Supporting transformation at Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce’s award winning leadership training programme with London Business School stands out as remarkable. A six-month programme for cohorts of 35 individuals is now on its fourth round, with at least eleven cohorts expected overall. London Business School is helping elevate the capabilities of senior leaders within Rolls-Royce, building their potential and raising their focus. With a new CEO in place, the FTSE 100 firm helping to power, protect and connect the modern world was the best performing European stock in 2023, and has seen profits double to date in 2024.

The Challenge

A Civil Aerospace, Defence & Power Systems company, Rolls-Royce plc defines engineering excellence the world over. However, in recent years, the core Rolls-Royce business had lost some momentum and value.

The ‘Winning Together’ strategy, led by Rolls-Royce CEO Tufan Erginbilgic, focuses on generating value across every part of the business. Critical to its delivery is the transformation of leadership capability.

London Business School was chosen as the catalyst to support this transformation, looking to broaden leadership capability and encourage different behaviours. The learning outcomes had to be immediately applicable in the real world. London Business School designed an intensive programme journey with application-focussed modules, created to be both practical and productive. Less than halfway through, results already show positive returns. The programme has also been recently awarded the Gold Brandon Hall Group Excellence Award, recognising it as the Best Leadership Development Programme in 2024. The BH awards recognise the best organisations around the world that have implemented the most impactful leadership development initiatives.

The Approach

The Rolls-Royce senior leadership participants for the Strategic Leadership Development Programme (SLDP) are nominated for their potential to create real value within Rolls-Royce. This value-creation is a central focus from the outset. From week one, participants build their skillset and immediately put this into practice to affect culture and performance in the business. The application of tools, techniques and insights is central to the programme and part of the monthly learning cycle.

Following faculty insight sessions within each module, participants are set tasks by the London Business School Programme Director to put the insights into action at work. After 2 weeks, they reconvene in groups of 5 to review their progress. This monthly cycle of input, application and reflection ensures continuous implementation in the business and immediate learning transfer to Rolls-Royce. The school’s Client Director, James Crow, describes the SLDP as one of the “most application-focused programmes” he knows. A continuous feedback loop from all those who have graduated through the programme to date also enables live adjustments wherever useful. Each contributor delivering the modules is fully aware of Rolls-Royce’s evolving business requirements and adapts their content accordingly.

Implementation

Inbuilt flexibility is a vital element of the programme. Resource and capability are frequently recalibrated as conditions change and real-world demands come into play.

Whilst change in the business cycle is constant, one aspect that remains consistent is the way each attendee is supported in their engagement with the programme and with the school. A dedicated group coach is appointed, who acts as a listening and advisory mentor within the group coaching sessions of each module. While the modules demand experimentation and involve destabilising exercises, the coaching group ethos promotes risk-free thinking and safe-space learning.

Impact

So far, 94% of participants have confirmed that they have applied learning from the programme within the business - an impressive record for any company. The stories being relayed by the cohort are inspiring. Comments such as, “(I) feel empowered, invested in, trusted and energised,” are common. “I have given myself the space to think more forward and strategically,” reflected one leader, adding, “This in turn has driven my team to take more personal ownership of the business results and allowed me the space to be a better leader for them.” A far more holistic appreciation of the wider business, contributing to its latest impressive financial performance, is a key achievement of the programme’s continuing success.

An elevated and self-sufficient mindset, leadership mobility and a shift from silo thinking to a productive enterprise culture is increasingly evident after just four cohorts of the programme. With seven more cohorts of leaders waiting their turn, the impact of London Business School’s programme for Rolls-Royce cannot be underestimated.