Transforming leadership culture in higher education. Embedding enterprise leadership and fostering strategic collaboration.
The Brief
A major Australian university sought to embed an enterprise leadership mindset across its Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences.
Future Leadership was engaged to develop a cultural and leadership transformation program, supporting faculty leaders in enhancing self-awareness, fostering collaboration, and aligning leadership practices with the university’s strategic vision.
Improved Employee Engagement
Companies that undergo successful organisational transformation experience a 30% increase in employee engagement. Engaged employees are more productive, less likely to leave, and contribute to a positive workplace culture.
Reference: McKinsey & Company, "The People Power of Transformations" (2018)
Financial
Organisations that successfully implement transformation initiatives see an average 25% improvement in their financial performance, including revenue growth and profitability.
Reference: BCG, "The Role of Leadership in Transformation" (2020)
Return on Investment (ROI)
Transformation projects with effective change management practices are six times more likely to meet their objectives and achieve a 143% return on investment (ROI).
Reference: Prosci, "Best Practices in Change Management" (2019)
Reduced Time to Market
Organisations that undergo successful digital transformation reduce their time to market by 20-50%, allowing them to bring products and services to customers faster and stay competitive in rapidly changing markets.
Reference: Deloitte, "Digital Transformation: A Roadmap for Billion-Dollar Organizations" (2021)
The Process
Future Leadership implemented a structured approach to leadership transformation:
- Team and leadership development: Designed and facilitated team-building and leadership development experiences for faculty departments.
- Executive leadership workshops: Delivered a targeted executive program to develop strategic leadership capabilities.
- Cultural change initiatives: Supported leaders in building self-awareness and embedding an enterprise-first mindset across faculty teams.
- Psychometric assessments: Used Hogan HPI, HDS, and MVPI tools to develop a shared leadership language.
- Impact-driven learning: Facilitated workshops on decision-making, systems thinking, and adaptive leadership.
The Advisory Team's Impact Across Clients Through Survey Feedback
32% Increase in Self Awareness
Individuals’ awareness of motives, values, strengths and development needs
21% Increase in Motivation
Individuals’ motivation to apply learning, insight and further develop
27% Increase in Confidence
Individuals’ confidence in their abilities and impact as a leader
30% Increase in Role Clarity
Individuals’ clarity around success factors associated with their role
The Outcome
The program successfully established a common leadership language and enhanced self-awareness across the faculty.
Participants reported improvements in leadership cohesion, strategic alignment, and organisational adaptability. The cultural transformation initiative strengthened leadership engagement, fostering a more collaborative and forward-thinking academic environment.
On behalf of the School of Biomedical Sciences, I wanted to extend my sincere appreciation for your dedication and expertise as a facilitator. You played a pivotal role in making the retreat a success. Your skilful guidance and thoughtful approach throughout the retreat were truly remarkable. Your ability to steer discussions, encourage participation, and create an inclusive atmosphere allowed each participant to engage actively and contribute meaningfully to the retreat's objectives. The feedback we received from both our staff and students reflects how impactful your facilitation was in creating a positive and productive environment.
Additionally, your flexibility and adaptability in responding to the unique dynamics of our group were greatly appreciated. Your willingness to tailor the content and activities to meet our specific needs ensured that every moment was purposeful and relevant. Once again, thank you for your exceptional work in making our school retreat a truly enriching experience for all involved."
