Hindalco Case Study: A Leadership Resilience Programme for 343 Senior Leaders
How Hindalco built resilience into its high-performance culture, from leadership conclave to internal Resilience Ambassadors
Resilience Assessment, keynote, conclave workshop and ambassador programme for Hindalco’s senior leadership
Hindalco made our leadership resilience programme part of its fourth annual leadership conclave, themed “High Performance, High Speed Organisation”. 343 senior leaders completed the Resilience Assessment, and the leadership team’s Resilience Ratio of 1.92 sat above our corporate benchmark. Leaders then worked on their own results in a virtual conclave workshop. To make it last, Hindalco trained 6 of its leaders as internal Resilience Ambassadors.
Hindalco Case Study: A Leadership Resilience Programme for 343 Senior Leaders
How Hindalco built resilience into its high-performance culture, from leadership conclave to internal Resilience Ambassadors
Resilience Assessment, keynote, conclave workshop and ambassador programme for Hindalco’s senior leadership
Hindalco made our leadership resilience programme part of its fourth annual leadership conclave, themed “High Performance, High Speed Organisation”. 343 senior leaders completed the Resilience Assessment, and the leadership team’s Resilience Ratio of 1.92 sat above our corporate benchmark. Leaders then worked on their own results in a virtual conclave workshop. To make it last, Hindalco trained 6 of its leaders as internal Resilience Ambassadors.
- Client
- Hindalco Industries, the metals flagship of the Aditya Birla Group
- Industry
- Aluminium and copper manufacturing
- Where
- India, delivered virtually
- Who
- Around 350 senior leaders attending Hindalco’s annual leadership conclave, and a group of internal Resilience Ambassadors
- Period
- November 2020 to mid-2021
Manish was able to drive home the message that change begins with self. A resilient organization requires resilient people. He simplified resilience to us.Mohit Kumar, Joint President HR, Hindalco Industries
High performance, high speed
In April 2020, Hindalco’s subsidiary Novelis completed its acquisition of Aleris, making Hindalco one of the world’s largest aluminium companies, with 49 plants across North America, Europe and Asia. Hindalco chose “High Performance, High Speed Organisation” as the theme for its fourth annual leadership conclave, and wanted its leaders to have the capacity to sustain that speed.
Always-on operations
Metals plants run around the clock, and leaders set the pace.
High standards
Leaders wanted to sustain a demanding pace through strong recovery habits.
A virtual conclave
About 350 leaders from plants and offices were reached online during the pandemic.
Making it last
The CHRO’s team wanted resilience to live on after the conclave.
Measure first, then build the conclave around the data
After the conclave, we worked with Hindalco to design how the change would stick.
Measure
343 leaders took the Resilience Assessment and received a private report.
Engage
A keynote and a 3-hour conclave workshop where leaders worked on their own results.
Sustain
A design sprint and a Resilience Ambassadors programme put ownership inside Hindalco.
| When | Who | What we delivered |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2020 | Hindalco CHRO and Learning team | Design of Phase 1, confirmed by the CHRO |
| Before the conclave | All 350 conclave attendees | 60-minute virtual keynote, “My Resilience Mindset”, recorded for anyone who missed it |
| Dec 2020 to Jan 2021 | 356 registered, 343 completed | Resilience Assessment with a private report for each leader, plus introductory videos |
| At the conclave | All attendees | 3-hour virtual workshop with 2 facilitators: debrief of results, breakout rooms and a personal resilience plan for each leader |
| Jan 2021 | CHRO and leadership | Leadership resilience report with priority areas |
| Apr 2021 | Hindalco HR | Design sprint for Phase 2: 7 design principles for making resilience stick |
| May to Jun 2021 | 6 Hindalco leaders | Resilience Ambassadors programme: 6 modules, 1-to-1 coaching debriefs and a facilitator toolkit. Each Ambassador then coached a colleague. |
Turning conclave energy into lasting habits
After the conclave, energy was high. Hindalco wanted to turn it into lasting habits.
- Plan for the long term: in an April 2021 design sprint, Hindalco and our team agreed the goal: make resilience part of how leaders work, owned by the business as well as HR.
- Set design principles: a clear KPI, regular nudges, internal agency, simple micro-practices, prestige, leaders explaining why, and shared stories.
- Build internal agency: Hindalco leaders trained as Resilience Ambassadors, with coaching tools to take practices into their own businesses.
How Hindalco used Measure, Build, Sustain
Hindalco used all three steps. Pick the one that matches your own challenge.
Measure
A private report for each leader and one leadership report with priority areas.
Build
Opening keynote for the leadership conclave.
A conclave workshop linking resilience to the high-performance, high-speed theme.
Sustain
Resilience Ambassadors certified with a facilitator toolkit to run practices in their businesses.
Ambassadors coached one colleague each, using our coaching guide.
A strong leadership baseline
explained
The Resilience Ratio is total strengths divided by total risks across 50 factors. Our corporate benchmark sits at 1.71. Hindalco’s leadership team scored 1.92.
A strong mental base
Train Mind (focus, optimism, decisiveness) was the top strength at 81%.
A strong cultural base
Spirit in Action (trust, purpose, fulfilment) followed at 79%.
A focus on recovery
The report pointed to recovery and physical energy as the habits that sustain a high pace.
Business outcomes
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Participation | 356 of 360 leaders registered (98.8%). 343 completed the assessment. |
| Reach | A keynote and workshop for the full conclave, around 350 leaders |
| Internal capability | 6 Hindalco leaders trained as Resilience Ambassadors, each coaching a colleague |
| Relationship | Phase 1 led to a Phase 2 plan co-designed with Hindalco HR |
What Hindalco said
Hindalco Industries Ltd chose High Performance High Speed Organization as a theme for fourth annual culture summit. It was a wonderful experience engaging Manish Arneja from The Resilience Institute as a partner in this journey.Mohit Kumar, Joint President HR, Hindalco Industries
Manish connected deeply with the stakeholders in the organization and almost became one team during the course of the intervention. His insights to us were very useful and it helped in designing the meaningful intervention together.Mohit Kumar, Joint President HR, Hindalco Industries
Manish continues to help us in taking resilience deeper in our organization. His follow up workshops have been very helpful in reinforcing resilience journey for individuals and for organization as a whole.Mohit Kumar, Joint President HR, Hindalco Industries
Three design choices
Leaders saw their own data first
Every leader arrived with a private report. Workshop time went on what to do about it, not on theory.
We tied resilience to the business theme
The conclave was about a high-performance, high-speed organisation. We framed resilience as the capacity that makes that speed sustainable.
We planned for the long term
A design sprint and an Ambassador programme put ownership inside Hindalco, not with HR or with us.
Planning a leadership conclave or offsite?
You want the energy of the day to last. Hindalco’s experience shows three things you can expect.
A baseline for your whole leadership group
Hundreds of leaders can be measured in a few weeks, with private reports and one leadership view.
A session built on your data
Leaders work on their own results, in breakout groups, with a personal plan.
A way to keep it going
Internal Ambassadors and coaching keep resilience alive after the event.
Measure your leaders before your next conclave
Hindalco’s leaders arrived at their conclave knowing their own results. Run a free Resilience Assessment for up to 5 people in your leadership team. You get a profile across 50 evidence-based factors and a debrief on strengths and where to focus first.
Request your free leadership assessmentPlanning a conclave for hundreds of leaders, or an internal ambassador programme? Contact [email protected]
Frequently asked questions
What is the Resilience Ratio?
Can you assess hundreds of leaders before a conclave?
Does it work virtually?
How do you keep resilience going after a big event?
Programme details and scores are drawn from The Resilience Institute’s programme records and the Hindalco leadership resilience report (January 2021). Individual results are confidential and not disclosed. Company context is drawn from Hindalco (April 2020).