The client
Who GFT is, the German IT consultancy with around 13,000 employees worldwide
GFT is a German multinational operating globally, with around 13,000 employees worldwide, about a thousand of them in Italy. Its main business is strategic IT consulting, with a strong focus on Artificial Intelligence technologies.
GFT’s main clients traditionally come from banking and insurance. In recent years GFT has widened its work to retail and the third sector. Luigi Iagulli, Coaching Academy & Welfare Manager at GFT, spoke about the programme with Wibo.
The challenge
Why GFT created the development manager role and trained around 60 professionals to fill it
GFT decided to invest in the growth of its people and introduced development managers, roles dedicated entirely to individual support and development. In the past this job fell mostly to line managers, with results that were not always satisfactory.
With development managers, GFT wanted to give colleagues concrete support towards their own professional goals. Those goals do not always mean a promotion or a pay rise. They also include improving communication or team management, with steady support along the way.
GFT picked the people best suited to the role, and they joined the project with enthusiasm. Around 60 professionals took part in the programme.
Di Wibo mi è piaciuto da subito l’approccio: easy, giovane, con voglia di stupire e portare innovazione. Per questo l’abbiamo scelto come partner in questo percorso
[What I liked about Wibo right from the start was the approach: easy-going, young, keen to surprise and bring innovation. That is why we chose it as our partner in this programme.]
Luigi Iagulli, Coaching Academy & Welfare Manager, GFTThe programme
How Wibo built the tailored “Manager and a Coach” programme for GFT’s new development managers
Wibo designed a tailored programme for GFT called “Manager and a Coach”, to support newly appointed development managers through personal and professional development. GFT chose Wibo for its fresh, dynamic and innovation-minded approach.
The programme covered core topics for anyone who manages and develops people. These included how thinking works under the Whole Brain Thinking model, the biology of emotions and stress management, awareness of cognitive rigidity, and ethical management aimed at empowerment. It also gave plenty of room to the building blocks of coaching, with discussions on how to build trust in teams, how to handle negative feedback constructively and how to turn failures into learning.
Participants worked through interviews, guided reflection and experiential moments to explore their own leadership style. The Wibo Trainers and the top executives involved brought energy, expertise and an authentic voice. The programme alternated in-person moments and remote sessions, for participants spread across Italy, and the first in-person meeting strengthened their sense of belonging.
Di Wibo mi è piaciuto da subito l’approccio: easy, giovane, con voglia di stupire e portare innovazione. Per questo l’abbiamo scelto come partner in questo percorso
[What I liked about Wibo right from the start was the approach: easy-going, young, keen to surprise and bring innovation. That is why we chose it as our partner in this programme.]
The impact
What changed at GFT after “Manager and a Coach”, with 98% average attendance across sessions
Participants in “Manager and a Coach” attended 98% of sessions on average, and rated the programme 8.4 out of 10 for expectations met and 8.3 out of 10 for usefulness. The NPS was 49.1 on a scale from -100 to +100.
At GFT, awareness grew among managers and team leads that people are the heart of the company. Welcoming, guiding and growing colleagues, listening closely and asking pointed questions became key parts of the development managers’ work.
Participants reported that they had picked up new skills to use with their colleagues. The enthusiasm turned into a steady demand for more meetings and moments of discussion. The first in-person meeting created a group atmosphere and strengthened the sense of belonging to the community of development managers.
In daily work, the way people are supported changed. It used to be the colleague who asked for support, whereas now development managers involve their teams directly, with a more proactive attitude. GFT acknowledges that the impact is hard to track directly, and one of the indicators it uses is the number of colleagues each development manager actively follows after the programme.
La connessione diretta tra contenuti teorici e il mio lavoro quotidiano.
[The direct link between theoretical content and my daily work.]
Il confronto con le esperienze degli altri e l’impostazione molto chiara e concreta.
[Comparing notes with other people’s experiences, and the very clear, concrete structure.]
The most significant benefit for GFT was giving development managers a stronger awareness of their role, with responsibilities defined clearly and strategic value recognised inside the company.
