Upskilling leadership in a virtual environment: Going beyond the cloud

How a market leader in business software and solutions partnered with BTS to develop better business acumen within its HR leaders.
July 16, 2021
5
min read
Follow us on Linkedin
Follow BTS on Linkedin
Share

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.
Get the report
Download report
About the company

Related content

Client Stories
May 13, 2026
Driving engagement and retention with scaled coaching
Discover how Wellstar Health System scaled leadership coaching to boost engagement, retention, and measurable business impact with Sounding Board, BTS’ scaled coaching solution.
Financial advisor showing a tablet to a middle-aged couple discussing documents and a calculator on a table.
Client Stories
March 18, 2026
Redesigning work with AI: Moving from access to impact at scale
What happens when teams stop experimenting and start applying AI to their most critical workflows? See how BTS partnered with a large U.S. health insurance organization to bring teams together in focused design sprints and shift from incremental efficiency gains to meaningful, scalable impact.
Client Stories
July 10, 2025
Strengthening talent and leadership development in the aluminum industry
See how BTS helped a global aluminum manufacturer unify leadership development, build business acumen, and improve safety, engagement, and performance.

Related content

Client Stories
July 16, 2026
Wholesale bank strategy re-alignment for growth
See how BTS helped a global wholesale bank align 320+ leaders, break down silos, and execute a differentiated growth strategy across regions.
Client Stories
May 27, 2026
Building a future-ready leadership bench in global fintech
A global fintech company partnered with BTS to strengthen senior leadership effectiveness and cultural alignment during rapid growth.
Client Stories
May 14, 2026
Building enterprise leadership in medical affairs
Learn how BTS helped a global life sciences company strengthen enterprise leadership in critical medical affairs roles through simulations, leadership assessment, coaching, and cross-functional leader development.