Room 8 Group.

In every thriving organization, the key to success lies in its people, particularly those who lead the way - from top-level executives to middle and line managers.

Strong leadership is the core of a workplace, shaping the company's culture, driving its performance, and influencing employee engagement, and morale.

This connection between employee engagement and business outcomes has been confirmed by the research from Gallup, an American analytics and advisory company. One of Gallup's biggest discoveries: the manager or team leader alone accounts for 70% of the variance in team engagement. In simpler terms, managers have a substantial impact on how engaged their teams are, which, in turn, affects business results.

Considering Room 8 Group's commitment to building a self-learning organization in the future, we view our leaders as role models for their team members. They play a key role in motivating their teams for learning and development. Consequently, investing in leadership development becomes essential, as it directly impacts overall team productivity and the company's performance.

With this vision in mind, we are actively developing internal Leadership and Managerial Development Programs. These programs are designed to help our managers at all levels acquire the leadership skills needed to succeed in our rapidly changing world.

“Managers have a substantial impact on how engaged their teams are, which, in turn, affects business results.”

As a significant step towards achieving this goal, we have established a dedicated Leadership Development faculty within R8 University that we were actively building. The first step on this journey is the launch of the ‘Unifield Management and Leadership’ program, designed for middle and line managers at Room 8 Group.

To ensure the program's success, we adhere to several key principles:

1. Define clear objectives of the program

Use them as the foundation for creating a comprehensive learning experience. In our case, our objectives were:

• develop core management skills and foster understanding of leadership;

• synchronize managers in managerial and leadership concepts;

• exchange internal knowledge and experience between managers;

• strengthen cohesion of managers through regular close interaction;

• identify our type of leadership and the maturity of our managers for the future customised leadership programs and for separate training groups.

2. Integrate theory with practical workshops

While designing the program based on the ADDIE model, our L&D Team put significant effort into merging theoretical aspects with practical workshops. In these workshops, our managers had the chance to work on the cases related to their daily work challenges. This approach not only facilitated the sharing of best practices and insights but also made up 70% of the program, adding a unique dynamic into the standard topics. By using practical case studies, we actively engage our managers in the learning process, showing them how to apply their newfound knowledge and skills within their teams.

3. Define the key topics to be covered by the program

Our goal is to outline the main subjects that will be included in the program. We understand that our managers need to work on general learning materials, but we have also included specific topics that are essential for Room 8 Group's managers:

• Modern management trends

• People management

• Performance management

• Project management essentials

• Team management

• Communications

• Change management

• Leadership essentials

4. Utilize digital tools to support the learning process

Let's not forget the importance of digitalization in our learning approach. Our program is supported by an LMS, providing every participant with access to learning materials, tests, and quizzes. Given Room 8 Group's global presence and worldwide operations, all learning sessions are conducted online using virtual meeting tools.

5. Support communication with participants

To encourage collaboration among leaders as they learn and share their insights, we've set up our internal communication tool for each participant group. Also, our L&D team actively engages in knowledge-sharing practices, providing valuable tips, links, and book recommendations to help managers in their ongoing learning process.

6. Ensure continuous skills upgrade

Our commitment to developing our managers' leadership skills doesn't stop after they complete the program. L&D team has prepared various continuing education options:

• Online courses: accessible through our corporate LMS, covering topics like Strategic Thinking, Communication Strategies, Effective Meetings, Difficult Conversations and more;

• Monthly L&D Digests containing valuable information and links to learning materials related to specific topics;

• Cross-Cultural Communication Course: designed to foster understandingCross-cultural communication course to support understanding of different cultures for effective collaboration in the diverse locations Room 8 Group operates;

• People management in War, a unique course developed to support managers working with teams from Ukraine that suffered by the russian invasion;

• Knowledge sharing sessions where experts can share their experience with colleagues.

7. Collaborate with a professional tutor who has a proven practical experience working in the same domain and managerial background.

Our journey to develop a comprehensive L&M program for our managers is ongoing. We believe that investing in leadership learning and development is a crucial investment in our company's overall growth and development.