The challenge

ZEISS had grown from six to 38 employees in only a few years.

That growth created a new layer of management, bringing together first-time and more experienced leaders across different nationalities, generations and working styles.

The opportunity was broader than building management skills. The organisation wanted to strengthen leadership capability while also helping the whole company understand the culture and ways of working it wanted to create together.

Our approach

We designed an intervention spanning both the leadership team and the wider organisation.

With managers, the work explored personal leadership histories, leadership values and behavioural styles through DiSC, alongside the dynamics of high-performing teams, listening, feedback and the development of each leader's own leadership approach.

We then brought the wider organisation together for a two-day team experience. A culture assessment provided insight into the values currently experienced within the organisation and what might be holding the team back.

Creative and experiential activities helped people explore individual strengths, communication preferences and team dynamics before collectively defining the team's purpose and values.