Evolving culture quickly in financial services 

Challenge 

A sector-leading financial services company asked us to deliver non-financial misconduct training at all levels. A new leadership team wanted to evolve the culture at pace, with compliance at the heart of the change. The challenges: 

  • Protect | Retain the company’s Best Company winning culture while meeting regulatory requirements. 

  • Embed | Develop the capabilities needed at all levels to handle risky conduct issues effectively in an environment that prized commerciality and fun. 

  • Engage | Ensure high engagement during mandatory all-day sessions, carried out in person in the UK and the US. This was despite people never having taken time out for such training before and some scepticism. 

Approach 

Everyone needed to be able handle risky situations confidently to nip problems in the bud. We also wanted to eliminate any doubts that doing the right thing could jeopardize the company’s competitive advantage. 

  • Design |  The imperatives were to captivate attention, be relentlessly pragmatic, and maximize sharing. We designed sessions around core themes for the Executive Committee, managers, and staff.

  • Engagement |  Filmed case studies and facilitated discussions kept interest high. We focused on putting people at ease, and building buy-in to what needed protection and what needed to change. 

  • Assessment |  To measure the return on investment, we used technology in each session to assess the impact quantitatively and capture feedback. 

Results

  • Capability | 70% of attendees felt very confident they could protect the organization's great culture, up from 28% before the training. 

  • Impact | The Chief People Officer said, "I have never seen feedback like it." Participants consistently reported that sessions "treated us like adults" and were "captivating," "eye-opening," and "incredibly useful.” Typical manager feedback was,  “I was slightly sceptical at first, but it really exceeded my expectations." 

  • Empowerment | Typical feedback included, "I am empowered and have the tools to do the right thing and help maintain the culture of the company," "I am more confident in standing up to what isn’t right and supporting my colleagues," and "I understand with absolute clarity the responsibilities I carry as a leader." 

  • Continuation | We have delivered training to new managers, as well as supporting individuals.