Case Study:
International Family-Run Manufacturer
Scaling Without Breaking:
How to Onboard New Leaders While Keeping the Founder’s DNA
“Developing a shared leadership language that bridges the gap between the founder, senior management, and new team leaders.”
The company:
Annual Revenues
Employees
Projects
Customer Pain Points
The client is a rapidly growing, international family-run manufacturer. Rapid expansion and the influx of new managers created a disconnect between the company’s traditional values and modern leadership demands.
The Expansion Gap
Rapid growth brought in new leaders who weren't aligned with the founder's established culture.
The Hierarchy Issue
A mix of seasoned executives and young team leads lacked a shared understanding of leadership.
Client Goal
Create a unified leadership language that bridges the gap between the founder and new team leaders.
“The highlight was seeing the company founder and a junior team lead solving a crisis together in the simulator. It broke down hierarchies and built trust faster than years of standard meetings.”
The Solution
In close collaboration with the executive management, SimuPro designed a multi-module leadership journey specifically tailored to the company’s expansion phase. The goal was to move beyond standard training and create a ‘Living Program’ that could adapt to the influx of new hires while preserving the founder’s core values.
The “Bridge” Workshop: To address the rapid hiring, we developed a unique intermediate workshop. This allowed new leaders who joined mid-program to seamlessly integrate into the second module, ensuring they caught up with the core team without disrupting the flow.
The simulation scenarios were customized to reflect the daily tension between “Premium Quality” and “Production Speed,” forcing participants to make tough calls in real-time.
Other simulator preparations:
Premium Branding
Implementing the client brand in the simulator.
Mixed Teams Setup
Executives and young leads working side-by-side.
The "Founder" Factor
Creating a custom role for direct founder participation.
Real-time Feedback
Immediate feedback via simulation data.
The Implementation
The Participants: A diverse mix of leaders ranging directly from the Company Founder to junior Team Leads, working side-by-side to break down hierarchies.
Dynamic Integration: Instead of a closed group, the program was designed to be flexible. New leaders who joined the company mid-program were seamlessly onboarded via a special workshop, ensuring no one was left behind.
Beyond Leadership Theory: Key Simulation Goals
Aligning the leadership style of veteran executives with the fresh perspective of young talent to create a shared "Management Code.
Balancing the company’s high production standards with operational efficiency and deadline pressure inside the simulation.
Encouraging open communication between top management and the shop floor to boost psychological safety and trust.
“The highlight was seeing the company founder and a junior team lead solving a crisis together in the simulator. It broke down hierarchies and built trust faster than years of standard meetings.”
This shared experience created an immediate feedback loop, where titles disappeared, and the focus shifted entirely to solving business challenges together.
The Impact
(Validation from 10 participants)
Participant Satisfaction
Practical Relevance
- 100% of new leaders felt fully integrated into the team dynamic after the "Bridge Workshop.
- 90% reported reduced hesitation when addressing critical issues with senior management.
- 85% successfully applied a simulation negotiation tactic in real production meetings within 2 weeks.
- 100% would recommend the simulation as a mandatory onboarding step for future managers.
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Early Success Leads to Immediate Expansion
After seeing the barriers break down between the Founder and the team leads in Module 1, the management decided not to wait for the program's end to scale up.
- Program Extended: The contract was renewed for another 12 months to cover the next tier of management.
- Cross-Department: The "Sales & Marketing" leadership team requested to join the simulation to align with Production.
- Ultimate Validation: The founder was so convinced by the impact and technology that he proposed a strategic investment in SimuPro to support its growth.
