The Challenge
Upon engagement, the client had endured a lengthy hiatus in development. Amey sought collaboration with Innovation Central to devise a leadership development program that would not only foster the growth of their future strategic leaders but also deliver measurable ROI to the business.
Innovation Central dedicated time to thoroughly exploring Amey’s organisation, interacting with a diverse range of leadership representatives. This approach facilitated the pinpointing of crucial business needs that would inform the program’s design. These needs encompassed enhancing delegates’ accountability in decision-making, broadening their comprehension of essential leadership behaviours and responsibilities, and developing their underpinning commercial and customer awareness. Concurrently, each delegate was expected to ‘earn their place’ on the program through the value the business would see back from their involvement. The development should also provide a recognised qualification on completion.
The Solution
Armed with valuable insights, a dual-faceted ROI metric—behavioural and operational—was assigned to each delegate. Participants underwent a 360° assessment based on specific behavioural indicators, conducted pre- and post-program, laying the groundwork for evaluating behavioural changes spurred by the initiative.
The program was supported by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), ensuring the delivery of operational ROI metrics and satisfying the need for an accredited qualification. As part of the “Leading Innovation & Change” unit, participants were tasked with pinpointing business efficiency savings or revenue generation opportunities worth £5k per project, reinforcing operational ROI measures and justifying each delegate’s participation. This objective guided project selection and determined the program’s overall financial impact.
Additionally, a “resultancy” model was employed, with Amey covering 80% of program costs upfront, while the remaining 20% was contingent on proven success in meeting both behavioural and operational ROI metrics for each delegate.
The Results
The program, spanning four years, boasted remarkable achievements:
- Each cohort unveiled projects valued at least £250k, driving revenue generation or boosting efficiency savings.
- A marked rise in the prevalence of positive leadership behaviours, as validated by the 360 assessment.
- An impressive ILM graduation rate exceeding 90% across all cohorts.
- A stunning 40% of delegate assignments assessed earned exceptional pass grades ranging from 90-97%.
The workshops facilitated by IC were fantastic. They create and provoke thought, encourage debate, and allow challenge.
L&D Manager, Amey