Case Study: Leadership Solutions at Info-Tech Research Group
Info-Tech Research Group is an IT advisory and consultancy firm located in Canada and the US. I rejoined after completing my MBA to create the leadership solutions group.
Info-Tech Research Group
Problem Statement
Info-Tech Research Group is an IT consultancy firm located in Toronto, Ontario. After experimenting with an innovative, but very costly, new research process, they were left with a piece of research, The Leadership Paradox, with no real commercializable product to earn back the capital spent on the research. You can read about the development of that research in another case study.
I rejoined Info-Tech after completing my MBA program to launch a learning division aimed at producing a financial return on this research.
Solution Implemented
We launched the Leadership Solutions group, which would act as a customer-facing training group for the membership base. After working closely with the senior leadership team, we determined that the ideal model for our members would be a targeted, in-person program for specific demographics. We created four programs under the Leadership Enhancement and Acceleration Program or LEAP banner - Elevate for IT Leaders & High-Potentials, Elevate for HR Leaders & High-Potentials, Breakthrough for Executive Leaders, and Trailblazers for Women in IT - each module teaching similar content but personalized for each learner group.
Each program would follow the same pedagogical model. Our in-class time was spent delivering cutting-edge content derived from the “Leadership Paradox” research, learning from other participants using the Think-Pair-Share model, and simulating skill development using mini-simulations and case studies. Between each in-person session, a learning reinforcement cycle would begin.
In each learning reinforcement cycle the participant reviews a reinforcement resource, works directly with a coach on a specific project and networks with at least one fellow participant.
Results Achieved
The first cohort was a widespread success for the company and the participants—albeit we needed to improve the cost modelling for each event so costs would be more predictable and controllable. Executive leadership decided early in the development process to make the program free. After the first cohort, however, the program's value (and cost) became very apparent, becoming an “add-on” to the annual membership fee.
The program resulted in very high participant satisfaction, with over 90% of participants self-reporting utilizing the skills taught six months after completing the program. From a corporate perspective, organizations that purchased a LEAP membership with their annual membership had a renewal rate of 95% - the corporate average fluctuated in the low 80s.
Please use the arrows to navigate through various screenshots of projects associated with the case study presented. Please reach out to me if you have any questions about the above.