Change Management Training for Matrix Organization

RS Group is a global distributor of maintenance, repair, and operations products and service solutions to help customers with their industrial equipment. The company delivers solutions to its customers' challenges across design, procurement, inventory, maintenance, and global access to over 750,000 stocked industrial products.

In the past year, RS Group has experienced significant growth through numerous acquisitions and regional expansions, leading to substantial organizational structure and hierarchy changes. This transition impacted both people leaders and individual contributors, particularly regarding matrix reporting and functionality.

To facilitate a smoother integration of these changes and foster a sense of comfort among employees, the company sought more personalized engagement than traditional town hall meetings could provide. As a solution, RS Group identified the need for a series of workshops and leadership training programs to support staff during this transformative phase.

The client envisioned specific programs to support their organizational transition and commissioned ELB Learning to design and develop virtual instructor-led training workshops focused on change management behaviors for managers. The scope of work included creating the workshop framework, designing the flow, and providing facilitation services. Additionally, ELB Learning delivered presentation guides, slides, quality checks, and project management.

The identified topics for the learner audience included:

1. Effective Collaboration in a Matrix Organization: Defining the concept, exploring its benefits and challenges, overcoming obstacles, and embracing best practices.

2. Productive Leadership Communication: Highlighting the importance of effective communication strategies, managing virtual team interactions, and practicing active listening and feedback techniques.

3. Collaboration and Teamwork for Results: Building cross-functional teams while recognizing diversity to boost innovation.

4. Adaptability and Resilience: Learning strategies to practice resiliency and coaching for adaptability.

5. Action Planning: Ready, Set, Goal!: Setting personal development goals and creating action plans to thrive in a matrix organization.

ELB Learning developed a comprehensive plan to deliver a series of workshops to leaders across various teams within RS Group. Key features of this initiative included:

●       Eight sessions are scheduled throughout the month to maximize participation from people managers and potential leaders.

●       Five sessions were conducted in English and three in Spanish for each topic.

●       20-30 participants per session to enhance engagement and interaction.

●       Each 90-minute session is designed as a “conversation” rather than a lecture, fostering an interactive learning environment.

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Participants reported high levels of enthusiasm and optimism upon completing the training. They gained greater clarity regarding the new matrix organization and expressed gratitude for the valuable information presented. Many attendees highlighted specific insights from the course that resonated deeply with them. Overall, the training had a significantly positive impact, facilitating a smoother transition for employees as they adapted to the changes within the organization.