“How can we turn our technically strong managers into capable leaders?”

What They Needed

RWS Group, a global organisation with over 7,500 employees, recognised that although its managers and specialist staff were technically strong, there was inconsistency in how people were led, communicated with and supported due to a lack of formal soft skills development.

This resulted in:

Leadership differences across teams – managers were experienced but approached people management in different ways, leading to varied standards and employee experience.
Limited communication impact – information was shared but not always understood, causing disconnects between departments and slowing collaboration.
Retention concerns – exit interviews highlighted that staff were leaving partly due to limited investment in their development.
Few career growth opportunities – despite strong profit growth, employees felt unclear on how to progress internally.

They wanted to invest strategically in developing leadership, communication and behavioural capability across all levels.

In short: How do we develop technically capable staff into well-rounded leaders who support retention, build consistency and improve performance in a growing global business?

What We Did

Using a five-stage design process, we created a bespoke three-tier Talent Development Programme, tailored to the needs of senior leaders, middle and junior managers, and specialist employees.

Each cohort of around 10–12 participants completed a customised two-day programme over 4–6 months, with tailored content to suit their level of responsibility.

Supported by:

Role-specific workshops – ensuring the content was relevant to daily challenges and leadership expectations.
Coaching access and Skillshub digital learning – enabling participants to continue their development beyond the sessions.
Post-programme evaluation via IMPACTS ROI software – providing visibility into behavioural application and performance impact.
Additional support for sales and sales leadership development – addressing priority skill gaps on an ad hoc basis.
Assistance with embedding a new appraisal process using a flipped classroom approach – helping to position performance conversations as developmental rather than administrative.

The programme was designed to shift behaviour, increase consistency in how people lead, and embed development as part of the culture.

The Difference It Made

11%

Increase in confidence to
problem solve

17%

Increase in ability to
communicate and give feedback

20%

Increase in ability to manage
tasks and plan effectively

90%

Quality of programme design aligned to business challenges

90%

Quality of programme delivery based on relevance and impact

We delivered over 20 cohorts and the programme continues to demonstrate meaningful improvements in capability and working practice:

Programme design score: 3.6/4 – highlighting strong alignment to business challenges and relevance for both managerial and specialist roles.
Delivery score: 9.8/10 – participants rated the sessions highly for practicality and real-world application, improving learning retention.
Ability to problem solve: +11% – staff reported greater confidence in tackling challenges proactively instead of escalating or delaying decisions.
Communication frequency and quality: +17% – teams became more consistent in how they communicated expectations, provided feedback and shared information across departments.
Task management effectiveness: +20% – participants improved their ability to prioritise, plan and complete work efficiently with less oversight.

The programme is now embedded as part of RWS’s talent development and leadership strategy, supporting performance improvement, retention and cultural consistency across the organisation.

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