“How do we prepare leaders for transformational change?”

What They Needed

Great Western Railway (GWR) were about to undertake major transformation projects but didn’t have a leadership team equipped to lead behavioural change across a complex, siloed network.

They had a traditionally transactional culture, limited exposure to modern leadership practices, and silos across the network due to geographical spread.

Middle and senior managers were technically strong but lacked the behavioural leadership skills to drive change, influence culture, and bring teams with them.

With major transformation on the horizon, the business needed its leaders to:

Shift from transactional to transformational leadership – moving from managing tasks and compliance to inspiring people and influencing
Lead through complexity and uncertainty – making confident decisions without all the answers and guiding teams through fast-moving change
Motivate and align dispersed teams – creating connection, clarity, and engagement across multiple locations and operational departments
Break down silos and improve collaboration – encouraging cross-functional working and knowledge-sharing
Drive performance through people, not process – focusing on leadership behaviours rather than relying on systems or instruction

In short: How do we develop our managers to lead through large-scale change and lift the organisation to the next level?

What We Did

We started with a full training needs analysis to understand the behavioural gaps holding leaders back. Rather than deliver a generic course, we built a structured 18-month Leadership Development Programme designed specifically to shift the culture from transactional to transformational leadership.

The programme included 75 senior and 280 middle managers and focused on practical application across a dispersed, operationally complex network.

Each manager followed a blended journey combining:

Five one-day workshops focused on leading through change, communication, and performance
DISC profiling and individual coaching to improve self-awareness and leadership adaptability
360-degree feedback to highlight development priorities linked to real workplace impact
Three action learning sets to address live challenges and encourage cross-functional collaboration
Access to our online academy to support ongoing development between sessions
A final talent report to identify future leadership potential and succession risks

This wasn’t about training managers. It was about equipping leaders to influence culture, drive behavioural change, and lead teams through complex transformation.

The Difference It Made

£494,700

Cost savings made due to actions taken from the programme

£750,200

Revenue increases due to actions taken from the programme

33%

Improvement in observed behaviours pre v post 360-degree feedback

30%

Reduction in incidents due to improvements in safety leadership

19%

Increase in productivity due to actions taken from the programme

The impact was measured using all five levels of the Kirkpatrick Phillips model to ensure results could be directly linked to business performance, not just training feedback.

Key outcomes included:

Award-winning impact – the programme won two industry awards jointly with GWR, recognising the depth of change achieved
Engagement uplift – internal training typically achieved 75% attendance; this programme reached 90%, indicating real commitment from managers
Programme effectiveness – design scored 4.9/6 and delivery achieved 5.3/6, showing high relevance and practical application
Financial gains – actions taken by managers generated £750.2k in additional revenue and £494.7k in cost savings
Increased efficiency – managers reported 19% time savings through improved leadership behaviours and decision making
Leadership confidence and team impact – confidence among senior and middle managers increased by 37%, with 33% growth in team performance based on pre- and post-programme 360° feedback
External validation – GWR achieved Gold status in Investors in People, after previously being held back by leadership capability
Customer impact: improvements in leadership behaviour and operational performance also led to a 33% increase in customer satisfaction, demonstrating the wider ripple effect of the programme

Transformation in safety leadership, one of the most critical cultural challenges, delivered:

30% reduction in accidents and incidents
38% drop in lost time injuries linked to unsafe behaviours
22% increase in near-miss reporting, showing a shift towards proactive safety ownership

These results demonstrate that meaningful change doesn’t come from training alone, but from redefining how leaders think and lead day to day.

The programme went beyond skill development to create a cultural shift, improving performance, driving proactive leadership behaviours and enabling managers to confidently lead transformation across the organisation. Ultimately, GWR proved that when leadership capability is strengthened, business results follow.

Got Something In Mind?

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