Creating a Performance-Enhancing Culture
How leadership development and cultural transformation helped a European recruitment business improve profitability, retain talent and build the foundations for sustainable growth.
When one organisation acquires another, bringing together different leadership styles, values and ways of working can present significant challenges. Maintaining performance while establishing a shared culture requires careful leadership and a clear vision for the future.
LeaderShape worked with Poolia Parker Bridge to develop leadership capability, establish a more empowering organisational culture and create the conditions for sustained business performance.
MEASURABLE BUSINESS IMPACT
A stronger culture delivering improved business performance
60%
Increase in budgeted profit compared with the previous year
48% → 23%
Reduction in annual staff turnover
5–10%
Improvement in individual consultant gross profit
The business also exceeded its first-quarter budget, increased the number of sales consultants achieving monthly targets and reduced the time taken for temporary consultants to establish sustainable earnings by one third.
THE ORGANISATION
Bringing together two different organisational cultures
Poolia AB was a successful European recruitment agency, listed on the Swedish stock exchange and specialising in the recruitment of professionals within accounting, finance and banking.
With ambitions to become a leading recruiter of professionals throughout Europe, Poolia acquired Parker Bridge Recruitment, subsequently rebranded as Poolia Parker Bridge.
Parker Bridge had established a reputation for high-quality client service, strong financial controls and demanding professional standards. However, its leadership approach differed considerably from that of its new Swedish parent company.
THE CHALLENGE
Maintaining high performance while transforming leadership culture
The previous owners had maintained high standards through direct control, rigorous procedures and financial incentives. In contrast, Poolia favoured a more participative leadership style, reflecting values of respect, empowerment and social responsibility.
The leadership challenge was to:
- Preserve the high standards and commercial discipline of Parker Bridge.
- Introduce Poolia's values and more participative approach to leadership.
- Build a cohesive senior management team following the departure of the previous owners.
- Develop leadership excellence throughout the management population.
- Create a culture capable of supporting sustainable growth and profitability.
The objective was not to replace one culture with another, but to retain the strengths of the existing business while creating a more engaging and empowering environment for employees.
LEADERSHAPE'S APPROACH
Developing leaders to create a new organisational climate
Following the departure of the former owner-managers, a new senior management structure was established through internal promotion, with Mark Widnall appointed Acting Managing Director.
LeaderShape facilitated an initial senior management workshop to identify the most pressing challenges facing the business and establish a shared commitment to a new leadership approach.
An immediate shift in leadership thinking
The workshop revealed strong agreement among the senior team about the need to open up communication, empower individuals, encourage initiative and support employee development. This created a shared commitment to changing the organisational climate and establishing a more performance-enhancing culture.
The leadership development programme
01. Senior Leadership Alignment
A facilitated workshop established shared priorities, strengthened team relationships and created agreement around the desired leadership culture.
02. Organisation-Wide Leadership Development
Managers were given the opportunity to develop the behavioural competencies needed to support the new leadership approach.
03. Employee Culture Survey
A voluntary culture survey achieved an 85% response rate, indicating strong employee engagement with the process and support for the new management team.
04. Emotional Intelligence Development
A customised development programme explored Emotional Intelligence, leadership styles and their application to real business challenges.
05. Executive Coaching
Planned and ad hoc coaching sessions helped leaders reflect on their behaviours and apply new approaches in the workplace.
06. LEIPA® 360 Assessment
LEIPA® 360 assessments of 22 managers identified contextual leadership performance and individual development priorities.
EMBEDDING CHANGE
Connecting leadership development with people processes
The programme went beyond leadership training. Recruitment, training and personal development processes were reviewed to incorporate principles of Emotional Intelligence and reinforce the desired culture.
This helped connect the recruitment of suitable employees with their ongoing development, retention and career progression.
Creating the conditions for sustainable performance
- More open communication throughout the organisation.
- Greater empowerment and individual responsibility.
- Improved support for employee development.
- Closer alignment between leadership behaviours and organisational values.
- Stronger foundations for career development and succession planning.
THE OUTCOMES
Improved profitability, retention and sales performance
Financial Performance
By the end of the programme, budgeted profit was 60% higher than the previous year's actual profit. The business also exceeded its first-quarter budget.
Employee Retention
Annual staff turnover reduced from 48% to 23%, compared with a reported industry norm of approximately 50%. This represented a substantial improvement in workforce stability.
Sales Productivity
Sales team efficiency improved, with individual consultants generating between 5% and 10% more gross profit when compared with colleagues at equivalent experience levels.
Faster Development of New Consultants
Temporary consultants were able to establish sustainable earnings in one third less time, supporting faster productivity and more effective development.
Improved Target Achievement
More sales consultants achieved their monthly targets than ever before, reflecting stronger performance across the sales team.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Leadership and culture as drivers of sustainable performance
The Poolia Parker Bridge experience illustrates how leadership development and culture change can work together to support commercial success.
By aligning senior leaders around a shared vision, developing emotionally intelligent leadership behaviours and embedding those principles into organisational processes, the business created a more supportive and empowering working environment.
The improvements in profitability, employee retention and sales productivity demonstrate the potential commercial value of investing in leadership and culture together. Rather than treating culture as separate from business performance, this approach positioned it as an important contributor to sustainable growth.