Senior managers feel that we are investing in them. They leave the Centres with specific actions. They are taking it really seriously.
	- Mark Robertson, Senior Executive of the UK Insurance Practice at Accenture

Accenture

The client

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company.

The sticky situation

The company had undergone major rebranding and restructuring. If that wasn't enough, since its flotation on the stock market, it had also been under the watchful eye of the City. Throughout this change, Accenture recognised the importance of formally assessing employees for their suitability to become Senior Executives.

The added challenge

Accenture's assessment process needed to be improved. Rather than recognise employees through networking and self-promotion, they wanted to introduce a more formal procedure.

"Every year, when discussing promotions, we had candidates we were unfamiliar with. We knew a few who worked in our area, but there was a need to know a broader group," said Mark Robertson, Senior Executive of the UK Insurance Practice. "I also felt we had ceased to develop people at senior management level. Fundamentally, we weren't equipping them to become Senior Executives."

The winning pitch

In 2004, Mark talked to us about a solution to this problem. That's when we told him exactly how we could help.

"Accenture wanted to use an external partner. This was partly because its internal Human Resources function was more specialised in delivering process change. It is also part of their culture to value external views and concepts," said Colin Hunter, Group Managing Director of Potential Squared International. "We demonstrated that we were commercially-focused, as well as being specialists in behavioural change."

The refreshingly direct solution

Our solution was simple. We proposed a development centre to identify candidates, while communicating the areas candidates needed to improve to reach Senior Executive level. Putting this into effect was slightly more challenging, but we had the solution for that too. To make a long story short, the development centre was planned to run over two days. The first day focused on issues such as relating to customers, managing new projects, and creating sales pitches. The second day revolved around corporate case studies as well as coaching skills, with special attention paid to the issue of diversity. Across both days, the development centre included a number of diagnostic tools. To deliver this training to the maximum, we offered a high ratio of consultants to delegates (1:2). This allowed time for one-to-one sessions, and for us to provide full support to produce development plans for all delegates.

"We involved existing Senior Executives in the case studies," explained Colin. "As well as ensuring that the role plays were realistic and appropriate, this enabled Senior Executives to get to know the candidates at an early stage."

The end result

After the successful launch of the programme, the centres became an integral part of learning and development at Accenture. Each was structured for approximately ten delegates per event, and was followed up with a one-to-one half-day coaching session.

"This additional coaching session made sure that the key principles from the development centre were fully embedded," said Colin. "Also, many delegates had questions and concerns. The follow-up coaching session provided a confidential opportunity to keep the conversation going."

The pat on the back

"Senior managers felt that we are investing in them," said Mark. "They left the centres with specific actions to carry out and took these actions more seriously."

Not only did we create a forum that allowed candidates to have open conversations about their careers, we also provided a way for Accenture employees to learn more about their strengths and areas of development. As a result, feedback from both executives and delegates was glowing.

"Rather than making decisions based on pure intuition, we helped delegates to better understand their development needs," said Colin. "Of course, the best measure of satisfaction is the fact that Accenture asked us to run these centres time and time again."

	Coaching has paid dividends. It has helped us with our conversations, approach and discussions with the business and has enabled us to drive the right answers.
	- Chris Billam, Head of Business Solutions Delivery ‐ Personal at AXA Insurance

AXA Insurance

The client

AXA Insurance is a leader in the global financial protection and wealth management industry.

The sticky situation

AXA Insurance realised that there were issues surrounding the performance and dynamics of their IT and Change Management teams. With key projects and programmes coming up and the teams' daily operations critical to the success of the company, a solution needed to be found. AXA Insurance's willingness to provide significant investment demonstrated the level of contribution these teams made towards the rest of the business.

"There was huge pressure on these teams. Feedback from the business was that IT was poor. The team was demoralised, overworked and operated in a 'fire fighting' manner," explained Colin Hunter, Group Managing Director at Potential Squared International. "There was also significant down-time and the team lacked the time and space to address these issues strategically."

The added challenge

Today's culture is switched on and active 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As a result, day-to-day requirements of customers have become increasingly sophisticated, resulting in the need for AXA Insurance to provide their customers with a highly reliable, round-the-clock IT service. The reliability of this service is essential to limiting system failures, customer frustrations and the negative side effects that these problems can cause.

The winning pitch

Working in parallel, both Accenture and Potential Squared International were brought in to provide external expertise. Accenture was enlisted to assist with IT and customer experience. To complement this skill set, our team was brought on board to leverage our indepth understanding of commercial behaviour.

Chris Billam, Head of Business Solutions Delivery - Personal at AXA Insurance, commented : "Working with Accenture and Potential Squared International enabled us to draw on external expertise, for example, creating master class sessions in Portfolio Management."

The refreshingly direct solution

Firstly, Accenture and Potential Squared International carried out a benchmark survey using the RAG (red, amber, green) rating system. The results of this confirmed that underperformance was the key issue, with most team members scoring firmly in the amber range of 4-7 (out of ten).

To prepare for the coaching sessions, feedback was sourced from all of the teams' key stakeholders. The IT and Change Management teams were then asked to participate in observed exercises to generate a true picture of how they worked together and the differing skills, backgrounds and knowledge each member displayed. The findings from these activities were used to focus individual coaching sessions on key areas for their development, and to define agendas for an ongoing series of master classes.

The coaching sessions initially ran once a month, stepping up later to every two weeks. Working in tandem, Accenture focused on good industry practices, benchmarking and customer and IT issues, while our team concentrated on aligning behaviours.

The end result

Significant advances were achieved and recognised by senior management. In particular, two common areas of development were in commercial voice and personal brand. There were also breakthroughs in role development and personal confidence. Of course, the proof was in the pudding. A follow-up survey on the IT and Change Management teams saw individuals, this time around, rated in the green range of the RAG rating system. Specific positive feedback was also received, which included the following:

• "I'm not only happy to bring him to these (client) meetings but I also see him as adding value and potentially a 'deal clincher'."
• "Well respected by key stakeholders and peers."
• "Stakeholder management is first class with internal customers."
• "A strong leader and communicator."

The pat on the back

Chris summarised the benefits of our contribution by stating that, in all areas, business contacts saw an improvement in every individual's level of engagement, communication and service delivery.

"Without doubt, we have a more trusting team and I see day-to-day evidence of healthy challenge. The IT aspects of the job are much easier than they would have been because of the work we did with Potential Squared International and Accenture around service delivery," said Chris.

"We have a clearer view and vision. The real test is how we embed the coaching in the long term. We now have an invaluable toolkit to use and our balanced scorecards will ensure that these new ways of working become business as usual, rather than a one off project."

	Delegates have consistently reported that the Centre was the best development they’ve ever had and there’s now a waiting list for future events.
	- Jill Robinson, Organisational Fitness Manager at Barclays

Barclays Bank

The client

Barclays is a global financial services organisation that moves, lends, invests and protects money for more than 27 million customers and clients around the world.

The sticky situation

As part of the Barclays Finance Change programme, the internal finance function needed to redefine its position within the organisation. The key element of this overhaul was the definition and development of Finance Business Partners (FBPs). FBPs are a completely new role within the company, designed to provide a bridge between the finance function and the rest of the business.

The added challenge

For this new position to work, FBPs needed to change the old perceptions of their role solely as guardians and presenters of numbers. It was important for them to be recognised more as a strategic business partner to Barclays' internal customers. "The bridging role is a difficult one to play," explained Jill Robinson, Organisational Fitness Manager at Barclays. "FBPs need to balance being part of the team that's accountable for decisions, as well as being part of the 'policing' team that challenges costs, expenditure and return on investment. To be successful, FBPs must move away from being a 'traditional' accountant to a relationship manager who is involved in the corporate decision making process."

The winning pitch

Potential Squared International were brought in to drive forward a development programme for the new FBP role. We proposed to assist the employees, who were taking this new responsibility on, with the transition from their previous roles within the function using development centres; while addressing the strong mix of skill levels, backgrounds and experience they brought with them. "There was a real need to clearly define the role of the FBP," said Colin Hunter, Group Managing Director of Potential Squared International, and lead on the Barclays project. "We wanted to enable them to understand the scope of their role and the competencies required."

The refreshingly direct solution

The key was to accelerate the integration of FBPs within the business. Our development centre was held over three days and designed to use a number of assessment tools. These included 360-degree feedback and business-focused case studies. We were keen to ensure the lessons learnt in the centre were carried through to the FBPs' everyday working practice. To help with this, we provided a number of specific learning sessions that covered topics such as 'how to provide feedback', 'stakeholder management' and 'commercial awareness'. "The commercial approach we took to the planning of the development centre ensured that the needs of the business and the individual were at the heart of the programme," explained Colin. "By using exercises and simulations that involved real Barclays data and real characters from the business, we were able to make the programme as realistic as possible so that the FBPs got the maximum value from the centre."

The end result

The development programme was an overwhelming success. Delegates reported that the centre was 'the best development' they had experienced, creating a waiting list for future events. FBPs left the centre with specialised personal development plans to take away and put into action. With the addition of follow-up coaching sessions, individuals were supported through the transition to their new roles, reinforcing the learning they had gained. "Barclays achieved total clarity for the role of the FBP, and development plans for each individual were successfully put place and agreed with their line managers," said Colin. "There was strong recognition and ownership from each of the FBPs of the changes in skills, behaviour and the approach required to deliver a strong and 'first class' performance in the role."

The unexpected bonus

In 2006, the Barclays Finance Academy won the 'Hallmark of Innovation Award'. Integral to this academy was the Potential Squared International development centre. Together, they were involved in keeping Barclays' Finance staff up to date with the latest technical developments and best-practice within the industry, improving their commercial awareness, management, leadership and communication skills.

The pat on the back

"Delegates have consistently reported that the centre was the best development they've ever had and there's now a waiting list for future events," said Jill. "As an internal finance function within the business, we understand even more where to focus future learning; and by developing the coaching skills of senior managers, we have been able to sustain the internal buy-in from the firm's leadership and continue the success."

	The assessment centre exercises allowed candidates to get a real understanding of what the new role was all about. This enabled the new recruits to hit the ground running.
	- Veronica Kumar, Project Manager at BAA

BAA

The client

BAA is the owner of London Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport. In total, they own six airports throughout the UK, helping millions of people reach their destinations every year.

The sticky situation

BAA was constructing a fifth terminal for London Heathrow, allowing them to annually bring an additional 30 million travellers through its gates. In preparation for the first passengers in 2008, BAA needed to populate an integration team that would be able to take the new terminal shell and deliver it ready for business. This would be a diverse team that required individuals to be technically skilled and behaviourally developed, with the ability to work in self-managed teams in a completely new environment.

The added challenge

At the time, the construction of Terminal 5 (T5) was one of the largest projects of its type being undertaken in Europe. In addition to the pressures related to finding the right people to populate the integration team, there was also an extremely tight timescale in which to complete all appointments.

The winning pitch

Potential Squared International were brought in by BAA to develop a fast-paced assessment approach to recruit the integration team. To handle the unique nature of the environment the team would be working in, and the difference between the roles that were being recruited, Potential Squared International proposed a highly flexible assessment centre. This would be designed to test for generic behavioural suitability.

The refreshingly direct solution

It was important the assessment centre was made relevant for each of the integration team's roles. This meant the Potential Squared International project team had to gain an understanding of different technical aspects of airport life (e.g. Health and Safety) in order to build robust and realistic exercises. Working extremely closely with the T5 Live team heads, Potential Squared International built up a real understanding of the nature of each new role.

The process allowed Potential Squared International to evaluate the appropriate behavioural requirements. The assessment approach was then designed to provide evidence of certain abilities that would be key to success in the new world of Terminal 5. These included candidates being able to:

• Work outside their own area of responsibility /expertise
• Operate with high levels of ambiguity
• Assimilate large amounts of information in a short space of time
• Work in self-managed teams.

The roles' requirements were generated by the Potential Squared International team gaining a full appreciation of the future conditions. This led to the creation of both role-specific and more team generic exercises, which used a mixture of group, individual and role-play assessment. Business role-players were used to accurately create relevant scenarios using the extensive intelligence gathered throughout the design and creation of the centre.

The end result

The outcome created a relevant and accurate assessment experience. A particular benefit of the method used was that the programme was not restricted to existing in an academic vacuum. The accurate and realistic nature of the assessment exercises enabled BAA to amass a wealth of high quality and varied evidence that facilitated a fair and robust decision-making process.

Relating the new roles to the imminent project was key. The approach enabled BAA and Potential Squared International assessors the opportunity to evaluate and effectively decide whether candidates would be a good fit for the organisation. It also allowed the candidates the chance to experience the environment at T5.

The pat on the back

"The assessment centre exercises allowed candidates to get a real understanding of what the new role was all about," said Veronica Kumar, Project Manager at BAA. "This enabled the new recruits to hit the ground running."

	The quality of the Potential Squared personnel running the workshops has added significant credibility to the training, ensuring a consistent high quality.
	- Peter Dugmore, senior member of the HR specialist Reward & Performance team at Cable & Wireless

Cable & Wireless

The client

Cable & Wireless is a leading international telecommunications company, with a history stretching over 130 years.

The sticky situation

A period of massive change had recently occurred at Cable & Wireless. This included significant downsizing and restructuring, with the aim of improving overall performance. As part of these changes, the company decided it needed to re-energise its performance management process, so that its employees could deliver their business strategy effectively.

The added challenge

It was recognised that Cable & Wireless’ management population needed more training in the company’s performance management system. For employees to deliver the business strategy effectively, the whole process needed to be revisited.

"The performance management system had lost credibility," explained Peter Dugmore, a senior member of the HR specialist Reward & Performance team at Cable & Wireless. "It was strongly linked to bonuses, and because of the large number of organisational changes, there was a lack of management capability in, and commitment to, the system. In addition, the performance management ratings were used as criteria for redundancy selection causing angst amongst those who felt if the system was not being used properly, then decisions could not be made fairly."

The winning pitch

Cable & Wireless had already engaged a number of consultants to help decide what their performance management framework should look like. Potential Squared International were then approached to make sense of the new processes and help drive the training.

"Potential Squared helped to scope out the improvements we wanted to make, and provided further ideas and structure to our processes," Peter commented. "They then devised a programme of e-learning and workshop modules called ‘Managing for High Performance’ that would be rolled out to all managers."

The refreshingly direct solution

The solution for this project demanded flexibility in order to absorb ongoing organisational change. After becoming versed with the changes that were being put in place, and recommending additional features, Potential Squared International introduced e-learning and workshop modules to establish the new processes.

"For Cable & Wireless, this was a unique approach," said Peter. "We have a strong e-learning culture already in place at Cable & Wireless so this was very well received. The modular training also had significant advantages for us. The training was not completed in one block, enabling managers to manage their time out of the office more effectively. About 600 managers went through this programme."

Potential Squared International decided to use a number of Cable & Wireless HR (human resources) professionals to help roll out the workshops. The employees who volunteered were put through a one-day assessment centre to ascertain whether they had the right skills to facilitate the workshops, receiving tough and specific feedback around their capabilities.

"The assessment centre process really raised the profile of the forthcoming workshops," explained Colin Hunter, Group Managing Director of Potential Squared International. "People across the business were hearing about the methods used to ensure the right people were helping to facilitate the programme."

The end result

A robust performance management system was introduced at Cable & Wireless, ensuring that all employees gained clarity about the organisation’s strategic vision and how this feeds into both individual and team objectives. The ongoing programme involved approximately 600 employees, with minimal disruption to the everyday operation of the business.

"The visible commitment to performance management has been welcomed across the organisation," commented Peter. "The workshop approach has been very well received, particularly as they were run as ‘working sessions’ that enabled delegates to leave with clear results each time. Recent assessments have been managed smoothly and efficiently and we have seen very few disputes with regards to the ratings and subsequent pay reviews that employees received."

In the end, approximately 60% of all employees were given clear objectives with strong measures of success put in place. There was also a significantly improved culture of coaching which helped to support increased business performance and an enhanced focus on individual development.

The pat on the back

"We have had a very flexible and positive relationship with Potential Squared," said Peter. "The quality of the Potential Squared personnel running the workshops added significant credibility to the training, ensuring a consistent high quality. The fact that other people throughout the business have since asked Potential Squared for help in other areas is a testament to their abilities."

Silversea

The client

Silversea is the leading provider of luxury cruises in the market of small luxury cruise ships.

The sticky situation

Silversea had won Condé Nast's 'World's Best' readers award for seven consecutive years. When the company failed to win the prestigious accolade in 2003, they conducted an immediate analysis of what had happened. It was recognised that standards onboard the fleet needed addressing and that this could be traced to issues with onboard leadership.

The winning pitch

Silversea turned to Potential Squared International through a recommendation by The Leading Hotels of the World (the luxury hospitality organisation that represents 430 of the world's finest hotels, resorts and spas) to work alongside the business to analyse what needed to change and to then implement effective solutions. Recruiting and developing the right people is critical in the delivery of the standards demanded by Silversea's customers. This meant that it was essential to build the capability of leadership onboard the whole fleet. After a period of in-depth research, Potential Squared International identified that employees were challenged by a range of factors:

• The variety of different working hours and environments
• Long shifts over sustained periods (employees were often customer-facing for up to 15 hours a day)
• Living closely with the people they worked with whilst onboard cruise ships
• 39 different cultures and nationalities working alongside one another with varying needs

The refreshingly direct solution

The in-depth research highlighted a set of issues that urgently needed responding to. Potential Squared International decided the most effective answer was to introduce a management toolkit. This was supplied to anyone with people responsibility onboard the ships, with the aim of improving their leadership skills and creating a motivational environment that was suited to managing the performance of people.

Working closely with Silversea, Potential Squared International developed programmes that were modular in design. This allowed for the demanding work environment of the ship to carry on without disruption. The solution covered a range of different styles of leadership and helped managers to understand what an excellent leader did and how they should behave. The sessions were scheduled throughout the day, and shift patterns and operational processes remained unaffected.

In addition, the Potential Squared International team shadowed delegates on-the-job and gave feedback on performance. Silversea crew were also upskilled to act as trainers, ensuring that people development will continue into the future.

The end result

There was a dramatic change in the leadership culture onboard Silversea's cruises. For the first time, Silversea were able to address people issues in the onboard environment. To manage the situation long term, they also recognised a need to recruit dedicated HR (human resources) managers. Continuing with this successful relationship, Potential Squared International continued to support these new posts.

In the end, overall feedback from delegates was excellent. Many commented on their increased motivation due to individual time spent helping them to develop their teams. They also gained a deeper understanding of their different leadership styles and the impact these could have. After the initial programme was introduced, there were at least 40 separate examples of employees changing their styles to adapt to different cultures.