Industry: Technology

The challenge

A multinational technology company, with 71,000 employees worldwide, was having trouble retaining top talent and ensuring that its leaders were equipped with the mindsets and behaviors needed to lead in the 21st Century VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) world. With the aspiration to become the No. 1 information technology company in the world, they realized that gaps existed in mindsets and skillsets across multiple levels of the enterprise.

 

The approach

We developed a program whose purpose was to create agile leaders who could shape the company’s future for the next 15 years. The program aimed at the top 2 percent of high potentials with certain future leadership characteristics and a willingness to lead from right where they are, rather than waiting for title and position to influence the organization positively. The program included participants from more than 40 different countries.

Our partnered solution

  • We co-designed a two-year learning journey for the individual contributor and first-time manager population. The program included three five-day residential events for more than 250 participants.
  • We leveraged expertise, research and thought leadership on sustainable behavioral change, adult learning, human-centered design and the neuroscience of change.
  • Each participant went through a process of a 360° assessment and thorough debrief, six application coaching sessions and bridge activities in between residential events to deepen impact and apply learning within their day-to-day rhythm of business.
  • We leveraged technology and other creative solutions to ensure that each and every touch point with participants was creative and meaningful.
  • The program included insight on deep self-awareness, effective teaming, innovative thinking, business acumen and inclusive leadership, among other topics.

 

The impact

  • The company reported that the mindset focus and the facilitator style of embodying what was being taught created the most powerful leadership program in many years and the first ever globally focused program.
  • Sixty percent of the program participants were promoted throughout the course of their leadership journey.
  • The company now embraces its people and culture as its key differentiator, rather than its technology, and has a cohort of more than 250 leaders who have the mindsets, commitment and skills to embody this new strategy.

 

The sessions, the learning and coaching — over time — truly transformed the way I think about working, the way I manage my team, and the way I adapt to changes. My coach opened up life-changing perspectives. The entire Axialent staff was incredible…. Today, I am more involved in team leadership, trust-building and collaborative cross-organizational activities than I imagined I would be, and I must recognize and thank the program for opening me to these.
Program participant
Following the Axialent program, I clearly understood the task I faced to transform the culture within the business I was responsible for. After listening to hundreds of employees, we created our core values that accelerated our performance to change the culture. We saw better team engagement, happier staff, better turnover and significant improvement of our results.
Managing Director, Groupe PSA
Over the past two years, we’ve been working on a culture transformation project with Axialent. The last 24 months have been the most successful in the history of Mercado Libre. I am certain that working on our culture has been one of the key factors of this recent success.
CFO, Mercado Libre
Working with Axialent has allowed us like never before to increase our ability to take responsibility and create a culture of achievement and cross-collaboration at every level in our organization. Axialent's unique approach to having people work with themselves, each other and on key projects with full engagement has been of invaluable help to our organization.
Corporate Vice President, Microsoft
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The challenge

In order to increase its competitiveness in the market, a leading software multinational company initiated a major restructuring from a geography-based structure to a complex, three-dimensional matrix of geographies, segments and product groups. This transformation shifted the levels of power within the organization and added greater complexity to decision-making, planning and execution across the organization. The management team needed to improve its operating efficiency and goal alignment, and create a culture of accountability in the context of cross-group dependencies.

 

The approach

  • A leadership team program was developed to rebuild the team’s trust and level of commitment in the midst of changing roles and shifts in the power structure.
  • The program taught conscious business skills across the organization to support the transformation needed.
  • A five-step planning process was designed for existing business cycles in order to minimize redundancies.
  • An Axialent consultant facilitated all key business meetings to ensure focus and accountability:
    • Leadership team meeting to set company goals.
    • Cascading to the next level: four-day planning meeting with business areas ensuring cross-collaboration.
    • Three-day meeting with more than 250 managers from the region to align on direction defined and share best practices.
    • Developed subsidiary planning kits to deploy a similar strategic alignment exercise in the five subsidiaries.
    • Worked with human resources to ensure goals and strategies were mapped to the existing commitment-setting process.
  • A performance tracking process was designed, which included a scorecard, staff meetings and connection points within the field.
Axialent has been a true partner in our efforts to build a conscious organization, helping us to move from aspiration to implementation. Axialent’s advice is never easy but always worthwhile
CEO Latam subsidiary

 

The impact

  • The region’s planning process has become a company best practice. The corporate COO recognized the Latam leadership team as “the company’s most aligned and focused worldwide.”
  • After the severe financial crisis in early 2000 in Latin America, the region has recovered and surpassed their historic revenue figures, growing 49.7 percent in four years.
  • The region achieved the highest score worldwide in the internal climate survey, and the cross-group collaboration indicator increased 1,200 basis points over two years.
  • Participants have consistently praised the increased accountability and focus the process has driven. Satisfaction and impact surveys throughout the process averaged at 9.3 out of 10.
  • The partnership with Axialent continues after four consecutive planning cycles.
  • The success in Latam has sparked a global partnership between Axialent and other global divisions such as Online Sales Business, the Global Field Operations and the Worldwide Partners Group, which manages one-third of the company’s overall revenue.
Best part? Process for getting from goals to strategies especially forcing people to narrow their lists.
Business Unit Manager
Alignment all the way! This has been great for the field to accelerate execution.
Product Manager
Following the Axialent program, I clearly understood the task I faced to transform the culture within the business I was responsible for. After listening to hundreds of employees, we created our core values that accelerated our performance to change the culture. We saw better team engagement, happier staff, better turnover and significant improvement of our results.
Managing Director, Groupe PSA
Over the past two years, we’ve been working on a culture transformation project with Axialent. The last 24 months have been the most successful in the history of Mercado Libre. I am certain that working on our culture has been one of the key factors of this recent success.
CFO, Mercado Libre
Working with Axialent has allowed us like never before to increase our ability to take responsibility and create a culture of achievement and cross-collaboration at every level in our organization. Axialent's unique approach to having people work with themselves, each other and on key projects with full engagement has been of invaluable help to our organization.
Corporate Vice President, Microsoft
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