Manufacturing 2

The Question:

How to ensure that a large and diverse project team working on a multi-million dollar project accelerated their performance to deliver the project in-full, on time and to specification.

The Client:

A large multinational manufacturer of high value, high tech consumer products throughout the world.

The Challenge:

To develop the leadership capability of a project team using a competency-based training program so that all participants, both internal and external to the company, were led to ensure creative thinking and attention to detail and timeframes. The team consisted of 30 middle-level managers, most from engineering and technical backgrounds.

GLA's Role:

We led the team of 30 people through an eight-month, six-module leadership competency measurement and development process.

• We measured the leadership capability of each individual, and the team as a whole, prior to the start of the program using the Bass and Avolio Transformational Leadership Model. This model assesses five distinct transformational leadership characteristics.
• With the underlying assumption that by improving levels of Emotional Intelligence (EI), leadership capability will also improve; the team's level of EI was also measured using the Australian Swinburne University Emotional Intelligence Test (SUEIT). This test measured five distinct EI competencies and became the basis of the learning and development process.
• With EI and transformational leadership levels obtained, the team embarked on an eight-month, six-module development process. The modules improved participants' leadership abilities by developing EI competencies.
  To foster application and create tangible results in the workplace, leaders were supported by inter-module coaching and action learning assignments.

Results:

After completing the modules and coaching the team members and the team as a whole were re-assessed for levels of EI and transformational leadership competency the results improved approximately 50 per cent. These results were groundbreaking in that few known studies have demonstrated such an improvement in the EI of an entire team. In addition, transformational leadership reassessment results revealed a marked improvement in scores on all leadership characteristics.

Qualitative evidence strongly supported these findings, with internal team members and external stakeholders noticing a marked improvement in overall effectiveness and in how the team functioned. This included performance indicators such as meeting project deadlines and more effective negotiations with suppliers and other stakeholders.