Leading 115 engineers through a transformation — a global pharma engineering company

Why this organisation asked us in

The business was in the middle of a real shift: from a few very large, long-running projects to a portfolio of many smaller, faster-cycling ones, under genuine commercial pressure and after a period of significant change. That shift asks something specific of leaders. Smaller projects mean more handovers, more cross-functional touchpoints, and more decisions made quickly — and they ask people to lead without the certainty the big-project world gave them.

There's a second layer, particular to engineering. Engineering cultures reward being right, and being right fast. That instinct builds excellent technical work, and it can make uncertainty uncomfortable and collaboration slower than it needs to be. The brief was to help senior managers lead themselves and their teams through the transition — to move across silos, ask for help earlier, and back each other visibly.

The themes that shaped the work:

• A faster, more connected portfolio. More projects, more handovers, more need to reach across functions at speed.
• The engineering reflex. A culture where certainty is prized and being unsure feels risky.
• Leading through change. People steadying their teams through a period of pressure and uncertainty.

What we delivered

A 30-minute keynote followed by a 90-minute experiential session, run in four parallel groups each led by an experienced IMPROV facilitator, and grounded in the 5 Guiding Principles of IMPROV. A 30-day reinforcement programme followed for those who opted in — short prompts that turn the experience into habit over the weeks after. Throughout, people practise the behaviours, notice what happens in themselves, and commit to one specific change to carry back to work.

What the participants told us

The numbers landed where the transformation needed them. Willingness to reach across departments came in at 6.03/7 — the standout figure, with 47% giving a perfect 7 and 89% scoring 5 or above. Confidence to apply what they'd experienced scored 5.83/7, with nobody below 4. Ninety-seven per cent would recommend the experience, and 86% opted into the 30-day programme — a strong signal from a senior, sceptical engineering audience.

Which principle resonated most. Asked which of the five spoke to them most, the room pointed at the one that matters most while leading through uncertainty.

Principle named as most resonant	Times named
Make Each Other Look Good	23
Yes, And	16
Do Not Judge Yourself	15
Embrace Failure	14
Do Not Judge Others	12

Make Each Other Look Good winning is telling. The reasons people gave were concrete behaviours, not feelings: "give praise to a coworker", "pay a team member at least one professional compliment per day", "work with an attitude of having others' back". When a team is navigating change, leaders backing each other visibly is one of the most stabilising things available — and this is where the room landed instinctively.

The commitments worked against the engineering reflex. The two strongest themes — asking a question before giving an opinion, and giving more positive feedback — together made up nearly two-fifths of all commitments. Both push directly against the habit of judging fast and the instinct to keep heads down under pressure. The next theme, reaching out across teams, lines up with that 6.03 outreach score and the move to a more cross-functional way of working.

What people noticed about themselves ran honest and deep for a senior cohort. Three named their own self-criticism unprompted ("I think too hard instead of simply jumping in"). Several noticed their state shift during the session itself — "I relaxed as we progressed", "once you get over the hurdle to reach out to people you don't know, it is easy and fun", "it is okay to look silly". One offered the most reflective line in the data: a regret at having "pointed fingers instead of coaching and searching for the real reason for people's behaviour." And one wrote, simply, "I was like the others" — the quiet recognition that everyone in the room was working through the same change.

In their own words

Pay a team member at least one professional compliment per day. — Anonymous respondent, on what they'll do differently

Ask my team to tell me about their mistakes. — Anonymous respondent

Always ask clarifying questions — don't hold back for fear of sounding stupid. — Anonymous respondent

Once you get over the hurdle of reaching out to people you don't know, it is easy and fun. — Anonymous respondent, on what they noticed

I regret having pointed fingers instead of coaching, and searching for the real reason for people's behaviour. — Anonymous respondent

What they committed to doing differently

Each respondent named one specific behaviour to change. The themes clustered around curiosity and connection:

• Ask a question, and be curious, before giving an opinion.
• Give more positive feedback, and back colleagues visibly.
• Reach out across teams and build connections that the smaller-project world will rely on.
• Bring psychological safety into how they lead — one person committed to asking whether their own team felt safe enough to speak.

The most striking commitments were the most specific — the daily compliment, asking a team to share its mistakes, scheduling a face-to-face instead of firing off another sharp email. Specificity is what predicts follow-through.

Bring this to your organisation

Any organisation leading through transformation — a new operating model, a faster portfolio, a period of pressure — faces a recognisable version of this company's question: how to help capable people lead without certainty, move across silos, and back each other when the ground is shifting. Our approach transfers directly: a keynote and experiential session built on the 5 Guiding Principles, designed around the real change the business is navigating, and a 30-day programme that keeps the shift alive through the messy middle.

Source: anonymous post-session survey, May 2026. 36 of 115 responded — a meaningful read from a large cohort, rather than the full group.