Case Studies

Introduction

Google, known for its rapid growth and innovative culture, faced a common challenge: equipping newly appointed managers with the necessary skills to succeed in their new roles. Recognising the critical importance of managerial effectiveness in driving success and fostering a positive workplace, Google sought to address this challenge through targeted training and development.

Rostrup’s Role

Rostrup, a leading training provider, played a key role in developing and delivering the New Manager Flagship Programme. This programme aimed to provide new managers with the tools and knowledge needed to transition effectively from individual contributors to leaders.

Key Content Areas

• The Importance of Managers
• Roles and Responsibilities
• Transitioning to Management
• Growth Mindset
• Leadership Frameworks
• Emotional Intelligence
• Effective Feedback
• Wellbeing and Mental Health
• Facilitative Coaching
• Personal Development

Workshop Delivery and Outcomes

The New Manager Flagship Programme featured a mix of case studies, live scenarios, and simulations to provide hands-on learning opportunities. Each two-day event had between 24 and 36 participants, facilitated by experienced trainers who guided the learning journey and encouraged open discussion and peer-to-peer learning.

The programme achieved a high level of consistency across different regions, with 80% of the content standardised globally and 20% adapted to local contexts. Ten programmes were delivered annually in three centres (London, Dublin, and Zurich), attracting a large number of participants and consistently receiving positive feedback.

Conclusion

The New Manager Flagship Programme was instrumental in equipping Google’s new managers with the essential skills to succeed in their roles. By focusing on practical learning, leadership development, and emotional intelligence, the programme contributed to the company’s culture of excellence and employee satisfaction.

Pennon and South West Water

Pennon, a leading utility company, embarked on a significant transformation following changes at the highest levels of leadership. A new set of corporate values were introduced as a “charter” defining expectations for customers, partners, and employees.

Rostrup, a renowned training provider, developed a highly interactive workshop to align Pennon’s workforce with these new values. The workshop focused on challenging existing ways of working, introducing a fresh leadership style, and fostering commitment to the transformational change envisioned by senior leadership. Team Leaders and Managers were identified as key role models for these new behaviours.

Key Content Areas

• Expectations of Leadership:
  • Understanding the role of a leader at Pennon
  • Embracing and living the Pennon Values
  • Cultivating a positive organisational culture
  • Adopting a fresh approach to leadership success
  • Building trust through authentic leadership
  • Managing performance with accountability
  • Setting effective expectations and delegating tasks
  • Allocating work equitably to develop capability
  • Providing feedback and coaching for individual development
  • Empowering employees through delegation

Workshop Delivery and Outcomes

The workshop was a one-day offsite event, bringing together leaders from across the Pennon Group in sessions of 10-20 participants. The interactive format challenged assumptions, encouraged diverse viewpoints, and promoted open discussion of the new values. Moreover, real-life work simulations were used to reinforce the skills and concepts presented. Finally, participants also received individual feedback from the facilitator.

Over a six-month period, Rostrup delivered the programme to over 450 Team Leaders and Managers. Participant feedback highlighted increased leadership confidence, greater empowerment within teams, and a positive shift towards a culture of responsibility and ownership. Furthermore, the previously detached workforce became more accountable, leading to the commissioning of a second phase of programmes focused on feedback and coaching to further build capability.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Rostrup’s tailored workshop played a pivotal role in Pennon’s transformation. By equipping leaders with the skills and mindset necessary to embrace the new corporate values, the programme fostered a more engaged, empowered, and accountable workforce. This, in turn, contributed significantly to the company’s overall success and strategic goals.

Strengthening Leadership Skills: A Case Study

Black & Decker, a global leader in power tools and accessories, sought to bolster their market position in the EMEA region. To achieve this, they implemented a “Finance for Non-Financials” training programme, delivered by local Country Finance Managers (CFMs). To ensure consistency and effectiveness, these CFMs required training in facilitation skills.

Rostrup, a renowned training provider, designed a tailored workshop based on Black & Decker’s “Training for Results” programme. This condensed one-day course emphasised progressive facilitation techniques, encouraging CFMs to empathise with participants and optimise learning, skill application, and performance.

Key Content Areas:

Design and Preparation:

• Structuring effective training interventions
• Implementing best practices for training delivery
• Maximising the impact of training materials
• Adapting to different learning styles
• Evaluating training effectiveness and ROI

Participant Engagement:

• Projecting a professional image
• Maintaining participant attention and interest
• Encouraging active participation and interaction
• Proactively addressing potential challenges
• Managing difficult participants and varying levels of engagement

Workshop Delivery and Outcomes:

The workshop, held in Athens, featured highly practical activities that involved individual, pair, and group work. Participants actively “road-tested” training course activities, fostering a deeper understanding of facilitation techniques. The workshop emphasised the application of skills to real-world business scenarios and encouraged thoughtful discussion. Additionally, one-on-one coaching provided personalised support to CFMs.

Following the successful completion of the workshop, the “Finance for Non-Financials” programme was successfully rolled out across the EMEA region by CFMs. To ensure ongoing support and development, Rostrup established a dedicated facility for CFMs to seek assistance, resolve delivery challenges, and receive further coaching on effective facilitation.

In conclusion, Rostrup’s tailored training programme empowered Black & Decker’s CFMs with the essential skills to deliver impactful training programmes. By focusing on practical application, participant engagement, and ongoing support, the workshop contributed to the company’s strategic goals and strengthened its market position.

Transforming Talent Acquisition at Farfetch

Introduction

Farfetch, a leading luxury goods and fashion platform, recognized the critical importance of attracting, hiring, and retaining top talent to maintain its competitive edge. To achieve this, they embarked on a comprehensive change initiative designed to make Farfetch an employer of choice and ensure that the talent hired matched the company’s ambitious goals.

Rostrup’s Role

Rostrup, a renowned training provider, was tasked with supporting this project by creating the infrastructure, materials, and training to support a new approach and leading its rollout to the Talent and People Teams and the Leadership/Management community.

The Solution

To develop a world-class talent acquisition strategy, Farfetch conducted a thorough analysis of leading organizations, both within and outside the tech industry. This research provided valuable insights into best practices and successful approaches to attracting top talent.

Based on these findings, Farfetch implemented a comprehensive change initiative designed to surpass the standards set by other leading recruiters. The newly designed approach was rigorously tested in key functions before being approved for implementation across the entire organisation.

Building the Infrastructure

Rostrup’s initial task was to create a comprehensive Guide to equip Farfetch recruiters worldwide with clarity about the new approach, an awareness of the mindset shifts required, and an understanding of the challenges they would face.

The Guide was designed to be accessible to recruiters of all experience levels, providing the necessary support and guidance to approach their critical responsibilities with confidence. It included information on selection criteria, recruitment processes, interview structures, bias, legal compliance, interview skills, and a question bank.

Designing and Delivering the Training

Once the infrastructure was in place, Rostrup focused on designing and developing the training to roll out the new approach. The training also needed to provide opportunities for Recruiters to practice the new skills required for implementation.

Many Recruiters were well-versed in criterion-referenced candidate assessment, but sharing the responsibility for assessing candidates with others outside their team was a significant mindset shift. Similarly, changing the use of technical assessment techniques required a different rationale and new thinking.

The training started with the rationale for change and the overall new approach. Once participants recognised the need for new thinking, the training focus shifted to the new skills they would require to make the approach work.

Both sessions were highly practical, emphasising the benefits of the theoretical framework and new skills. The two training events were mandatory for Interviewers to achieve the accreditation needed to be involved in hiring.

Rollout and Outcomes

The rollout started with the global Talent Teams, followed by the People Teams, to ensure widespread understanding and support for the new hiring process. In larger locations, Hiring Managers were invited to attend the training to accelerate the building of a critical mass of accredited Recruiters.

To ensure consistent delivery and scalability, the training transitioned into a “Train the Trainer” (TTT) model, empowering the Talent and People Teams to deliver training locally. Additional focus on facilitation was required to equip these teams with the skills to deliver engaging training internally.

Even with the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the training was successfully shifted to an online delivery format, ensuring no delays in building the global population of Interviewers. The final TTT sessions were delivered in September 2020, marking the completion of the project.

After 8 months working from home and successfully pivoting the business to not only survive, but develop during the pandemic, DistilledSCH could be justifiably proud of the way they had dealt with the new world they faced.

With no prospect of returning to the office in 2020, however, and with it being likely to be after Easter 2021 that they could even consider that idea, they could see that the winter months were going to provide further challenges for their Leaders, Managers and Teams.

They wanted to support, inspire and inform the whole business by providing a training experience that would equip them for Q4 2020 and Q1 2021.

Of course, it needed to be engaging and helpful, but also it needed to reassure the Teams that the Leaders and Managers had a strategy and were working to take DistilledSCH to a new level of success that would further strengthen the business.

For Leaders and Managers, it was critical to give them the awareness of the challenges that lay ahead and tools and tips to support their Teams.

Two online sessions for Leaders and Managers were followed by a company-wide online session for Team members.

Having a reliable work-from-home space had been covered at the start of the pandemic. So, it was issues such as:

• Wellbeing – including Burnout, Healthy Living and Mental Health
• Social Interaction – Strategies and ‘warning signs’
• Personal Development – Plans and Career Conversations
• Productivity – Equity rather than Equality driving expectations
• Feedback – Recognition and Developmental advice