Network Rail embarked on a pivotal operational transformation that introduced a new governance model and new ways of working principles for all staff and their supply chain to abide by. The change aimed to drive a higher degree of collaboration across business units, stronger alignment across leaders, greater flexibility with supply chains, and more streamlined processes.

For this change to be successful, the client required training and a change programme that could increase capability and implement sustainable changes to the processes and procedures that underpin how the team worked together and how performance was managed and assessed.

Led by our founder, Suzanne Sallam, we designed the programme and leveraged a team of specialists to facilitate this evolution over 6 months. The aim of the programme was to upskill the Network Rail team, disrupt established patterns of behaviour, and lay the groundwork for a culture change.

Programme Details

• A thorough review of the current skills and capabilities was conducted through a training needs assessment.
• This was complemented by a comprehensive review of the existing operating model, procedures, leadership skills, and behaviours.
• We developed a comprehensive training programme for leaders and delivery staff, redesigned processes to lay a new foundation for a transformation in the ways of working, and ran a set of leadership alignment workshops to ensure executives embodied a collaborative spirit.
• Our overall programme carefully integrated Subject Matter Experts who could lead on the various aspects of our delivery. This included specialists in organisational psychology, behaviour scientists, HR experts, NEC4 contracts, Network Rail processes and procedures, as well as Risk Management, and programme controls.

Impact

• Comprehensive KPIs were agreed upon and measured at regular intervals throughout the programme. This covered confidence and understanding of NEC and the new ways of working.
• Compared to the baseline, we saw a 45% increase in leaders’ understanding of the principles of NEC4, and a 30% increase in confidence to lead their teams during the transition.
• The client provided feedback that it was ‘the best training and change programme in Network Rail’.