Leading Research Organization
At this Luxembourg research organization, scientific excellence, not leadership experience, was the usual path into management. When sensitive team and leadership issues surfaced, HR brought us in as an independent, confidential partner to diagnose the causes and coach leaders through them.
Great researchers, first-time managers
Outstanding researchers were regularly promoted into management without formal leadership training, and the organization's Head of Human Resources was increasingly dealing with sensitive situations involving conflict, communication breakdowns, and employee concerns about management practices. HR needed an experienced, independent partner to assess these situations objectively and recommend a way forward that protected both employees and the organization.
How we supported the organization
Each engagement was tailored to the complexity of the case, combining organizational diagnostics, individual and team coaching, and HR advisory support.
We conducted confidential interviews with managers and team members to understand each situation from multiple perspectives, then delivered independent diagnostics and evidence-based recommendations to HR. Across approximately 3 to 4 confidential interventions, this included individual executive coaching for research managers (principal investigators), team coaching to rebuild trust and collaboration, and, in the most complex cases, guidance on leadership transitions.
Interviews, coaching, and reporting were delivered in English and French.
Wie sind wir vorgegangen?
Every intervention was tailored to the specific circumstances of the team and delivered with a strong focus on confidentiality, neutrality, and practical implementation, so that HR could act on recommendations that reflected the realities of each situation.
Benefits for the organization
HR gained independent, evidence-based assessments of sensitive workplace situations rather than having to navigate them alone. Managers strengthened their leadership and people management capabilities through coaching, teams rebuilt collaboration and resilience, and several complex challenges were resolved constructively before they escalated further.