SLII® Brought Otava a Practical and Impactful Tool for Leadership

Otava-konserni is Finland’s third-largest diversified media group, reaching almost every Finn in one way or another. Otava’s business areas are Kirjat, Oppimisen palvelut, and Media.

Three companies from Otava-konserni took part in the leadership development program: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava, the group’s parent company Otava Oy, and Otavan Kirjapaino Oy. In total, the program involved 57 managers and more than 200 employees.

The Goal Was Consistent Managerial Work

“Our primary need was more consistent managerial work. Employee representatives had given feedback that leadership practices varied between managers, which affected the consistency of the employee experience. A good employee experience supports Otava’s values, such as responsibility and closeness, and is partly created by employees experiencing consistent leadership in their everyday work,” says Päivi Paappanen, Head of HR at Otava.

A Widely Tested and Research-Based Model Made a Strong Impression

“The choice of the SLII® model was influenced by the fact that SLII® is based on academic research as well as individual and organizational psychology. The management of all three Otava companies saw the training as a strategic investment that supports consistent managerial work and the building of a shared leadership culture. Another important selection criterion was that the model has been applied so widely around the world,” Päivi Paappanen explains.

Employees Were Also Trained in the SLII® Leadership Model

“Immediately after the managers’ in-person training days, we began thinking about how the SLII® model could be implemented across the entire personnel. We discussed different options and considered how the mindset could become part of everyday work as broadly as possible,” says Päivi Paappanen.

The aim was to introduce the SLII® model to employees as quickly as possible, and a suitable concept was found among Blanchard’s digital learning solutions. Otava chose to use the cost-effective and easily scalable Itsensä johtamisen verkkokatsaus. Through it, more than 200 Otava employees learned the mindset of a self leader and the same SLII® leadership skills that their managers had learned in the SLII® training.

“Training the entire personnel through a digital online overview has strengthened a shared leadership language and understanding at different levels of the organization,” says Paappanen.

Measurable Results Immediately After the SLII® Training

As promised by Educo, measurable results were achieved immediately. Thanks to the SLII® training, the leadership skills of the trained managers improved by 51% during the training, even though the starting level was already good.

For example, before the SLII® training, 31% of managers had strong skills in setting goals. After the training, 88% of managers rated their skills in this area as strong or very strong. Assessing an employee’s development level based on competence and commitment — motivation and self-confidence — was strong for 14% before the training. After the training, 73% of managers rated this skill as strong or very strong.

One of the most important factors for leadership results, the flexible selection and use of the right leadership style, was strong for 14% of managers before the training. After the training, 81% rated this skill as strong or very strong.

The change was therefore significant.

The company already had a functioning practice for one-to-one discussions. Before the training, 37% of managers assessed their competence in one-to-one discussions as strong. After the SLII® training, as many as 64% assessed their ability to hold effective and impactful one-to-one discussions as strong or very strong.

Significant Results Two Months After the SLII® Training

“Our goal was to train all managers in leadership according to the SLII® model and to ensure that the entire personnel understands the basic principles of the model, in order to strengthen a shared language and way of working. We have achieved this goal,” says Päivi Paappanen.

The impact of the training was also assessed in more detail approximately two months after the SLII® training, focusing on changes in leadership behavior and the results achieved through those changes. Immediately after the SLII® training, key leadership skills had been found to have improved by 51%. At this stage, the focus was on how this had affected everyday frontline leadership.

Based on the impact assessment, managers had been able to improve the following areas in practical frontline leadership:

• 87% had been able to adapt their leadership style according to employees’ needs.
• 80% had been able to ensure that expectations related to employees’ work performance are clear by discussing and reviewing them regularly with employees.
• 78% had been able to give encouraging feedback more often to inspire employees.
• 77% of managers had been able to improve goal setting.
• 73% had been able to better assess how motivated and skilled employees are in achieving their goals or completing their tasks.
• 70% estimated that they had been able to hold more impactful and effective one-to-one discussions.
• 67% had been able to actively give corrective feedback to improve work performance.

45% had been able to hold regular one-to-one discussions more often in order to provide better support and guidance to their employees.

Improved frontline leadership was also found to have affected team results. 46% of managers estimated that their team’s performance had improved in some concrete way. Team performance was estimated to have improved by an average of 27%. Managers mentioned, for example, the following observed changes:

• “SLII® has clarified goals and one-to-one discussions.”
• “Team members have themselves expressed what kind of leadership they hope for and need. I believe this will improve team performance.”
• “Enthusiasm, and through it motivation, has increased.”
• “Team cooperation has improved.”
• “In some projects, we had to correct the quality of work less than before.”

SLII® training also increased managers’ commitment to their role and to the organization.

85% of managers felt more committed and motivated in their managerial role, and 66% felt more committed to the company or organization.

SLII® Is More Than Training

“SLII® differs from previous trainings in that it is not a single training course, but an organization-wide leadership model that supports everyday decision-making and interaction in a concrete and long-term way. The model serves as a foundation for managerial work and also enables new managers to be smoothly introduced to the same way of thinking,” says Päivi Paappanen.

“The SLII® learning journey has been experienced at Otava as a meaningful and impactful whole. Participants have found the model practical, and it has been seen as providing clear tools for situational leadership. Feedback from the manager groups shows strong commitment to and interest in the model,” Paappanen continues.

Otava’s SLII® Story Continues

“At the level of the entire organization, SLII® training will continue to serve as the foundation for managerial work, strengthened through refreshers and deeper content. Its impact will be monitored over the long term, and the training is expected to be visible in both the employee experience and business results,” says Päivi Paappanen.

She continues: “After the SLII® training, development will continue by training internal trainers. Three Otava managers will be trained as internal SLII® trainers for our organization. After the training, their first task will be to train producers whose work involves a great deal of leading the work of others. In addition, they will train all new managers joining Otava in the SLII model as part of the manager onboarding path. This will ensure the continuity of the model and its integration into everyday leadership.”