Development Program for Managers

Establishing a common leadership culture – ONE LÄPPLE
CONTUR two woman talk
LAEPPLE_Automotive_Rohbauanlage

LÄPPLE AG – A strong Group

Our customer, the LÄPPLE Group of Companies – regionally rooted and at the same time internationally active – stands for quality, reliability, competence and a sense of responsibility.
In the course of its 100-year history since its foundation in 1919, LÄPPLE AG has developed into a globally active medium-sized company and independent supplier of pressed parts, bodyshell components, standard parts and rotary tables, automation solutions as well as a competent partner in the field of bodyshell construction for international premium suppliers to the automotive industry.
  • Industries: Mechanical engineering, toolmaking and automotive
  • Foundation: 1919
  • Employees: 2,500

Outgoing Situation

Derived from the strategic orientation to generate qualitative growth, LÄPPLE AG has focused on the core areas of brand, values and leadership since 2017. Under the title ONE LÄPPLE, an initiative was launched to overcome silo thinking and create the change towards a common leadership culture, as well as to meet the vision/needs of the company.

The starting point was a needs analysis with an intensive exchange with the Management Committee on the vision, strategy and challenging environment/business scenario in order to design a needs-based leadership development program.

Here, it was important for the board to take ALL executives of the business units at different levels -blue collar as well as white collar- with them on the way to developing leadership competencies in the areas of role, communication, change and networking.

The management board and the senior management team were also simultaneously involved in a guided development measure.

Goals

Based on the goals and requirements we developed the ONE LÄPPLE program:

  • Establish a common understanding of leadership
  • Want to take personal responsibility and (be allowed to) make decisions
  • Develop a feedback culture
  • Recognize potentials and strengths of employees and promote them individually
  • Enable networking and thus strengthen cooperation among each other
  • Strengthening appreciative communication and cooperation between employees and managers
  • Sensitize for readiness for change
  • Generate success, qualitative growth

The Cooperation

In order to inform the entire LÄPPLE Group about the upcoming ONE-LÄPPLE initiative, including the leadership development program, our collaboration started in summer 2018 with information events at all of our 4 German locations. Both Executive Boards members participated alternating in these dates to present the vision and the initiated strategy change and to enter into discourse with employees.

From fall 2018 and 2019, we guided 17 groups through the program – the professional coordination, regular exchange and two-way feedback between the Executive Board, the HR Development and us was always very trusting and appreciative and profitable for all involved.

In 2020, we continued our successful cooperation – as a result of the pandemic and thanks to the great flexibility of the LÄPPLE Group, we were able to transfer the program completely into a virtual format – including a virtual evening at the fireside with the board members – based on the great experiences, this will also remain in the virtual implementation after Corona.

With 170 executives in 17 face-to-face sessions

3 x 2 days, incl. participant management

Integration of the senior management

In all processes via impulse inputs and moderated common leadership dialogs

50 participants in 4 runs in live online sessions

virtual: 4 days + kick-off and virtual fireside evening with board of 2.5 hours, tech checks, hotline, introduction to “How to Teams”

The Result

The program has helped to bring the strategic realignment to the management team and to raise awareness of the need for each individual to be prepared to change. The presence of both the Executive Board and senior management, and the resulting exchanges, made the vision and strategy tangible. For example, it was easier for the participants to identify measures for themselves and their teams for their everyday practice.

Further effects are:

  • Establishing and ensuring a “uniform signature” that is expressed in the attitude and behavior of the employees involved
  • Expanding and strengthening cross-site, cross-business unit and cross-departmental alignment to overcome purely functional and locally oriented decision making
  • Shared understanding of the values that guide behavior – even in critical situations and under pressure

 

 

To ensure that other, new executives are also able to address their role and the requirements of leadership when they take on their new role, the continuation of the virtual executive development program is also planned in 2022.

Feedback from the Participants

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