Virtually aligning an international pharmaceutical company to an ambitious new leadership framework

An international independent pharmaceutical company partnered with BTS to implement an ambitious new leadership framework that would serve as the backbone for the company’s cultural transformation, as well as all Human Resources processes.Initially, the organization planned to host the experience as a face-to-face leadership event in Barcelona, but this was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Instead, the organization collaborated with BTS to design an innovative, virtual journey, leveraging digital platforms to create a highly engaging experience.To bring the journey to life, BTS hosted multiple events for over 250 participants at a time on Microsoft Teams, each with breakout rooms and two Digital Operators. During the journey, participants completed BTS’s “Portrait” leadership assessments that evaluated their strengths and weaknesses, and were both customized and mapped to the company’s leadership model.Before the event, all 22,000 employees competed a self-paced Swiss VBS module that introduced them to the new leadership model. After the event, the client entered a rollout phase which made possible by BTS’s “Get Togethers” (a digital meeting tool that acts as an event platform and cascade vehicle), sharing the learning experience throughout the organization.The virtual events and Portrait assessments were delivered to the organization’s top 700 leaders, while the organization’s remaining 22,000 employees took part in “cascade” sessions organized by local and regional management. BTS supported the leaders in charge of the cascade process by developing a comprehensive facilitator guide, and also by offering email and phone support.

Technological innovation and hidden talents

BTS successfully combined multiple skills, practices, and technologies across the business to deliver an innovative, high-impact experience at scale. The pilot sessions were well-received (see below), and all 700 participants submitted actions to take back on the job using Act@BTS, BTS’s proprietary email accountability tool.Ultimately, the program was a success – the organization seamlessly shifted to a virtual environment, with little disruption to the learning experience or diminishment to the program’s impact.

Program impact

“This project was a fantastic demonstration of our ability to work seamlessly across offices and practices in a virtual, ever-changing world.”

• 4.5 out of 5 participants agreed that “[they were] looking forward to cascading the Client Leadership Model to [their] teams.”
• 4 out of 5 participants responded, “I am able to apply what I have learned in everyday situations.”
• 4 out of 5 participants agreed that “The sim contributed to [their] understanding of the Client Leadership Model, along with how to apply it.”
• 4.3 out of 5 participants agreed that they had “a better understanding of the Client Leadership Model, and how to embody it.”
• Participants rated the overall journey 4 out of 5.

Over 1,500 cascade meetings were organized by the company’s employees around the world.