How we helped Volvo prepare colleagues for a new operating model
Culture Change
the challenge
Volvo Cars was preparing to transition from a traditional retail model to a Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) approach. Essentially turning sales people into product experts.
Retail leaders and customer-facing colleagues were being asked to adapt to new roles, new ways of working, and a fundamentally different relationship with customers.
Concerns around remuneration, job security, communication and the viability of the new model were already beginning to emerge across the retail network.
Before Volvo could retrain or retool its network, it needed to reframe the transformation, and build awareness with colleagues.
what we did
We led the behavioural discovery and change strategy workstream, helping Volvo understand how colleagues were experiencing the transition.
Through focus groups, stakeholder interviews, surveys and behavioural analysis, we explored the gap between where the organisation needed its people to be and where they were today.
Rather than solely focusing on processes and systems, we focused on people.
We examined the motivations, concerns and behaviours shaping adoption across the retail network, uncovering the conditions required for successful change. These insights informed the creation of Reimagine Volvo, a behavioural change framework designed to build confidence, advocacy and readiness for the new operating model.
the insight
Sales execs defined themselves as ‘coin-operated’, demonstrating how remuneration was a key driver.
The research showed that while 86% of leaders understood what the D2C model meant, only 34% felt confident in the systems and processes that would support it, and only 32% believed they would be remunerated fairly in the new model.
What people needed wasn't more information, they needed belief.
By understanding the motivations, concerns and behaviours driving the network, we were able to identify the conditions required for successful adoption and create a strategy focused on building trust, advocacy and confidence.
“Sales execs defined themselves as ‘coin-operated’, demonstrating how remuneration was a key driver.”
the outcome
We produced a behavioural change strategy, narrative framework, communications approach and scalable transformation toolkit that formed the foundation of the Reimagine Volvo engagement programme.
Working alongside event agency Owl Live and the wider transformation team, the programme helped colleagues reframe their role in the new model; moving from sales experts and negotiators to trusted advisors and consumer champions. The framework was then packaged for rollout across additional markets, enabling Volvo to scale a consistent change story while recognising local needs and cultural differences.
