Case Study: Rethinking Leadership and Work Dynamics in a Global Consulting Firm

2024

GLOBAL CONSULTING FIRM

Key Takeaway

This case demonstrates how leadership transformation, co-created with employees, can simultaneously drive business growth and enhance engagement and well-being. By shifting from a purely performance-driven, transactional culture to one that integrates productivity with trust, respect, and well-being, the firm not only achieved market leadership but also developed a work environment where employees felt they could thrive.

The Challenge

The local office of a leading global audit and consulting firm, employing over 1,500 professionals across multiple business units , was facing a paradox. Despite being the #1 player globally and #2 in its local market, it struggled to attract and retain top young talent—a critical driver of its past success.

Once the employer of choice for the brightest graduates, the firm’s reputation among students of top schools had declined. The  firm was increasingly seen as a place where long hours, high stress, and a very demanding leadership style came at the expense of individual flourishing and personal life. Internally, high-potential talents were leaving, young professionals felt increasingly disengaged and depleted, and female consultants were fleeing the organization.

Witness of the above, the leadership team was concerned that these dynamics could threaten both their market leadership ambitions and their key source of competitive advantage — their top-talent edge. Driven by the HR Senior Partner and supported by the CEO, the firm recognized the need to rethink leadership and work dynamics to sustain growth while restoring its appeal for top talent.

Our Approach

We partnered with the firm to design and implement a 18-months transformation program, starting with a pilot in one of the business units. Key elements included:

1. Creating a shared understanding of the challenge: initial diagnose (interviews, focus groups, firm surveys), honest communication of results, open forums per group to discuss specific challenges.
2. Crafting a system for collective learning: safe forums for honest and direct feedback, putting taboos on the table, continuous evaluation of impact on business and people, adjusting the path with agility.
3. Designing and driving change as One Team  (X-levels, X-groups): collaborative workshops across groups & roles to design actions, continuous involvement of leadership, supporting employee-led initiatives.
4. Adapting our role as coaches & consultants with flexibility: facilitating trust and difficult conversations,  igniting momentum, holding tension for change, transferring knowledge, leveraging our time and expertise where most required, stepping back when and where not needed.

The Impact

Over the course of 18 months, the pilot business unit achieved impressive results:

• Market leadership: Rose from #2 to #1, with significant profit growth.
• Employee engagement: BU-wide engagement surveys showed a marked increase in satisfaction and commitment. Turnover declined as employees experienced tangible improvements in leadership quality, work-life integration, and organizational culture.
• Employer brand: The BU’s refreshed leadership culture was on its way to becoming a differentiator in recruitment, to once again attract top graduates in their field.

The success of the pilot quickly gained visibility across the firm. Business units that had initially been hesitant became eager to understand the drivers of change, seeking to replicate the approach. The lessons learned and best practices from the pilot were subsequently shared and adopted across the wider organization, amplifying the impact beyond the initial scope.