What separates one major retail chain from another? In the case of one nationwide company with hundreds of stores across the U.S., it may soon be the growing ability of line employees to solve problems, improve service and generate suggestions for operating more efficiently. When the retailer first came to CLA, its issue was not how to develop more top-line managers, but how to develop leadership capacity through all levels of the organization. This is a direct reflection of the company’s focus on pushing ownership of the customer experience right to the grass roots level of the organization. This is the level where sales associates are often treated as “hired help,” expected to follow established guidelines, rather than take the initiative in doing things differently. But that is precisely the goal of CLA’s engagement here.

Working in small groups and focusing on the practical Adaptive Leadership™ skills that enable change, rather than on big “academic” ideas, employees in one pilot territory are working together to identify the issues that are blocking improvement and innovation in their functional area. As they bring these issues into the open, they are coming to consensus and generating ideas for solving them.

The first phase of the work has involved both workshops on Adaptive Leadership and CLA associates working directly on an ongoing basis with teams in the Human Resources and Customer Experience areas of one regional territory. As issues have been addressed, group members have become increasingly empowered to identify and address other challenges, suggesting changes that can make a real difference in how their stores operate. As the program expands to other regions and functional areas, employees throughout the company, not just store managers, will be encouraged and supported in developing their own and their company’s adaptive capacity.

By creating an environment where even the toughest problems are dealt with openly and suggestions for change are actively sought, this retailer is strengthening its ability to respond proactively to its customers’ changing needs, building leadership capacity through all ranks of the organization and preparing itself to succeed in an unknown future.