Client need

Kenny Electric, a middle-market electrical engineering company focused on project management, was struggling with the productivity and retention of its people, shifting expectations for contractors, and declining performance and profitability. Increasingly, clients expected project- and construction- management companies such as Kenny Electric to take on greater responsibility, accountability, and risks involving procurement and execution. As a result, Kenny Electric’s project managers needed to improve their understanding of both the contracts themselves and the downstream impact of executives’ decisions on their project KPIs.With the goal of improving the company’s profitability, retention, and reputation, Kenny Electric’s CEO engaged BTS to facilitate a workshop that simulated the entire lifecycle of a project. Leaders participated in a fun, fast-paced, and collaborative simulation to gain a better understanding of how to effectively serve customers by practicing making business decisions in a realistic yet risk-free environment.

Solution

Leaders across every function of Kenny Electric’s business participated in the simulation experience, which consisted of four key project-execution phases.

1. Contracting: In the initial phase, participants negotiated the terms of their project, and made decisions related to risk tolerance, terms and conditions, and liability. They then chose a leadership team and execution strategy. Each of these decisions would impact the cost structure of the project budget and following phases.
2. Design and execution strategy: Participants leveraged the principles of large-scale, complex project management by selecting different approaches for the execution strategy.
3. Initial construction: To reach the 50 percent program-completion milestone, participants practiced making critical construction decisions while experiencing setbacks related to subcontractors, procurement, and other challenges typical of large-scale construction projects.
4. Completion and handover: Participants completed the construction project in full, after surviving major disruptions caused by acts of nature, supplier issues, and owner-requested changes.

Program learning objectives

• Align an execution strategy to the contract.
• Manage competing KPIs to fulfil financial goals, client objectives, and basic safety and employee-engagement requirements.
• Understand how both the leadership team’s capabilities and the contract impacted the execution strategy through all phases of execution.

Results

The program was well-received by participants, earning a Net Promoter Score of 100. Moreover, it served as a capstone learning event that increased personal accountability and project-execution capabilities, enabling participants to better perform and execute projects. Client Feedback

“This was the best development program we have ever run for my leaders. Each scenario, discussion, and tradeoff was realistic. The program helped build knowledge and strengthen relationships, and the ROI was far beyond what I expected.” – Dave Pavelka, CEO, Kenny Electric

“Thanks to the BTS Team for coming out and giving an excellent hands-on approach to learning/training [tailored] to what we deal with daily. This class fit the mold for what contractors face daily and gave a better understanding of expectations.” – Program Contracts Manager

“While skeptical when I first came to the training, I felt that the presentation and format allowed my team to work through problems in a way that was representative of choices we would make [in the] real world. I thought the collaboration that we used to solve problems and make decisions was interesting and allowed us to grow as a team.” - Senior Project Manager

“I felt this could be a continued education [program] that would benefit the company as a whole.” - Senior Leader

In 2017, a leading global chemicals and sustainable technologies organization envisioned a cleaner and healthier world – both now and for future generations. Its leaders partnered with BTS to develop fundamental leadership skills for nearly 2,000 supervisors and managers, most of whom were transitioning from individual contributor to front-line leader. The objective was to equip them with the fundamental skills to develop their teams and lead them into the future, while maintaining critical alignment with the organization’s vision, strategy, and values.

This program would be delivered across 19 countries and in greater than 10 languages; to leaders operating in every environment, from offices to the manufacturing floor; and across multiple shifts. It was crucial that all participants formed a consistent foundation of organization-specific behaviors, learning to lead themselves, others, and the business into the future.

The two-part learning journey, called “Leading Delivery,” featured blended-learning solutions and a custom, scenario-based simulation that encapsulated moments regularly encountered by participating leaders in reality. The journey’s design was underpinned by a continuous learning loop and interspersed with manager touchpoints and self-reflection opportunities, all tied to business outcomes. To achieve credible, meaningful, and lasting results, participants were given “Go-Do’s,” or prescribed actions that make it easy to implement learning into the flow of work.

Initially, “Leading Delivery” was launched using two modalities of delivery: digital learning that leveraged the organization’s learning-management system, and also face-to-face workshops. However, a third modality, featuring virtual instructor-led workshops, emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic. Going forward, the organization now has the option for hybrid deployment, enabling flexibility needed to help  leaders working in different environments.

Fast-tracking virtualization

In response to the global pandemic, the organization made an early and bold shift by virtualizing the learning journey. BTS, in partnership with the organization’s HR and Talent teams, also redefined the Leading Delivery journey to ensure its effectiveness, efficiency, and adaptability. The content and learning objectives of the virtual Leading Delivery journey remained the same, as the original design and would have been delivered on Microsoft Teams.

The team leveraged best practices around neuroscience and adult learning to define a pathway of smaller, bite-sized virtual workshops. These were complemented by “skills labs” that focused solely on the practical application of concepts introduced in the virtual workshops. The journey also used the simulation’s leadership challenges and role-plays as means of practice, which they then built upon while facing real-life scenarios in the skills lab.

For example, participants applied their new skill of giving and receiving feedback by working in pairs, acting out a realistic example by delivering difficult feedback. After the role-play, partners provided feedback and constructive criticism; participants were then expected to apply these role-played conversations.

The team took the opportunity to supplement content that would support leaders in the current environment; providing, for example, additional resilience tools and context- creating learning debriefs suited to guiding their global and largely-remote team through a crisis.

Global virtual success

Due to the diversity of employees and working locations, there was always a need to virtualize the program. The onset of COVID-19, however, fast-tracked this need. It became critical for the virtual program to:

• Maintain engagement virtually
• Build networks across the organization
• Be the “stepsister” to face-to-face interaction, rather than second-best

BTS supported the digital deployment of “Leading Delivery” by:

• Working with the organization’s technical teams to seamlessly integrate BTS solutions
• Providing a structured flow  for the blended-learning journey
• Supplementing the journey with assets, such as animated videos, access to CrossKnowledge articles, relevant readings from GetAbstract, and BTS iLeads (self- paced simulations)
• Maximizing learning using platform features, such as a badge and point system
• Introducing gamification to engage the participants
• Measuring participant engagement

The impact

BTS provided the organization with insights into the “why” and “how” of successful virtual delivery, demonstrating an ability to quickly upskill and successfully engage with leaders in a virtual world. After all, this was the only leadership program virtualized during the pandemic.

Furthermore, the virtual setting allowed BTS to emphasize interactive elements of the journey. Instead of “sit-and-speak” webinars, BTS consultants facilitated active dialogues between peer participants, gleaning insight into leadership during 2020 and for all time. The successful delivery of a virtual leadership journey helped the organization reach its leadership development goals in a new environment, without compromising quality.

One aspect of BTS’s impact measurement included a follow-up three months after the journey’s end:

• Overall, 77%* agreed that the blended learning experience was driving tangible impact and outcomes.
• 91% agreed that providing clarity on the link between individual and larger business objectives had improved the way in which they developed people and managed performance.
• 72%* agreed that the learning outcomes were met.

*Average percentage from outcome data

Further affirming its impact during one of the most challenging times for leaders the world over, this program received a Brandon Hall Award, a distinction which recognizes organizations that have achieved measurable benefits through such successfully-deployed programs.

A cloud software provider was new to several industry verticals and needed to deepen its industry understanding in these areas. Additionally, the organization also sought to apply a consistent approach to customer engagement throughout the organization.

The company partnered with BTS to build a custom six-hour, simulation-based journey for each focus industry, with development support and facilitation from industry subject matter experts and Sales Leaders.

This solution was delivered at scale, providing 6,000 sellers with a consistent approach to industry selling.

As a result of the partnership, participants who went through the program closed 31 percent more new business in 2021 when compared with their peers.

An electronics manufacturing corporation identified the need to develop coaching amongst its sales managers. Like most organizations, sales managers in the company began as sellers, learning how to uncover customer needs, position their company’s offerings, and close deals. While they developed expertise and performed well as individuals, these skills did not directly transfer to being great sales managers. The organization also recognized that coaching was not an innate skill for most. Some sales managers were able to “figure it out,” but many more fell into traps such as completing their sellers’ tasks for them, rather than equipping them to do so themselves. To break this cycle, BTS partnered with the organization to build a comprehensive approach that combined a targeted training program focused on sales coaching skills, professional one-to-one coaching for sales managers, and mentorship from senior sales leaders.

A multinational agricultural organization partnered with BTS to develop a full-fledged commercial heatmap and gap analysis on its commercial alignment, mindset, and capabilities. To kick off the project, BTS built a roadmap, defining several strategic initiatives the organization needed to close identified gaps. This included a commercial excellence academy that incorporated change management and performance support. As a result of the partnership, the organization developed an award-winning academy and performance support framework, yielding measurable results across the whole commercial organization.

In the rapidly evolving pharma industry, innovation and staying ahead of scientific, technological and regulatory changes is critical. Leading change in this environment is even more challenging. A leading pharmaceutical organization partnered with BTS to engage its top 15,000 leaders globally, taking bold steps to help them develop resilience, gain new understanding of their impact as leaders, and practice listening, engaging and leading to accelerate growth. In small groups, leaders learned new ways to manage their own reactions and use questions to powerfully, respectfully, and productively challenge others. Each group gathering introduced one new concept that leaders practiced between sessions. To create accountability, leaders reported their progress on their practice to their BTS coach and their colleagues. As leaders brought these new ways of working into their team meetings and everyday work, the organization’s culture began to shift. Leaders now have a clear understanding of their impact and how they can improve. With so many leaders practicing new ways of working at the same time, there has been a radiating effect that has shifted the organization’s norms and expectations, as well as produced more productive actions and working relationships.

A leading financial services organization sought to create an engaging, immersive virtual assessment center experience to evaluate senior leader and executive job candidates – beginning with the immediate need to hire a Chief DEI Officer. To accomplish this goal, the organization partnered with BTS to create an assessment center leveraging BTS’s Virtual Individual Assessment (VIA) methodology. The resulting four-hour technology-based simulation mirrored the organization and its senior leader roles, enabling candidates to demonstrate their capabilities while obtaining a realistic preview of the job and organization. The simulation was augmented with a 60-minute career accomplishment interview, a personality assessment, and a cognitive ability assessment. Following the first successful implementation of the assessment to select a new Chief DEI Officer, the organization’s newest leader benefited from a six-month executive coaching engagement with BTS, which helped them acclimate to their new role and organization.

Client need

Facing major competition for the first time in its 150-year history, the marketplace for a leading North American mine site was changing. Disruptive new movers and changing customer demand was challenging the status quo. Potential growth from sustainable and renewable technology was creating a new opportunity, and the site needed to quickly adapt to realize the benefits. To do so, teams needed to deliver even more value and productivity, while keeping a focus on safety.

The organization partnered with BTS to bring the transformation to life, using coaching to drive improvement in safety, productivity, and team engagement.

The solution

As part of a global mining giant, the North American mine sought to align its leader development with its global counterparts. This meant ensuring every single Superintendent, Supervisor and Leader had the BTS Leader as Coach experience.

Rather than simply providing frameworks and checklists to the site’s leadership teams, BTS equipped each team with the mindset and capabilities to lead as a Coach.

The experience transformed the leaders’ approach, enabling them to deliver coaching in the flow of their work. The solution targeted both the mindsets and capabilities required for change. While it was designed to keep in mind core safety and procedural coaching moments, the solution focused on how each leader could have a great coaching conversation every day, giving and receiving frequent feedback. Fundamentally it focused on how leaders could drive high impact coaching conversations, create behavior change in others, and support powerful safety engagements.

To bring this transformation to life, each leader completed work in advance of the program and was assigned work to be completed on the job. In addition, all levels of leaders would complete group work with colleagues, either face-to-face or virtual group. Through peer-to-peer coaching and a unique GM-to-Supervisor cross-functional shift, the experience breaks down old silos and hierarchy, which enable the culture shift.

Beyond this, leaders went through leader-led sessions to learn how to apply the learning to their teams and monthly learning sessions with colleagues across the site to review changes with rituals and safety procedures in order to drive and sustain change.

Results

Leaders who went through the experience felt with 96% probability it would improve safety, productivity and engagement on site.

Leaders who went through the experience increased their engagement scores (eNPS) by 13 – 15 points.

Engagement scores (eNPS) for teams reporting to these leaders increased by between 5 – 16 points in the six-month period after the learning experience.

• “Honestly, one of the best [learning programs] I have attended. Very interactive which keeps people engaged.”
• “Overall, I really liked the class and I received a lot of great tools to use in the future.”

Client need

Facing serious competition from Fin Tech firms, fast-changing customer needs, digital innovation requirements, and an old, slow, constraining structure, an international bank needed to quickly shift to Agile and stand up streams that would drive change at pace. This required structural, procedural, and organizational change, as well as mindset shifts for leaders and teams.

To achieve this goal, the organization partnered with BTS to devise a coaching solution that targeted mindset shifts at a deep level, creating a disruptive moment for leaders to accelerate the rate of change.

The solution…

The firm set a target to shift mindsets so that:

• Employees saw customer and enterprise success as the goal, not just personal and individual gain.
• Healthy risk was considered natural, and failure was an opportunity to learn and grow – a better option than playing it safe.
• Resources were seen as shared and owned by the enterprise, instead of seeking personal control as the only way to succeed.
• Embracing conflict and tension were considered constructive and creative challenges that led to better customer outcomes.

There were several experiences that helped to disrupt and shift the mindsets, which included:

• A digital, virtual, moments-based simulation experience, which helped employees explore specific moments when they would be challenged to implement new agile behaviors. This approach was team-based and surfaced the true moments of tension so that they could be addressed and planned for.
• Virtual, personalized 1:1 coaching to create deep mindset changes on topics such as engaging others, building commitment and support, influencing, personal authority, speaking up, and challenging the status quo.

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Results

The experience leveraged a control group to measure the mindset changes for those receiving the 1:1 coaching. Across the six critical mindsets the firm sought to address, there was an average 17.3% gain in the coached group in comparison to the control group.

Coaching groups’ confidence in their ability to lead and influence others increased by 11%.In the simulation experience the average score was 9.03/10, and 24 respondents reported an NPS of 75.

Quote from the leader of this experience in the bank:

• “Our engagement survey increased by six points. Our target was 77, and we exceeded that with a score of 79. This is a significant improvement. We have a highly engaged team and I have no doubt that this [experience] contributed substantially to the result.”
• “There is now more transparency in speaking up when things aren’t going right; we have really seen this happening in the last month. I attribute this change to the program we did with BTS.”

Client need

A global mining and heavy metals organization with a worldwide footprint and highly diversified workforce wanted to offer on-demand, personalized leader development in any context.

The organization was focused on creating vertical development and leader growth tailored to the specific contexts of the company’s many operating cultures. To do so, the company selected BTS as their global coaching provider of choice.

The firm identified coaching as the critical driver to make this shift because it meets a person where they are at any time and in any location, providing the accountability to produce ideal outcomes. This combination of flexibility and impact, along with the BTS approach to reporting and results measurement, made coaching the clear choice for the organization.

The solution…

Together, BTS and the organization co-created a suite of coaching experiences that targeted the most common coaching situations employees might actually face on-the-job.

To create these experiences:

• First, employees took a customized assessment to identify the key coaching moments where they needed to be successful.
• Then, based on the results of the assessment, BTS created coaching scenarios that addressed situations ranging from leadership development challenges to very specific transitions and changes.

All of the content in the coaching journey was tailored to the organization’s specific context and leadership model, which helped employees see how the coaching was connected to the organization’s strategy and drove global alignment.

To make the process of selecting a coach simple, the organization leveraged BTS’s global coaching platform. Employees and line leaders had the flexibility to pay for coaching in the way that was easiest for them, whether on a company credit card or via individual cost centers. BTS also provided single, global reporting on service levels, feedback, and results to make it easy for the leadership team to evaluate the return on investment.

Coaches were carefully selected for the organization and received ongoing psychological supervision, which was significantly above industry requirements. This ensured that coachees received the safest, highest quality professional coaching experience possible.

Employees consistently reported their progress through a dashboard, a process that provided deep insight into the coaching experience and development of individual and organizational learning.

Results

To date, 1,516 individual employees from around the world have received one-on-one coaching in some form.

Coachees rate the experience with an excellent NPS of +82.

93% of participants would recommend the experience to others in the organization.

Every quarter, individual and organizational insights at all levels of the organization and across all geographies and functions are reported in a governance with a BTS quality guarantee.

Client need

Amid changes in consumer preferences, an international casual dining chain needed to update its leadership strategy. The organization sought to reinvigorate its leaders, create more opportunities for its employee base, and expand its market share, all while preserving the best of its unique culture.

To achieve these aims, the organization collaborated with BTS to develop leaders who could bring this vision to life.

Solution

Working closely with the executive team and CEO, BTS and the organization co-created a virtually-facilitated coaching journey to help employees embrace change.

Leaders received the following forms of support:

• Ongoing consultancy
• One-to-one coaching for all members of the leadership team and other selected leaders
• Team coaching for the top team and some of their functional intact teams
• Trained HR partners who delivered powerful development conversations using the BTS 12 Shifts™ map

Following these development experiences, the chain’s leaders became coaches themselves in both one-on-one and team-coaching situations. They also learned to balance purpose and growth.

Results

Over the past few years, the business has outperformed its peers on like-for-like sales by +3.6%, delivered industry-leading margins, increased people engagement to 86% (+4%), and lifted customer satisfaction by 5.5%. These results are remarkable, especially considering the challenging state of the casual dining market.

Over the three- to four-year journey, participant satisfaction increased from 65% “would recommend” to 82%, and the chain came to rank first in a list of preferred casual restaurants.

The journey was such a success that it was later adopted by other divisions across the organization

“Going on this course gave me insight into the changes I have seen in my [Managing Director]. Rather than a series of models to use that I learned in a course it has become an organic way of working.”

“Going on Quality Conversations has saved my marriage.

“It’s been a valued, transformational partnership for us.”

Client need

A global professional services firm delivering risk advisory and insurance solutions to companies, institutions, and individuals was undergoing a strategic transformation to accelerate growth, increase operational efficiency, and prepare for the future. To succeed, this transformation would require investments to streamline processes and platforms, along with a shift in how people work. To improve operations, the organization had already segmented the business and reduced layers, attempting to drive simplicity, transparency, and distributed decision making across the firm. However, adapting to the new operating model would require systemic change.

The organization’s chief human resources officer (CHRO) engaged BTS to help jumpstart the strategic transformation. BTS collaborated with the organization to create a program that would align the broader leadership team, comprised of everyone below the executive committee, to this transformation. The goals of the program was to help leaders translate the new strategy into something meaningful and actionable at their departmental level, and also to catalyze the broader leadership team’s strategy execution.

BTS created a highly contextualized business simulation, including presentations, facilitated discussions, and focused training, all of which were customized for the organization.

Solution

BTS began the design process by interviewing 18 senior executives across the organization. These senior executives included the CEO, COO, CHRO, and presidents of regional divisions. They were selected to provide a broad representation of and perspective on the organization. The goal of this research was to define two broad topic areas:

The Business – understanding the organization's business model, the markets in which it operates, and the unique challenges and opportunities it faces.

The People and Leadership – understanding the behavioral and mindset shifts the organization wanted to see in its people, leadership, and culture.

Following the interviews with top-level executives, BTS conducted eight additional interviews with mid-level executives. This allowed for insight into specific business units and challenges referenced in the previous set of interviews.

Interview responses were distilled into a list of themes and organized into an “impact map.” The map defined the business impact envisioned by the organization and linked it to the knowledge, skills, behaviors, and mindsets the organization sought to foster.

The organization’s steering committee reviewed the impact map with the goal of gaining alignment on their key challenges, desired behavioral shifts, and key business results.

To achieve these behavioral shifts, the company collaborated with BTS to design a business simulation modeled after the company’s business. The simulation created a risk-free, engaging, and fun way to achieve learning objectives, and was composed of three rounds experienced over a two-day program. Each round had a theme with distinct learning points.Round one was designed for leaders to learn how to optimize today’s business in service of driving long-term profitable growth. This involved gaining an understanding of the business landscape, as well as familiarity with the decisions and trade-offs that such growth requires. Round Two focused on the client, becoming a strategic advisor to clients, and enhancing leaders’ abilities to execute. Round Three prepared leaders for a future of making long-term investments in order to develop a sustainable competitive advantage.

Leaders were divided into teams of five at the beginning of the program. Each team included participants from a diverse array of functional and geographic sections of the organization. The experience was composed of seven main elements:

1. Pre-Work and Introduction – Participants received a pre-start date reading assignment: a detailed case study featuring a fictitious company in a fictitious market environment. The company and market environment described were very similar to the organization and its environment. BTS facilitators kicked off the program by making a case for change, highlighting shifts in the market environment. Participants then broke off into pairs to reflect on those shifts and discuss what the changes meant for them as leaders. Then, BTS facilitators led a discussion wherein participants shared their reflections with the entire group.
2. Strategy Session – In teams of five, leaders came up with a strategy for how they would lead the simulated company.
3. Running the company - In their teams of five, leaders ran their simulated company by making over fifty critical decisions. Each team had their own designated breakout room where they would debate their decisions and enter them into a live digital-simulation platform. Periodically, teams would receive a “Wobbler,” which was an unexpected event that they had to respond to in real time (usually a competitor action, a client issue, or a talent issue). Their decisions impacted their KPIs and market share for each market and segment. Participants “ran the company” for three rounds, which represented a three-year timeframe.
4. Know-Hows – After each round of running the company, participants came back to the main room for a teach-piece or “know-how,” which were skill or knowledge gaps identified as needing to be addressed. After Round One, the topic was “effective decision-making.” For Round Two, it was “future-proofing.” Round Three’s topic was “feedback culture.”
5. Debriefs — With the entire group present, BTS facilitators reviewed the results for each team, linking the decisions that teams made to their performance. Each of the three rounds had a theme, and facilitators emphasized key takeaways related to these themes. At the end of each debrief, facilitators revealed where teams ranked against each other. Participants also received a report showing their team’s annual financial performance, along with another that summarized the competing teams’ performance.
6. Application Session – During these sessions, participants committed to post-program actions, recording them using an electronic tool. Following the completion of the program, participants received follow-up reminders of their commitments at a scheduled cadence.
7. Reflection Sessions — Solo reflections and team reflections were interspersed throughout the two-day program. During the solo reflections, which followed the know-how sessions and debriefs, participants reflected on what they had learned. After the “running the business” segments, participants reflected on their team dynamics. At the end of each day, BTS facilitated short discussions during which participants would share their reflections with the larger group.

To date, ten cohorts have gone through the program since its launch. Each cohort had 25 participants, all just below the C-suite.

At least ten more cohorts, each with a similar number of participants, plan to attend the program next year.

Results

Overall, the program was a great success. The CEO of the Italy division of the company concluded that the BTS program was “much better than any other session of its kind.” The CHRO and the executive team were enamored, and continued to communicate this in subsequent discussions. The organization also extended the original agreement to roll out even more programs.

In the application session section of the program, participants were asked to choose and commit to post-program actions related to on-the-job behaviors. Most frequently, they committed to actions around making informed decisions, prioritizing growth opportunities, and focusing on client relationships. These actions were aligned with the changes that the organization set out to make:

72% of participants stated or planned to have “tough conversations with colleagues about performance and/or with leaders about the business.”

74% of participants stated or planned to “focus on the broader client relationship and anywhere else you can solve risk for the client and align our value proposition.”

54% of participants stated or planned to “prioritize talent development, grow from within, and recruit externally when appropriate.”

Participant testimonials

“I thought this was the best training I’ve ever done. The learning from our team interactions was very illuminating. I loved the risk storming / pre-mortem methodology.”

“It was very useful for me, very genuine, and corresponded with reality. It was entertaining as well.”“The simulation exercise was an outstanding learning tool. I would be very disappointed never to experience a similar exercise again AND would recommend that our company regularly use the software to measure learning.”“The simulator tool was very comprehensive and intuitive. Enjoyed the cadence of mixing up sim time and organizational behavior group sessions in different teams. The feedback session was very useful. Excellent team of facilitators.”

The challenge

A global electric utility company with diverse, internationally distributed business units in a variety of functional areas was experiencing a shift in strategy following a major change in leadership. When the board selected a new CEO, she realized the company’s current business model was too dependent on technology that caused severe environmental damage. As a world-leading energy player, the organization had to take responsibility for its impact in the face of climate change. Her new strategy aimed to change the company’s function, from a traditional energy business model to a more digitized, decentralized, service organization with a zero-carbon footprint.

This radical change in direction called for significant adjustment and ultimate alignment in talent priorities across the globe. To grow the company and execute on the new strategic direction, the organization partnered with BTS to identify the right people who had the potential to develop into the next generation of C-suite leaders. The following challenges were linked to these goals:

Assessing for fit

1. Identifying what needs to be measured
   ‍BTS conducted interviews with subject matter experts across the organization in order to understand the organizations’ current state and desired future state. The goal was to identify critical moments for leaders within that future environment as well as the Great behaviors that they would need to be successful. These interviews helped to ensure that the solution was a fully customized simulation experience, representative of the global population, and aligned to the reality of participants’ future roles and critical business challenges they would need to navigate.
2. Evaluating who should be assessed
   ‍BTS co-developed a survey with the organization that helped them gather data predictive of potential candidates’ suitability for the program. The metrics included leadership potential, aspirations to become a senior leader, leader-readiness for the next career move, and previous successes and experience. This survey was then used to select candidates for the assessment experience.
3. Designing an assessment that resembles the challenges of the future job
   ‍Drawing upon insights collected during interviews, BTS created a five-hour virtual experience that immersed participants in their future roles. While running the business through four simulated years, participants needed to maintain a reasonable balance between income from the existing business as well as establish a foundation for the future. After the first two years of simulated business leadership, participants engage in three live video interactions. During these video calls, participants were challenged by a demanding boss to explain how they executed on their strategy, had to collaborate with a peer through a difficult interdivisional situation, and then gain buy-in for their vision from the attendees of a townhall presentation.

Outcome

After the simulation, BTS delivered assessment reports to the organization that decisively differentiated between suitable and unsuitable candidates. The analysis also provides details of individual strengths and development areas based on behavioral observations. The organization verified BTS’ fidelity by testing the assessment process with talent who were sufficiently known to them, to see if the results would align. They did.

The company also put “test” participants who received favorable results from BTS’ assessment reports on a challenging development fast-track. The first two dozen actual candidates, who were identified as future leaders, did not disappoint. The selection rate was about two-thirds. Currently, the details of the report and the contextual conversations are used as input for very specific succession planning decisions. For this program, BTS fully embraced a complex assessment challenge, creating a comprehensive solution that met the organization’s needs and fulfilled promises to select the right people in service of the new strategy.

Client success

"I really appreciate the interactive aspect of this simulation and assessment. I found it very realistic. The experience, even though it took four and a half hours, was not tiring, but invigorating and energizing. The very detailed observation of actual leadership behaviors during the simulation are a valid way to predict capability and future performance. I also believe that this experience is a fantastic foundation for developmental feedback that will drive future development."
‍- Deputy Executive Vice President, Human Resources, Global Energy Company

Client need

A global social media management company was in the process of developing a three-year growth strategy, and needed a partner to help align its leadership along the best path forward. Though they had already developed several growth strategies, none of them were bold enough for the highly competitive and commoditized social-media market.

"The strategic insight was immense. I really value the amount of thought and care that the team put into it." - Board member

The organization partnered with BTS to pressure-test different growth strategies, align its top leaders with the best-fitting one, and identify the key organization-wide changes needed to successfully execute the plan.

The solution

BTS developed four distinct working sessions for the company’s top 40 leaders, including the CEO and executive team. During each session, the leaders analyzed key strategic decisions from the past, investigated the social media trends of the future, and tested new growth strategies against these patterns and projections.

“There was no distinction between the BTS team and our team, which is what you want for this type of work. The flexibility, preparation, and the ease of facilitation was truly extraordinary.” - CEO

To start, BTS interviewed executive team members and used the resulting financial data to identify assess several paths for growth. Next, BTS put together summaries that drove working-session discussions on strategy, future planning, and hypotheses. Lastly, BTS created a custom simulation, or an interactive software program that models the discrete tradeoffs of proposed growth strategy. This prompted executives to debate each strategy’s effects on the customer mix, product suite, and go-to-market approach. These tangible outcomes, presented in a risk-free environment, informed decisions that led to successful execution.

Each working session built upon the previous one. From understanding how the business runs today (Session 1), to exploring future growth trends (Session 2), to using the customized simulation to both compare strategies and identify the baseline conditions for success (Sessions 3 and 4), all content contiguous and contingent on live data.

Results

Following the working-session experience, the top 40 leaders were able to both identify and align themselves to a growth strategy that was feasible (given existing execution capabilities), inspiring to the broader group, and, most importantly, would reach the aggressive three-year ARR growth target.

Client need

A leading automotive component manufacturer was undergoing significant change, reorganizing its operating model under the leadership of a new CEO.

To successfully execute the transformation, the company’s leadership team needed to develop their readiness for change, cultivate trust, and improve alignment, all while leading during a critical time in the business cycle.

To achieve this, the organization partnered with BTS to solidify a clear shared purpose, fine tune the operating model and bring the new organization to life.

Approach

A series of executive working sessions for 13 C-suite leaders focused on aligning priorities, creating a common understanding of goals, roles, and objectives, and exploring the key personal and organizational shifts needed to support the transformation.

BTS worked with the leadership team to:

• Create a shared view of the critical market, competitive, and internal operational challenges facing the organization as well as increased urgency for the work ahead.
• Develop the connection and confidence as a team needed to drive action at speed in a matrixed organization.
• Reveal the unproductive mindsets and behaviors limiting the executive team’s effectiveness as change leaders, and identify the shifts needed to become more change-ready.
• Build mutual expectations and accountability for ways of working that would drive performance in the new operating model.

Results

For the first time, leaders understood how their own well-intended behaviors were being perceived as resistance to change.

The team co-authored new ways of working and shared expectations for leading as an aligned leadership team and clarified roles.

The company is on track to meet their turnaround goal as planned.

"Where would we be without you, BTS?"

Client need

Over the past decade, a not-forprofit integrated health delivery system partnered with BTS to design and deliver customized business simulations to help its leaders excel in healthcare services.During the COVID-19 pandemic, BTS partnered with the organization to both modernize and virtualize their existing customized business simulation to meet the needs of the current healthcare environment. The goal of the simulation was to develop the organization’s leaders, equipping them with the essential skills for driving critical innovation and change.

The solution

To begin, BTS conducted in-depth interviews and organizational research to understand the company’s present and future strategy, business environment, and most critical “levers” for driving change. These insights were then leveraged to update the simulation content, as well as transform the program from its original paper-based format to a digitally enabled, computer-based experience. This virtualization upgraded the user experience, enabling more strategic discussion and teaching, and also improved application and results.This simulation allowed the organizations’ leaders to:

• Practice making trade-off decisions on key investments, and discover each decision’s effects on the entire business.
• Learn to analyze financial statements in order to make propitious leadership decisions.
• Determine how to improve the organization’s profitability, while still supporting its mission.

“I liked the discussion this engagement fostered -- definitely a great way to learn and hear how others are thinking across the system. I realize I need to spend more time with our finance team to understand the more granular level of the finance data. Thank you so much! I had a great time.”

Program experience

The simulation comprised of three rounds experienced over a three day program. Each round had a theme with distinct learning points, outlined at right, creating a risk-free, engaging, and fun way to achieve the learning objectives.The first round focused on understanding the enterprise from top to bottom:

• Growing the top line by managing membership through a mixture of affordability and service experience.
• Improving Quality of Care through improved processes across care settings.
• Attracting and retaining talent through opportunity for growth and education.

“This team is awesome, and I enjoyed experiencing it. Probably the most fun virtual experience I have had in the last year. Very organized, very efficient, and on-time. I hope we can find other ways to utilize similar experiences within the system. Great work!”

The second round focused on managing the system to optimize patient and employee experience:

• Maintaining a focus on our mission and balancing decisions to improve margins.
• Investing in and leveraging resources and excellence to drive outcomes.
• Investing in the workforce to drive employee engagement and patient satisfaction.

The third round involved creating momentum for a sustainable business:

• Capturing growth by responding to an evolving market and new partnerships.
• Investing to meet the patient needs of the future while managing total cost of care.

To date, 70 participants have gone through the 2021 program.

“I have so much appreciation for the BTS consultants that lead this simulation update. They were a great support moving the content forward and into a productive and impactful session. They also kept us informed and built a high level of trust, which was very supportive in this environment [COVID]. During the session, they provided energy and credibility, which was exactly what the team needed. Overall, it was an excellent pivot to virtual and important session for our learning executives. Thank you to the entire BTS team for making this simulation and experience come alive!” – Director of Global Leadership and Change

Conclusion

The health system determined the customized business simulation to be an incredible success. The feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive, and the program has a brightfuture, with many new cohorts of participants planning to join next year.

A market leader in business software and solutions approached BTS with the desire to build better business acumen within its Human Resources leaders.

Adapting to innovate

Faced with a limited budget, the company asked BTS to repurpose an existing simulation for their program which had previously been delivered in a face-to-face format. BTS was tasked with adapting the simulation so that it could be delivered remotely.The goal of the program was for the company’s HR leaders to gain a better understanding of the organization — including their strategy, priorities, and customer needs — so that they could better serve the business and customers’ demands. The program was also designed to help establish the organization as an innovator, thought leader, and trusted partner for its clients who were undergoing digital transformations.

"We had to convert the existing simulation to the new audience and virtualize the feedback."

The process

Over the course of three days, participants experienced a faceted business simulation. The first day began with a group kickoff call and planning session. Teams broke up into smaller groups of five to become familiar with the virtual tool before competing in the first round of the simulation. The first day was built around key themes such as Vision, Strategy and Goal-Setting, as well as a Know–How (or learning session) on the company’s finances.The second day began with a debrief and feedback discussion on the previous day’s simulation round, where the results of the competition thus far were shared. Then, a Guest Speaker from the Finance department initiated the simulation’s second round by describing their Cloud transformation, or a transition to becoming the leading digital business platform. The third and final day began with a debrief of the second simulation round, along with a final application and closing reflection session.

The impact

The program, known as the “Learn the Business Experience,” accelerated the organization’s Cloud transformation. When comparing leaders’ NPS scores before and after the program, provided below, it was evident that participants deepened their understanding of the company’s business.

Business impact

A few months following the program, the organization collected the following data about participants’ responses. 89 percent of participants responded and granted the overall program an NPS score of 94 out of 100.

• 100 percent of participants agreed or strongly agreed that “the facilitators contributed positively to my learning experience,” and ranked the program an average score of 4.8 out of 5 in this category.
• 100 percent of participants agreed or strongly agreed that “the Business Simulation contributed positively to my learning experience,” and ranked the program an average score of 4.8 out of 5 in this category.
• 100 percent of participants agreed or strongly agreed that “the virtual workshop was an engaging experience,” and ranked the program an average score of 4.8 out of 5 in this category.
• 88 percent of participants agreed or strongly agreed that “I will be able to immediately apply what I learned on my job,” and ranked the program an average score of 4.3 out of 5 in this category.
• 100 percent of participants agreed or strongly agreed that “I have a better understanding of [the organization’s] business,” and ranked the program an average score of 4.8 out of 5 in this category.
• 94 percent of participants agreed or strongly agreed that “I have a better understanding of [our] customer needs and expectations,” and ranked the program an average score of 4.5 out of 5 in this category.
• 100 percent of participants agreed or strongly agreed that “I have a better understanding of [our organization’s] financials KPIs,” and ranked the program an average score of 4.6 out of 5 in this category.
• 94 percent of participants agreed or strongly agreed that “I feel comfortable to take part in discussions related to [our] business and strategy,” and ranked the program an average score of 4.2 out of 5 in this category.

An integrated healthcare organization committed to providing affordable, high quality healthcare services wanted to develop a new, enterprise-wide leadership development program for its mid-level leaders, reaching every department. The company needed a program focused on enabling an “enterprise thinking” mindset that would give leaders a broader perspective on their business. Such a paradigm would allow leaders to better understand key trade-offs between improving operational efficiency and increasing quality of patient care, demonstrate resilience among shifting industry regulations and trends, and meet the various ongoing challenges faced by healthcare organizations, all while balancing “mission vs. margin” objectives.To achieve broader enterprise thinking, the healthcare organization partnered with BTS to design a customized business simulation modeled after its existing business. This solution sought to provide participants with a deeper understanding of how their departments’ operational decisions affected “the big picture,” and also to help them identify the areas in which these decisions most significantly impacted bottom-line improvements, strategic alignment, and decision making. In the simulation, each leader:

• Practiced making trade-off decisions on key investments and discovered how each decision was inter-related.
• Gained insight into how others perceived them as a leader by increasing self-awareness of their own behaviors while running the business.
• Learned best practices for cross-functional, high-performing teams to manage stress and build resilience.

The simulation created a risk-free, engaging, and fun way to achieve these learning objectives. Participants gained a holistic view of the organization’s value chain, which ran from attracting new health plan members to decreasing the average length of a hospital stay and system-wide medical costs.The simulation’s unique approach to learning placed participants in challenging, realistic scenarios. By reasoning through the simulation, participants drew from both their own experiences and their peers’ to adopt new behaviors, enabling them to manage their business areas more successfully. After each year of the simulation, BTS consultants presented feedback on and analysis of each participant’s results to demonstrate outcomes of the various strategies at play.Faced with relevant and high-impact business challenges, participating teams strove to maximize operating margins, revenue, quality of care, community wellbeing, service experience (including member satisfaction), and employee performance. Participants also assumed the position of someone on the executive team, formulating a strategy and prioritizing investments on a quest to generate the most improvement on the overall financial health of the organization.

An Experiential Learning Program

The simulation was composed of three rounds experienced over four days. Each round had a distinct theme and set of learning objectives.The first round focused on understanding the enterprise from top to bottom:

• Growing the top line by managing membership through a mixture of affordability, service experience, and access.
• Sustaining financial performance and improving quality of care through controlled usage across care settings.
• Attracting and retaining talent through opportunity for growth, education, wellness, and safety.

The second round focused on managing the system, from member to employee:

• Capturing growth by responding to an evolving market and new partnerships.
• Leveraging enterprise resources and excellence to drive local outcomes.
• Investing in the workforce to drive member retention through employee engagement and consumer experience.

The third round involved creating momentum for a sustainable business:

• Promoting whole health, which describes social determinants of health such as mental health and financial stability, and community wellbeing, thereby improving system affordability.
• Investing to meet the patient needs of the future, while still managing total cost of care.
• Building resilience by maintaining focus and influence across the individual’s network.

Learning by doing

Before the four-day program began, participants were asked to read a detailed case study describing a fictitious company in a fictitious market environment, both modeled after the real healthcare organization and its environment.On the first day of the program, leaders were divided into five teams. Each team entered a strategic planning session during which they set their business decision-making strategy and planned how to preserve resilience across the three simulated years. Within each team, leaders received one of six roles: Head of Health Plan, Head of Hospital, Head of Outpatient Clinic, Head of Outpatient Pharmacy, Head of Shared Services, and CEO / Head of Community Wellness.In the simulation, leaders made critical decisions across three areas. The first is Member Segments, which includes Groups, Individuals, and Medicare. Medicaid is also one of the member segments, but leaders don’t make direct decisions for this member group. The second is Points of Care, which includes the Health Plan, Hospital, Outpatient Clinics, and Pharmacy. The third is Shared Services, which involves enterprise decisions around core infrastructure, data analytics, mobile experience, and community involvement.Over the three simulated years, the marketplace evolved, forcing teams to react to the needs of every member segment. For example, when the business expanded into a new geographic region, teams had to decide which products to bring to market. In another, Medicare growth and demand far exceeded expectations, and leaders had to recalibrate priorities. Periodically, teams would receive a “Wobbler,” or an unexpected event requiring that they respond in real-time. Examples include a sudden drop in patient satisfaction scores, drug shortages at pharmacies, or a staph infection within the hospital. Teams' decisions impacted both KPIs and their market share for each market and segment.

Playing to win

Team performance was measured by four primary metrics: operating income, revenue growth, quality of care, and community wellbeing. Leaders’ choices were also benchmarked according to additional metrics that reflect relationships across the enterprise, including member satisfaction, service experience, employee engagement, and access.Leaders also participated in “debrief” sessions to discuss the results of running the simulated business, which were integrated with observations of each individuals’ resilience, agility, and stress regulation throughout the round, particularly when facing critical moments.While running their simulated companies, leaders experienced two “Know-How” sessions, which are mini-learning sessions to deepen their knowledge of the business and learning objectives. The first session focused on driving affordable care by deepening comprehension of income statements and building patient health-management skills, while the second featured a patient journey map that highlighted the critical moments in a patient’s healthcare journey.After experiencing all three simulated rounds, leaders entered an “Application” session, identifying the actions and behavior shifts that would drive business results back on the job. They also created “Go-Dos,” which are goals designed to sustain lessons learned and yield meaningful change. Following the program, every participant received follow-up emails reminding them of their Go-Dos, each embedded with a secure link that allowed leaders to update and track their progress.

Participants’ Key Session Takeaways

• “Every decision has a takeaway. While trying to solve any problem, the decisionmaker needs to consider all factors.”
• “[I grasped] the complexity of our system and how to manage it by engaging with colleagues more broadly.”
• “[The importance of strategic thinking, whole system consideration, and the necessity of strategic collaboration between outpatient and inpatient teams to improve affordability.”
• “The business simulation was excellent. It demonstrated the business’s complexity and interconnectivity and also required great discourse within groups.”
• “[I appreciated] the real-life aspect of having to make decisions quickly and resolve competing priorities. We may have the best intentions, but we need to ensure that the organization is sustainable and taking calculated risks. The simulation showed that clearly.”

Post-Program Participant Actions

As a result of the experience, participants had a better understanding of the organization’s strategy and business; specifically, about increasing operational efficiency. Each participant committed to concrete actions they would take back on the job to make an impact on the organization. A total of 135 Actions were submitted to and tracked by BTS. As of 6 months post-pilot, 30.02% of actions were completed, and 36.71% were in progress.Highlighted below are specific outcomes resulting from participant on-the-job actions:

• “I had my team collaborate on how to save money… while maintaining our mission of integrity. In doing so, our team has created and implemented new cost-saving initiatives for the entire service area around waste and hazardous expiring supplies.”
• “I met with my finance team to see how I can help with my department’s budget. As a result, we were able to get payroll back on track and strategize hiring new staff within the payroll budget.”
• “I shared my learnings from this Business Simulation with my Direct Reports, especially [about] the balancing act needed between growth, market share, maintaining quality, service experience, member/patient satisfaction, [and] revenue, as well as a focus on innovation. Through sharing my learnings consistently… I have seen more buy-in and more receptiveness in implementing changes and making process improvements related to the initiatives. This has impacted our department’s efficiency and encouraged innovative solutions to our current issues.”
• “After participating in this experience, I have strong support for virtualization initiatives. My team is now supporting virtualization efforts in our service area through implementing Bluetooth-enabled devices in our Advanced Medical Care at Home or Hospital at Home program, which impacts our financials, but also member satisfaction and retention.”

Leadership development at a leading provider of home health and hospice care

A leading provider of home health and hospice care in the United States consistently delivers high quality care but strives to be the premiere solution for patients across the country to age in place.

To meet this ambitious goal, the organization identified the need to develop their people, providing them with the leadership and business skills necessary to drive results and continue providing top-of-the-line care.

At the company, often the best physical therapists, nurses, and occupational therapists are selected to lead care centers, shifting roles from a caregiver to a business leader. Care center leaders report to regional heads and are responsible for managing their care centers’ P&L, holding other caregivers accountable, and growing the business. These major responsibilities can be challenging for many new care center leaders. While they have excelled as caregivers, their background is not in business.

Embarking on a transformative leadership journey

To mediate this issue, the organization engaged with BTS to help care center leaders gain the skills required for their role and familiarize themselves with the tools that will enable their success. Through a series of intensive interviews, BTS created a customized program to fit the healthcare company’s specific needs.

The program is a two-day offsite, during which participants embark on an experiential learning journey to practice their business acumen and leadership skills. In addition to the 25 care center leaders in attendance, there are also a handful of regional heads who participate, making a total of 30 participants, with several senior observers overseeing the program. The goal of the program is to reach all care center leaders within the organization, equipping them with the skills and tools to successfully lead and grow the business.

Being a Multiplier, developing business acumen, and honing leadership skills

Before the program kicks off, participants are asked to read a short article on Liz Wiseman’s Multipliers, which prepares them for their leadership learning journey.

On the first day of the program, leaders immediately jump into a customized business simulation, running a care center in a simulated environment. Both new and tenured leaders test the behaviors and skills required for the job in a risk-free environment where their mistakes will not affect the business. In this first round of the simulation, leaders focus on optimizing their caregiver mix and utilization levels, ensuring resources are adequately meeting patient needs and providing the best care profitably. This round takes half of a day, but simulates an entire quarter of running a care center. Participants will later receive feedback on their performance in the simulation, learning how their decisions impacted their simulated business. All of the results are contextualized in the company’s service-value chain so that participants can understand how both their business and leadership choices make a measurable difference.

In the afternoon, leaders are exposed to the BTS Multipliers Framework, based on the concepts from Liz Wiseman’s Multipliers, which describes how leaders can encourage those around them to reach their full potential by tapping into their teams’ natural talents and “multiplying” their impact. Leaders are also exposed to “accidental diminishers,” which describe well-intentioned behaviors that accidentally inhibit people’s ability to make mistakes and subsequently learn and grow. Participants engage with these concepts through a moments-based playbook, learning What Great Looks Like and What Not So Great Looks Like in the most pivotal moments they encounter in their role.In the afternoon, leaders are exposed to the BTS Multipliers Framework, based on the concepts from Liz Wiseman’s Multipliers, which describes how leaders can encourage those around them to reach their full potential by tapping into their teams’ natural talents and “multiplying” their impact. Leaders are also exposed to “accidental diminishers,” which describe well-intentioned behaviors that accidentally inhibit people’s ability to make mistakes and subsequently learn and grow. Participants engage with these concepts through a moments-based playbook, learning What Great Looks Like and What Not So Great Looks Like in the most pivotal moments they encounter in their role.

For the remainder of the day and in the following morning, leaders are divided into two cohorts, one of care center leaders and the other of regional heads, to respectively practice giving feedback and coaching skills. The division of these two cohorts allows for more candid conversations and targeted learning opportunities as they discuss existing challenges they face in their role and potential ways forward.For the remainder of the day and in the following morning, leaders are divided into two cohorts, one of care center leaders and the other of regional heads, to respectively practice giving feedback and coaching skills. The division of these two cohorts allows for more candid conversations and targeted learning opportunities as they discuss existing challenges they face in their role and potential ways forward.

In the second round of the simulation, participants have the opportunity to run their care center again, and this time are better equipped for success. The results of this round allow participants to see how applying their learnings can enhance business performance, and what mistakes to avoid when applying their skills to their care center in the real world.

At the close of the two-day program, the company’s Chief Operating Officer and President present the company’s future outlook, inspiring participants to apply their learnings in support of the company’s ambitious growth goals.

The learning does not stop after participants leave. After the program, cohorts continue to peer-coach in three subsequent, virtual coaching sessions. These coaching sessions sustain the learning by addressing obstacles faced in the field, providing a platform for success stories, and giving further opportunities to practice in a safe space.

Sustained momentum: impressive results

Since the program’s inception, net income from operations (NIFO) has improved by roughly $10M, fostering a business-focused, feedback and coaching culture through improved alignment. Based on post-program interviews, the organization estimates that at least 30% of the $10M in additional NIFO was due to the training initiative.

In addition, the program received world-class results with an average NPS of 9.2. Over 350 care center leaders and regional heads have been through the program, with more than half (63%) reporting knowledge transfer and nearly all (97%) participants reporting behavior change.

The healthcare provider is still on its leadership journey, but the results so far prove the program provides significant impact on the skill level and tool application for leaders, giving them the capabilities they need to successfully run the business while continuing to provide the care that their patients deserve.

NPS comments cite the program as a “game changer” and “eye-opening.”

“I would definitely recommend this experience to my colleagues. Information shared on giving feedback both positive and negative will be a game changer for this organization.”

“I learned more about my leadership abilities and ways to improve it or correct it than any other meeting I have attended.”

“This conference brought to light more of what I have been doing ‘wrong’ but certainly opened my eyes to what I can do better to assist my care center in future growth. Thank you.”

A Path to Growth

With the induction of a new leadership team, an American department store unveiled a novel strategy that offered an exciting vision for the future. The new strategy would align the organization’s strategic priorities to their values, ultimately resulting in a more unified business and customer experience. Although the strategy was in place, it would take the right culture to drive sustained growth.

Defining great at all levels

The organization first revisited the values and behaviors that defined their culture. In partnership with BTS, they took a contemporary approach rather than using standard competency models and made the values relevant to all colleagues, not just executives or select groups. To do this, BTS conducted over 120 interviews with leaders across every level and function in the organization, defining “Our Behaviors” in support of the new strategy, identifying what Great looks like at every level across the organization.

With the behaviors in place, it was critical for the organization to communicate them to all leaders and allow them to experience the behaviors in an engaging and impactful way.

Leadership development for cultivating change

In partnership with BTS, the organization created a series of customized, moment-based leadership simulations that introduced leaders to the new behaviors and allowed them to practice these behaviors as if they were acting on them in real life.

The experience would roll out in three waves, first addressing the top 1,200 leaders of the organization, next going to all 20,000 salaried colleagues, and finally to all 110,000 hourly colleagues. This approach ensured that every level of leadership would understand the new behaviors and skills necessary for success, gaining ownership of the new strategy.

Living the behaviors

The first iteration of the leadership development program was an offsite targeting 1,200 leaders of functions and leaders of leaders. On the first day of the program, leaders were introduced to the new values and behaviors by their CEO and CHRO. They also experienced a digitally enabled moments-based simulation where they engaged with activities that allowed them to learn and understand the new leadership behaviors they would need live in order to drive growth.

The 1,200 leaders were broken into eight groups of 150 leaders, with one BTS consultant and two senior executives to facilitate each group. The simulation allowed participants to feel as if they were applying their learnings back on the job, because the simulated moments they experienced were directly modeled after scenarios that leaders would face in real life – but in a risk-free environment tailored to enhance learning. Ultimately, the goal of the first day was to help leaders practice, discuss and debate the new behaviors, understanding why they needed to change their values and leadership behaviors in support of the new strategy and path to growth.

On the second day of the program, leaders crafted and practiced elevator pitches communicating these new behaviors and key messages with their teams. They also identified individual commitments to living the new behaviors in support of the strategy. Commitments were entered into Act@BTS, an automated BTS tool that provides just-in-time reminders and notifications, and themes were identified and shared back by the CEO at the conclusion of the offsite.

Ultimately the goal of the program was to have participants walk away hyper-aligned to the new culture, how to operate using the proper behaviors, and feeling committed to the role each leader and their team plays in driving the culture and strategy.

Cascading the change throughout the organization

This methodology was taken and applied in a secondary 90-minute program for all 20,000 salaried colleagues. Leaders would experience a similar moments-based simulation as the previous cohort, but with moments that were tailored more closely to the demands of their specific leadership level. Due to the scope of this delivery, salaried colleagues experienced the program in either live face-to-face or virtual settings. The goals for the second cohort remained the same – leaders needed to live the organization’s behaviors and use their learnings to drive strategic change for the business.

Following the first two iterations of leadership development among the top leaders and all salaried colleagues, the leaders experienced modules that allowed them to integrate their learning into their team rallies, team meetings or on the floor in one-on-one conversations for all 110,000 hourly colleagues. The salaried colleagues used a guidebook that provided content and scripts for them to follow based on their setting and the time they had. Again, the experience was tailored more closely to the demands of hourly colleagues. This enabled every leader within the organization to drive the essential learnings from the top to the bottom of the organization.

Results

The results of the culture shift are still being measured, but the program has created some impressive results. The sessions have scored an average of 97 NPS. Nearly 4,000 commitments have been submitted to the BTS ACT platform. In the most recent Culture survey, which is tied directly to the new behaviors, the organization showed an increase across all measurable areas.

Examples of act commitments include:

“I will engage my colleagues to create a roadmap that guides our individual and collective behaviors and actions. This will support our organizational growth initiatives by continuously identifying ways to improve and acting on them by an established deadline.”

“I will lead my store team with passion and energy toward a mindset of approaching getting better every day relative to personal and store growth. I will strive to keep our team energized and focused on providing a motivating and engaged environment that delivers an amazing customer experience and drive comp sales growth this year by an established deadline.”

“I will commit to sharing and discussing results daily with my team which will foster a greater understanding of our wins and opportunities in the building and keep the leadership team focused on growth by an established deadline.”

Qualitative results from participants include:

“I have managers present their business results at our weekly leadership meeting. I also have them share their best and their worst. As a result, they are displaying more confidence in understanding the business and being more proactive in working with others to make fixes.”

“We reviewed our behaviors and identified what can be accomplished in a consistent manner. This cannot be a one and done exercise if we are going to establish the culture and change behaviors. We now have bi-weekly meetings to discuss and review everyone’s accountability.”

“I am now coaching to align with committing to win, through customer engagement and experiences.”

Quantitative results from participants include:

 
• Delivered 101 percent to sales plan for Q1, and 104 percent to sales plan for Q2, with every metric improving
 
• Achieved +2.7 percent over plan for Q1 results
 
• At 102.9 percent to plan on the quarter
 
• Getting 19 percent more inbound productivity, $350K better than plan
 
• 4 percent improvement in processing time in year to date
 
• Double digit improvement from previous month in time to market

Program Feedback:

“The breakout sessions were fantastic. Everyone at every level can always practice and develop leadership skills. Loved interacting and practicing with colleagues to better ourselves to take the best version of ourselves to our teams.”

“Breakout sessions with time to practice our implementation.”

“Would like the exercises we did in the first days’ breakout session regarding our behaviors and the scenarios sent to us. Great exercise to do with our teams.”

“The content was amazing. I also enjoyed how the 2 days were broken out with the breakout sessions. It was a great way to collaborate and discuss with our colleagues from around the country.”

In addition to this highly positive feedback from participants, the program also received external recognition for its effectiveness. The Path to Growth program was awarded the coveted Gold Brandon Hall Group award for Excellence in Leadership.

In conclusion

The organization is only beginning to see the impact of their investment in building their culture in support of their new strategy. Despite this, the results are still impressive. Investing in leadership has created a positive impact, demonstrated through both qualitative and quantitative feedback, showing how leaders are living the values and culture that will enable their path to growth.

Client need

A multinational software corporation needed a powerful solution to develop its first-time leaders, who were rapidly being promoted to new roles but lacked an understanding of how to lead at the company. Recognizing the need to develop this talent, the company partnered with BTS to co-create a 14-week learning journey.

The solution

• Focused on cultivating the three critical skills identified as necessary for first-time leaders in the organization:
  • Giving feedback and coaching
  • Achieving results through your team
  • Leading high-performance teams
• Included three “Practice with an Expert” sessions. In each, participants were paired with a BTS Assessment Expert who helped them practice new skills, give feedback and coach them on how to apply their new skills back on the job.

Results

• 93% of program participants strongly agreed that, "The overall learning experience was valuable."
• 95% of program participants strongly agreed with the statement, "I believe the skills developed in the program will help me be more effective as a leader at the company."

Client need

A big four consulting firm–a global leader in assurance, tax, strategy and transaction, and consulting services—needed to enhance their account managers’ abilities to understand the day-to-day challenges of their clients, which spanned an impressive and diverse portfolio of industries.

BTS has been a key thought partner to the firm for several years, delivering hundreds of experiences for leaders throughout the organization. In 2020, BTS partnered with the firm to deliver a virtualized New Senior Manager and Associate Director Program, adapting a program that had formerly been face-to-face to the new virtual environment.

Solution

To develop client empathy among the firms’ account managers, BTS created a suite of customized business simulations that represented the varying organizations within the firms’ client base. Working together in teams, account managers would go through the simulation and experience what it’s like to run these companies in a competitive marketplace.

BTS designed and delivered these entirely virtualized simulations for all new Senior Managers and Associate Directors in the company. These leaders experienced an immersive virtual journey that allowed them to: join at a convenient time, regardless of their global location; access an abundance of engaging virtual materials; and seamlessly engage with technology through the support of virtual operators.

In each simulation, leaders experienced events that highlighted the typical issues sector companies currently face. They also experienced oncoming shifts within industries, which included: changes in regulations; macroeconomic shifts; the impact of globalization; competitor consolidation; new entrants; and changes in product lines among many other disruptive factors. The teams’ decision-making has an impact on performance and market results in real-time.

After each round of the simulation, leaders are asked to use their cross-functional point of view to identify specific areas of opportunity for the simulated client. Each team then presents their suggested service offerings to a Partner at the organization, and continue to practice leading a client conversation around a topic from the simulation so that after the program they can have this conversation with one of their clients.

At the end of each simulation round, BTS facilitates a debrief session. These debriefs provide an opportunity for learners to understand how their team’s decisions impacted the results, which team performed the best, and which industry trends made the biggest difference.

Measurable impact

BTS’s industry simulations have delivered great success at the firm, both in person and virtually…

• 100% of participants felt the BTS simulation was a valuable learning experience and a worthwhile investment
• Within 3 months, over 85% of participants applied their learning, resulting in either immediate additional revenue, cross-service line opportunities, or increased client satisfaction
• Within 6 months, the average number of business opportunities for those who attended versus those who did not have increased, and the average value per opportunity had increased by $460,000 per participant

Virtual program testimonials:

• “Across the three areas we delivered training virtually in what has been an unprecedented year and despite these challenges, I feel our senior managers and associate directors still achieved both the celebration and recognition of their promotion and more importantly the insights and participation of our world class milestone program.”
• “Team activities in the simulation were very useful to put you in the shoes of our clients and think about their competing priorities and understand their decision making."
• “The most engaging virtual training I’ve seen!”
• “The simulation was the highlight. We got to build better relationships with our team, as well as apply what we learned from online training and reading, to our new leadership roles in helping build value for the company. This includes how we balance investments, opportunities, people, quality, reputation and clients.”
• “BTS was great at covering so much content in a short space of time and knew how to handle the conversations about real-life stories and examples.”

As an advisor to clients across many industries, BTS partners with the firm to provide industry-specific business acumen simulations in the following sectors:

• Advanced Manufacturing
• Consumer Goods
• Construction
• Energy & Resources
• Financial Services
• Government & Public Services
• Health Sciences and Wellness
• Hospitality
• Media
• Mobility
• Professional Services
• Real Estate
• Technology
• Telecommunications

Client need

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a retail company had no choice but to lay off 80% of their employees in the first half of 2020. To help reengage their employee population and help the business recover post-crisis, the company partnered with BTS to co-create a virtual offsite.In the past, the retail company partnered with BTS to run in-person strategy simulations for their store managers. Given the notable success of past programs and seeing the value from the mindset shifts and behavior change of participants, the organization chose to partner with BTS again – this time for a much larger audience.The goal of the company’s offsite was to democratize commercial acumen in the organization’s store population and help develop a culture in which employees feel empowered to take calculated risks in pursuit of growth and improved customer experience.

The solution...

BTS partnered with the organization to design a half-day customized hybrid simulation experience delivered virtually, with some participants joining individually and others co-located in stores across the country.

The experience

• Tailored to the context and culture of the business – as a sporting goods retail company, the simulation was designed as a metaphor for a sports event in which participants competed throughmultiple “quarters” of a game.
• Leveraged self-paced modules and virtual tools – each “quarter” had different activities ranging from learning reflections to ‘what-if’ scenarios and decision-making tools.
• Involved real-life scenarios leaders face on-the-job – participants practiced both soft skills such as handling behavioral and leadership challenges, and hard skills such as calculating Return on Investment (ROI).
• Seamlessly integrated with the organization’s new communication platform, Microsoft Teams.
• Reached 2,500 employees in target regions across the country – including co-located teams and individuals joining virtually.

To ensure long-term learning and on-the-job integration, BTS created a ‘deep practice’ decision-making tool, based on key store metrics. The tool enables results to be seen in real-time, allowing participants andsenior management to identify opportunities for improvement across regions. Leaders can use the tool directly from their mobile devices back in the store to continue practicing decision-making and running ‘what-if’ scenarios throughout the year.

How it works

• Leaders enter assumptions on store key performance indicators into the tool.
• Then they can enter a set of investment assumptions and compare multiple scenarios.
• The tool will calculate the ROI on the ‘calculated risk’ based on the assumptions entered, enabling users to build confidence in their decisions by using data.

Outcomes of the event

• The organization loved BTS’s ability to deliver multi-modality learning that created a very educational environment and reached the entire store population.
• The company also believed in BTS’s ability to model the business’s ‘calculated risks’ concept that was integral to their store strategy.

Client need

The world’s leading children’s hospital sought to improve its HR department’s ability to develop and retain top medical talent. To counter frustrations caused by the hospital’s recent exponential growth, HR recognized the need for a clear service strategy, as well as greater flexibility in the interpretation of policy.   With these challenges in mind, the hospital came to partner with Netmind, a BTS Company, to increase collaborative team building, enhance the customer experience, increase role transparency and efficiency, and create a common set of tools and processes for holistic problem solving.

The solution...

Netmind designed a workshop-driven solution for all 11 business areas within HR, centered around agile sprints that enabled bite-sized learning and addressed the following four objectives:

• Collaborative Team Building: gamification, agile planning, milestone celebrations, goal-setting, and use of tools such as shared drives
• Enhanced Customer Experience: familiarity with customer personas and types, perspective-building workshops, customer journey mapping, and customer-experience toolkits
• Core Process Mapping and Visualization: combat siloes, visualization techniques, mapping value streams, and identifying core capabilities

• Continuous Improvement Approach: conferring a philosophy of continuous improvement

Results

Positive outcomes emerged on all four fronts:  

• Team-building sessions helped improve both intra- and inter-departmental relationships
• HR began to remedy major problems with its onboarding process

• Documentation of value streams increased role clarity and eliminated redundancies
• HR teams implemented tools to ensure continuous improvement, such as retrospectives