
Leadership development for rank and file
As part of the leadership development efforts to achieve transformation in a business unit of a large company, UGM worked with the rank and file members of the business, to model and stimulate the inclusive leadership culture which was desired. People were quite amazed (and subsequently much more enthusiastic and energised) to be asked to participate in building the strategic direction of the unit at a very early stage in the transformation. They also learned about strategy development and how their daily work could contribute to implementing the relevant strategies. They were also able see that their strategic inputs had indeed been heeded, providing the platform for the strategic plan that emerged. People were also invited to attend a couple of short development sessions which addressed important skills, for example around influencing more effectively, that would make a critical difference to service delivery. It is little wonder that engagement scores in this unit soared way above any other unit in the company. Engagement continued to increase over the two year period despite continuous change (usually massive change initially reduces engagement).
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