CooperVision is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of contact lenses. Through a combination of innovative, wide-ranging products and focused support for eye care professionals, the company brings a refreshing perspective to the marketplace. Ultimately, this approach allows more people to experience and enjoy the benefits that contact lenses offer.

The company’s performance is consistently strong – and this is in part down to its foresight in recognising the opportunities that can be unlocked by change. However, change can be challenging for all. Leading through change requires leaders who can chart the course, foster innovation, sharpen working practices, share the vision and lead their teams with confidence.

As such, the EMEA commercial leadership team revisited its ways of working: simplifying commercial practices; increasing efficiencies; aligning internal functions; adopting consistency; and innovating for growth. The team acknowledged the critical need to equip their leaders with the necessary skills to steer the organisation and engage with colleagues through this transformational journey. 

Veronica Reed, Talent Management & Organisational Effectiveness, EMEA Commercial, comments:

“Our vision was crystal clear – build resilience, inspire our people and bring them with us as we navigated the change.” 

CoDevelop Consulting has worked alongside CooperVision on various programmes, making it the ideal partner for this Leading Transformation programme. Its deep knowledge and understanding of the industry, coupled with its practical application of the latest leadership thinking and models, set it apart.

Veronica adds:

“CoDevelop has taken the time to get to know our business, how we work and how we plan to grow, understanding the context in which we operate – and the challenge we face. The team truly listens to us and what we need.

“More than this, CoDevelop has a nimbleness that is unrivalled. The team was able to shape a programme to meet the very specific needs of the participants, effortlessly drawing from a range of models and research and flexing as needed.”

CoDevelop proposed a programme of four theme-based and quarterly virtual workshops, interspersed with three action learning circles.

The aim was to provide the 36 selected members of the extended EMEA leadership team with research-backed insights on specific transformational leadership themes that would fuel workshop discussions and inspire practical action. Participants were invited based on their potential impact on the transformation, considering the scope of their role and how they would share their learnings across the wider organisation. All sessions were designed to be thought-provoking and highly participative. Everyone attended and reported the value gained. The final fourth workshop took place in-person, as part of a regional event. 

Claire Osborn, Director and Founder of CoDevelop, explains:

“By working alongside Veronica and the EMEA lead, we identified four core and highly relevant business themes that went beyond traditional leadership training. These were: ambidextrous leadership; inspiring others through storytelling; leading a team through change; and influencing and building trust with stakeholders. These themes formed the backbone to the four workshops.”

Christer Gavelstad, General Manager, Nordics, and one of the participants, shares:

“The agility of the programme’s design was much appreciated. It allowed for the introduction of new topics as we worked through. Topic content remained flexible. While some of the material was familiar, we all benefitted from revisiting theoretical foundations to allow us to view a current situation from a different perspective."

"The programme offered a strong combination of new input, reminders of what was known and additional new perspectives and insights coming from peer interaction. This peer engagement was a standout feature for me. Having this short, snappy, structured interaction, that we don’t typically get, allowed us to get to know each other better, where we’re coming from and our own challenges. This unexpected benefit wasn’t part of the programme, it just happened.”

There is much chatter across the HR trade press that suggests a desire to return to in-person learning: that meeting face-to-face is the only way for greater engagement and stronger peer-to-peer learning. Experience tells a different story.

For the those in the geographically-dispersed EMEA extended leadership team, the three-hour virtually-facilitated workshops allowed for international working. Delivered in groups of 10 participants, no travel was needed, and participants could schedule other meetings and projects around the workshops and still strengthen links with their peers. Furthermore, participants had the flexibility to join different groups depending on their availability.

Gaby Firpo, Director of Sales Operations, EMEA, and one of the participants, notes:

“This programme offered something that other programmes I have attended haven’t: the opportunity to connect and share with different leaders across different sessions – and that was very positive and highly beneficial.   It meant we got the chance to talk to different people, hear a variety of inputs from different parts of the business and learn more about each other.”

Building on Workshop Learning

Between the virtual workshops, participants joined far smaller action learning circles, each facilitated by an experienced CoDevelop executive coach. It was a safe space to share and test out ideas – and to gain feedback. It offered the opportunity to practice coaching skills in a high-support high-challenge setting, while encouraging leaders to role model showing up with vulnerability and courage. 

These groups were a critical component to the learning journey for leaders, offering the opportunity of digging deeper in the theories and content discussed in the workshops. Crucially, they enabled leaders to share experiences, think through and reflect on how best to apply the learning and discuss particular business problems currently faced in real world detail. They enabled the translation of the theory into practical action, retaining momentum from the workshop and leveraging the collective intelligence of the group.

This programme was designed to revisit, hone in on and apply the theory and practice to lead the CooperVision employees through the period of rapid transformational change. Its success can only be measured by the impact on teams.

Gaby shares a personal insight:



“The programme inspired me to approach a current work situation differently, building   directly on the discussions held during the Leading People Through Change workshop. My function was moving from one area of the business to another and team members were concerned about what might happen."

“Reflecting on the workshop, the later peer conversations and what was happening, I decided to set up a session with my team during which I simply listened to – and acknowledged – their concerns. They expressed their feelings powerfully and unreservedly.

I had no answers, but they felt heard and understood. For me, this more rounded view of thinking and a focus on leading through transformation, rather than general leadership, was a key takeaway"

“We were reminded of the importance of flexing your style to help people go through change. It was a good reminder of how people are at the core of everything we do.”

Christer adds:

“For me, the workshops centred on ambidextrous leadership and storytelling offered immediately implementable and beneficial insights. They were fantastic. I shared these learnings with my own team of leaders which helped us to define our team’s DNA and how we, as a team, wanted to lead and how we might grow. These were breakthrough ideas. As the months went on, I was able to take what I had learned in the storytelling workshop to convey my story and vision to the wider team.”
 

The success of the ‘Leading Transformation’ programme was built on several key foundations:

• Strong engagement and sponsorship from the most senior of the EMEA leadership team.

• Themes covered were anchored in what was happening in the business, and in the feedback from leaders prior to the programme’s design.

• Carefully curated, bite-sized resources to read, watch and listen to – serving as stimuli for reflection and discussion.

• Theory and model-based workshops centred around core transformational leadership themes.

• Interactive and intimate action learning circles to help plan and take action.

• A regular cadence of pre- and post-workshop communications with blended resources to promote and support self-directed learning (such as LinkedIn Learning®).

Christer expands:

“One of the elements that made this programme successful and is of significant benefit was to have both peers and senior leaders in the same group. It demonstrated their buy-in to a smooth journey through transformation and change.”

Claire comments:

“Sponsorship is essential for any programme and this one is no exception. Having the most senior EMEA leaders introduce and fully participate in the programme not only reinforced the organisation’s commitment to the programme, but also offered authentic insights into their thinking. In turn, they gained a valuable perspective on the challenges and breadth of discussion.” 

CoDevelop prides itself on the customised design of its programme content and structure, born from truly understanding its clients’ business. It takes its industry knowledge, experience and expertise and places it alongside whatever is shared by the client.

Claire explains:

“Our approach is straightforward: a Discovery phase involving key stakeholders precedes any proposal created. We build relationships first and foremost. We don’t have ‘off-the-shelf’ and we don’t offer a solution before understanding the challenge and goals. We recognise the time constraints of participants and design programmes with high value content, insightful pre-reading and time for meaningful interaction.”

This translates into a strong and nimble working relationship. 

Veronica comments:

“The action learning circles allowed for in-depth and interactive practical discussion. CoDevelop’s coaches were adept at identifying the emerging needs and the changes taking place – and what might need to be adapted for the next session.

“We were able to have conversations along the way that really shaped the journey – and the team at CoDevelop has the agility to do that. And that is a real strength – and not one I have experienced with any other partner. In short, there is a symbiosis between us and them.”

Claire sums up:

“We have worked with CooperVision over several years and across various business areas. I feel privileged to be part of their journey and to be able to bring what we know about the organisation, its plans and its challenges, into our ongoing projects.”