Case Study: How a Retail Business Unit Built a High Performing Culture at Scale

Growing Fast Without Losing Connection: How a Retail Business Unit Built a High Performing Culture at Scale

The Challenge

A business unit of a $946B global retailer was scaling rapidly, bringing in waves of new talent across functions. Leaders needed to onboard people faster, strengthen cross-functional collaboration, and build an empowering, ownership-driven culture during a period of high growth and aggressive targets, without losing the human connection that fuels performance.

The risks were real and measurable. Pre-program data told a stark story:

• Rapid headcount growth increased the risk of a fragmented culture, with 60% of employees reporting they were “too busy” to network.

• Cross-functional collaboration needed improvement. Employees in the new business unit struggled to clearly articulate their collective value proposition and strengthen influence across teams.

• Internal career growth lacked clarity. Pre-survey data showed that only 5% of employees had a sponsor, and confidence in identifying one averaged just 2.4 out of 10.

• Internal data also revealed that 27% of participants felt “quite alone” navigating their careers. Across the organization, employees described the culture as siloed and difficult to navigate without historical knowledge.

Leaders weren’t lacking ambition. They were lacking the shared behaviors, tools, and cross-functional relationships to move fast together.

The Action

Desa Global Leadership partnered with the Senior Leadership Team to design an Annual Learning Program consisting of quarterly in-person skill-building sessions tailored to the business unit’s real-world challenges. This initiative was designed to improve onboarding and accelerate cross-functional performance by providing a systematic approach to leadership habits and team behaviors.

Rather than delivering off-the-shelf content, we diagnosed business and culture needs with the SLT first, connecting every session directly to the unit’s strategic priorities, values, and real time challenges. We interviewed key leaders and integrated their insights and language directly into the training, so participants heard their own organization’s wisdom reflected back to them. Each quarter introduced a new layer of capability, building on the last.

The five-session workshop series covered:

1. Meet the Moment
2. Influencing with Ease and Impact
3. Personal Branding and Owning the Leader Within
4. Building Strategic Networks
5. Leveraging Sponsors as Career Fuel

Every session was highly interactive, built around peer connection, real-time problem-solving, and immediate application. Participants left each session with playbooks, templates, and tools they could use the same week, not someday.

The Results

Immediate Application: 91% of participants reported already applying practical tools at work following the sessions.

Peer Endorsement: Over 91% of participants said they would recommend the program to a colleague or peer, a strong signal of both quality and relevance.

Sponsorship Confidence: Confidence in identifying an ideal sponsor jumped from 24% before the program to 88% after, a shift that directly addresses one of the unit’s most critical talent retention risks.

Role Clarity: 95% of participants achieved clarity on the difference between a mentor, sponsor, and coach following the dedicated learning session.

Visible Behavior Shift: Participants moved from awareness to action fast. Managers were updating their LinkedIn profiles, creating personal “User Manuals”, deploying personalized email strategies, and using informal out-of-office messages to build their personal brand.

Strengthened Team Cohesion: 95% of participants reported clearer communication and a stronger sense of cohesion across the business unit, a significant shift from the pre-program baseline where more than a quarter felt alone navigating their careers.

During rapid growth, the biggest risk is not strategy. It is misalignment at scale. By hardwiring the behaviors that keep teams moving fast (ownership, trust, and cross-functional collaboration), DGL helped this business unit move from fragmented to connected.

“I want to give a massive shoutout and thank you for all the actionable insights on managing through change. It’s a critical aspect of how we accelerate our business, and DGL provided incredibly practical tools that our team can take away and put into action right now.” – Business Unit’s Head of Sales

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Every partnership starts with a conversation. If your organization is navigating AI disruption, leadership transitions, organizational change, or a culture that isn’t keeping pace with your growth, we’d love to learn more about your team and what you’re building toward.

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