How leadership transformation

Client need 

A global engineering organization with a 170-year legacy of innovation had long thrived on its ability to evolve—advancing technology, expanding into new markets, and solving complex industrial challenges at scale. 

But as the pace of change accelerated—driven by emerging technologies, shifting customer demands, and mounting sustainability pressures—the leadership team recognized a deeper challenge. Traditional strengths in technical expertise and operational excellence were no longer enough. To succeed in a more complex and fast-moving world, the company needed a culture where leadership behaviors like accountability, collaboration, and adaptability were deeply embedded. 

Leaders saw the opportunity to strengthen the link between strategy and execution by activating consistent leadership behaviors across 15,000 employees, four divisions, and more than 50 countries. Embedding these behaviors into how work gets done, how decisions are made, and how people lead through change became a central part of preparing the business for its next chapter. 

Solution 

BTS partnered with the organization to build a program that would embed the desired culture shift deep into daily operations—across 15,000 employees, four business units, and more than 50 countries. 

It began with a comprehensive discovery process—20+ stakeholder interviews, dozens of employee focus groups, and deep analysis of culture and engagement data—that surfaced both the strengths and structural blockers within the organization’s leadership approach. These insights shaped a bold, multi-phase transformation effort designed to activate the right leadership behaviors consistently, across levels and geographies. 

Armed with these insights, BTS co-created a leadership experience that would start small—then scale with intention. The first step: an immersive, digital-first development program for a pilot cohort of 100 senior leaders. Hosted on a customized platform, the experience balanced global consistency with local relevance and equipped leaders with the skills to lead—and model—real change. 

Key elements included: 

• Immersive learning modules with videos, role-based simulations, and interactive content grounded in the organization’s business realities. 

• Instructor-led workshops focused on high-impact behaviors, change readiness, and cross-functional collaboration—driving a clear line between strategy and day-to-day execution. 

• Peer pods and action labs to build community, accountability, and real-world application of new leadership habits. 

• Activation tools including behavioral dictionaries, meeting-in-a-box toolkits, and cultural ambassador materials to scale the shift from the ground up. 

To sustain momentum, selected pilot leaders were trained as internal facilitators—enabling them to cascade the program further, coach peers, and serve as visible culture carriers throughout the business. 

Results 

The program sparked strong momentum across the organization, activating a culture of shared accountability and adaptive leadership. 

Leaders reported: 

• High engagement and relevance of the experience, with an average program score of 3.63 / 4 

• Strong facilitation and safe space for reflection, rated 3.81 / 4 

• Clearer understanding and application of desired leadership behaviors, rated 3.61 / 4 

Most notably, follow-up employee engagement surveys showed: 

• New leadership behaviors ranked among the top 5 most recognized organizational shifts, signaling early traction in the culture transformation. 

The organization continues to invest in this work, recognizing that building a truly adaptive, behavior-led culture is not a one-time intervention—but a strategic capability for navigating complexity and change.