Fristads – Tailored leadership development programme increasing cross-border collaboration
Fristads – Tailored leadership development programme increasing cross-border collaboration
About Fristads
In 2019, the workwear manufacturer Fristads became the first clothing producer in the world to introduce a new standard for measuring the total environmental impact of a garment by using an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). And since 2018, they have reduced their emissions of CO2 in Scope 1 and 2 by nearly 60 percent. The pioneering spirit has always been a part of Fristads’ DNA. The company was established shy of a century ago when the founder discovered that he was unable to import jeans from America. “I’ll make them myself” he stated, making Fristads the first company to manufacture jeans and entire collections of workwear in Sweden in the 1920s.
“The Leadership Programme led by Alumni has brought us closer. We collaborate better and communicate more across both country and department borders.”
Background
When Fristads set out to ensure that all their 55 managers across Europe shared the same leadership thinking, it opened for more profound questions. How did their leaders lead others? Had Fristads provided their managers with the tools necessary to develop as leaders? After concluding that there was room for improvement, they contacted Alumni.
Sofia Paumgardhen, Senior Consultant at Alumni
“To many people, Alumni is perhaps synonymous with excellent executive search capabilities, but we do so much more than that – we have a strong leadership consulting business with vast experience in development initiatives, for instance Leadership Programmes.”
Alumni was asked to tailor-make a Leadership Programme for Fristads, who had a clear view on what they wanted and needed. The Management Team also wanted to participate actively in both the planning of the programme and during the event itself. Alumni would provide the framework and present leadership theories and models, as well as interactive exercises and assignments. And just as research suggests, having the leadership team participate to such a great extent resulted in very engaged and committed participants.
“There are many leadership consultants out there offering great standardized programmes, but if the content isn’t connected to your company’s everyday operations, ideally with a distinct plan on how to continue and follow up on development after the programme, there’s a risk that the effort fizzles out. We wanted a programme that was closely linked to Fristads.”
The planning
Fristads presented their strategy, challenges, and needs during a start-up meeting. Alumni got back with their ideas and suggestions for a programme design and after close collaboration over a period of time, the Fristads Leadership Programme named GROW fell into place. Fristads’ objective had been to create a five-year strategy plan with specific goals, such as developing the performance culture and making sure that this was properly implemented and understood by everyone in the company. This was one of the reasons why the leadership team was so involved in the programme – they wanted to explain the strategy to the managers in the organisation – how it came about, why, and how it was to be interpreted. Questions that needed answers were for example; What is expected of me as a manager when it comes to implementing the strategy on an individual level? How do I contribute to the success of my company ?
Alumni incorporated Fristads’ strategy in the programme and thoroughly connected the content to the company’s leadership principles.
The process
The entire process, from planning to execution, took approx. four months. Maria Andtbacka, HR Manager at Fristads explains: To ensure optimal learning and participation, Alumni designed the programme to alternate theory with interactive exercises and group discussions about leadership models, company strategies and values. Fristads’ leadership team joined in and talked about their view on leadership. The participants also got to choose two assignments to be presented on the last day - either implementing the strategy in their teams or working with core values, reflections, learnings, and results.
The outcome
Fristads’ 55 managers were divided into three groups, and all participants completed the programme within a time range of 10 months.
“In hindsight, we couldn’t have done this programme ourselves. It wouldn’t have had the same effect. Sofia kicked off the Programme with an extensive exercise that broke the ice and got everyone truly engaged in a great way, raising the participants’ self-awareness.”
When Fristads measure the effects of their Leadership Programme they see overall positive results. The participants feel engaged and motivated. And most importantly, they communicate with each other more across departments and country borders.
Maria Andbacka, HR Manager at Fristads
“It is still early days, and the process continues, but Alumni has provided us with a clear road map. They know what they are doing, and they adapt their knowledge to fit our company. They are a great partner to collaborate with.”
For more information and a confidential discussion about how Alumni can help your organisation please reach out to one of our Consultants.
Contact
For more information and a confidential discussion about how Alumni can help your organisation please get in touch.