In 2007 Bath Consultancy Group worked with the 1500 senior leaders, in British Airways from two layers below the executive team, as they embarked on a new business strategy requiring extensive change.  This followed the arrival of a new CEO and linked to the planned move to Terminal 5, the need to change processes, reduce costs and cut through some of the existing silo patterns of working. Engaging this layer of management was seen to be key to the process and they recognised they needed to respond to these change challenges in a different way than in the past. 

BCG delivered a one day workshop for groups of these managers that helped them understand the personal challenges, consider the implications for their teams and how they will take a lead in communicating and engaging their teams.  The process included an introduction from one of the Executive Team about the strategic challenge.  They then stayed in the workshop throughout.  Much of the workshop helped managers to really express and share how they felt about the plan and the required changes, working through some experiential exercises. 

By the end of the process they each had a plan for how to engage their teams.  Many used some of the materials from the workshop to follow-through on this, often using the same processes in a shortened form with their own teams.  The outcome has been to create some real focus on delivering the business plan and speed the rate of change in the company