Leadership at Kallidus recognised this early and made a proactive decision to invest in managers, partnering with Bowline to deliver management development.

What followed was a long-term partnership and a true collaboration between two like-minded companies.

Consistency at risk  

Without a standardised approach to performance, feedback, and recognition, Kallidus employees were having very different experiences depending on their manager. 

This lack of consistency began to impact both morale and efficiency, making it harder for teams to perform at their best.  

The ambition was to build consistent management capability across the business, and a standard for excellent management – driven by Kallidus’ values: curiosity, integrity and collaboration.  

Developing better managers  

We began by designing a five-day management development programme, tailored to Kallidus’ specific challenges, internal processes, ways of working, and values. 

The programme hinged on Insights Discovery, equipping managers with the tools to understand their own strengths, styles and impact, as well as those of their teams.  

The work began in the midst of COVID-19, with most workshops delivered remotely, and a few carefully managed in-person sessions. While the format shifted, the experience didn’t, a point of pride for the Bowline team.  

Following workshops, managers were brought together into action learning sets; small peer groups focused on real business challenges and peer coaching, with our experts on hand to mentor individuals and groups along the way.  

The action learning sets shifted the work from external delivery to internal ownership.  Kallidus managers also quickly adopted Insights as a shared language; they enjoyed using it, bought into the methodology, and over time it earned its place among teams.  

Over the course of our five-year partnership with Kallidus, we have delivered countless programmes to aspiring, new and existing managers from across the business.  

Insights as a shared language 

In time, HR adopted Insights Discovery as a key part of their onboarding process. Every employee that joins Kallidus goes through the process and has an Insights profile. A brilliant chance to learn more about themselves and their new team as they begin their Kallidus journey.  

Last year, Kallidus upskilled their Head of Learning, Justin, to become an accredited Insights Discovery practitioner through Bowline. He now has the capability to coach Insights profiles and facilitate team development workshops, with ongoing support and supervision from Bowline. 

Speaking on his relationship with Bowline, Justin said: ‘Partnering with Bowline has been a fantastic experience for our organisation. Their facilitation of our Management Development programmes is consistently engaging, practical, and focused on driving real behavioural change for our managers. 

‘They have provided excellent support in helping us embed Insights Discovery across the organisation, ensuring it is meaningfully integrated into how our teams work and collaborate. 

‘In my role as a Client Practitioner, I’ve particularly valued their responsiveness, expertise, and collaborative approach. Bowline is a trusted partner who consistently go the extra mile to support both Kallidus and my own development in the role.’ 

Challenge, solved 

Kallidus didn’t just recognise a challenge; they committed to solving it. They made a generous and deliberate investment in their people, an investment that has paid off.