Mazi Raz is Assistant Professor in Strategy at the Ivey Business School and a research fellow at Innovation North Learning Lab, focusing on the intersection of ideological trends and management thinking. With extensive experience in executive education and previous senior roles at institutions including The Ivey Academy, Mazi Raz has designed and delivered numerous leadership development programmes for major organisations since 2014, bringing unique cross-cultural perspectives from his experiences across Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States.

In November 2024, The Ivey Academy’s learning initiative won the North America Leadership Development award at the MERIT Summit & Awards in Dubai.

How was the collaborative programme between The Ivey Academy and Qualico initiated? How was The Ivey Academy selected as a partner for this initiative?

The collaborative programme was initiated through a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) process. Qualico issued an RFP seeking a partner to help establish a comprehensive leadership competency framework and accompanying development programmes. The Ivey Academy responded with a proposal that stood out due to its strong alignment with Qualico’s goals and its combination of leadership expertise and customisation capabilities.

The Ivey Academy’s proposal emphasised its ability to leverage academic excellence from the Ivey Business School and deliver tailored solutions designed to meet Qualico’s specific needs. The proposal outlined a detailed programme design process adaptable to feedback and demonstrated a collaborative approach to co-creating a leadership development programme.

This focus on partnership, alongside an evident readiness to align with Qualico’s vision and goals, ultimately led to The Ivey Academy being selected for the initiative.

What were Qualico leaders' main challenges, and what capacity did Ivey mobilise to address them?

The main challenges expressed by Qualico leaders, as outlined in the RFP, included the following:

• Informal and siloed leadership development: Leadership development initiatives at Qualico were informal, lacked a systematic or structured approach, and were siloed at the individual business unit level. This created inconsistencies in addressing leadership gaps across the fast-growing organisation.
• Absence of a blueprint: There was no deliberate organisational framework for developing leadership capabilities for new hires or newly promoted leaders, leaving significant gaps in unified leadership competency development.
• Need for a competency-based approach: Qualico had historically relied on a skill-based approach to leadership development, prioritising technical proficiency. However, its senior leaders identified the need for a competency-based framework to ensure growth was aligned with organisational goals and tailored to the varying tiers of leadership roles within Qualico.

To address these challenges, the Ivey Academy mobilised the following capacities:

Expertise in leadership framework design: Drawing from its academic foundation at the Ivey Business School, Ivey proposed a research-based and customised competency framework, ensuring it was both relevant and practical.

Tailored programme design: Ivey emphasised collaboration, committing to work with Qualico stakeholders to co-design a bespoke leadership development programme that met the organisation’s unique needs – spanning across regions, managerial levels, and time horizons.

Focus on behavioural and measurable outcomes: The proposed solutions prioritised behavioural transformation and demonstrable results, ensuring the leadership competency development programme delivered meaningful and lasting impact.

How did the decentralised nature of Qualico’s operations influence the design and goals of the Leadership Development Programme?

Recognising the need for both cohesion and flexibility, the programme incorporated several key elements:

Unified competency framework with tier-specific focus: While a unified competency framework was established, it acknowledged the diverse needs of different leadership tiers. For example, executive leaders focused on “future making,” while senior leaders concentrated on “progress planning.” All tiers strongly emphasised “self-leadership,” ensuring a foundation of personal accountability and growth.

Cross-unit collaboration: To address the silos inherent in decentralised operations, the programme prioritised cross-unit interaction. This was achieved through deliberate cohort construction, ensuring each cohort represented diverse geographies and business units, and through cross-organisational learning teams, fostering collaboration and shared learning across the organisation.

The goal of consistent organisational culture: While respecting the autonomy of individual units, the programme aimed to instil a shared organisational culture. This provided a unified set of values and behaviours that guided leaders in aligning their work with Qualico’s strategic vision.

Fireside chats with senior leadership: The programme included fireside chats led by the CEO or COO to reinforce alignment and unify vision. These sessions provided a platform for senior leaders to articulate the company’s strategic vision while empowering each unit to adapt and operationalise this vision within their unique contexts and medium-term goals.

How was the Leadership Competency Framework customised to reflect Qualico’s unique corporate culture and growth strategy?

The Leadership Competency Framework was customized by addressing key organizational needs and priorities:

Unified framework with tier-specific focus: The framework established a consistent competency structure across all leadership levels while recognising that different tiers required emphasis on unique competencies. For example, executive leaders concentrated on “future making,” which supported long-term strategic planning and innovation aligned with Qualico’s growth goals. In contrast, senior leaders focused on “progress planning,” prioritising operational execution. A strong emphasis on “self-leadership” across all tiers ensured alignment with Qualico’s culture of accountability and integrity.

Cross-functional collaboration: To support the decentralised nature of operations and foster a cohesive organisational culture, the framework prioritised competencies that encouraged collaboration across units and geographies. This was reflected in competencies like “boundary spanning” and “team focus,” ensuring leaders were equipped to build connections across silos and drive shared organisational goals.

Cultural alignment: The framework was tailored to embed Qualico’s core values, such as respect, equity, and excellence. Competencies like “creating a positive impact” and “acting as inspirational role models” reflected the organisation’s emphasis on fostering an inclusive and high-performing culture.

Support for growth strategy: Competencies like “strategic planning” and “vision” aligned directly with Qualico’s long-term objectives, equipping leaders to anticipate changes, identify opportunities, and align their teams with the company’s evolving business strategy. The framework also integrated elements like “technical orientation” and “analytical orientation” to effectively prepare leaders to navigate industry-specific challenges.

What specific methods or techniques did the programme use to promote consistency in leadership practices across Qualico’s regions and business units?

The programme promoted consistency in leadership practices by focusing on two key areas.

First, it strongly emphasised self-leadership, making it a central pillar across all tiers of leadership. This began with a comprehensive competency assessment that helped leaders identify their strengths and areas for improvement.

This was followed by formal learning sessions designed to enhance self-awareness, personal accountability, and reflective practices. To ensure sustained growth, each leader developed an individualised self-development plan, supported by ongoing coaching, reinforcing the importance of self-leadership as a consistent organisational value.

Second, the programme established a common leadership language by introducing shared frameworks and approaches to essential leadership activities. These included decision-making, collaborative conflict resolution, and strategic foresight. The programme created a unified approach to addressing challenges and driving alignment across Qualico’s diverse regions and business units by equipping leaders with these shared tools and methodologies. This focus on a shared language and consistent practices fostered a cohesive leadership culture.

What are the features of the new leadership culture the project built for Qualico?

The new leadership culture at Qualico centred on forward-thinking, teamwork, continuous learning, and self-leadership. Leaders were equipped to anticipate future challenges and align their actions with the organisation’s growth strategy, fostering a strategic and innovative mindset. The programme custom-created a case study about Qualico that addresses these challenges (growth vs. stability, decentralised innovation vs. centralised efficiency).

A commitment to continuous learning encouraged adaptability and resilience, enabling leaders to embrace challenges as opportunities for growth.

Self-leadership reinforced accountability, promoting personal ownership and integrity while aligning leadership practices with Qualico’s values and long-term goals. This culture positioned leaders to navigate complexities with confidence and drive organisational success.

How did the programme ensure flexibility for diverse learning needs, especially with the inclusion of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Accessibility practices?

The programme embedded UDL principles to accommodate diverse learning needs, remove barriers to participation, and incorporate accessibility practices into its structure. These were accomplished through interactive workshops, multimedia resources, and hands-on activities. Materials (case studies, instructions, and readings) were designed to be clear, concise, and adaptable, providing text, visuals, and audio options. Additionally, Ivey faculty and programme managers are trained to recognise and address individual learning differences (preferences), allowing for personalised support when needed.

What steps are in place to ensure that the impact of the Leadership Development Programme is maintained and evolves with Qualico’s future needs?

First, coaches regularly provide detailed briefing overviews, capturing the learning progress and behavioural impact on leaders. These insights are shared with key stakeholders to ensure transparency and ongoing alignment with organisational goals.

Second, the programme faculty and managers thoroughly review participant evaluation notes. These reviews help identify areas of strength and opportunities for enhancement, ensuring the programme remains effective and relevant. Finally, the Qualico talent management team, in collaboration with programme directors, conducts frequent reviews of the programme’s impact and modifies or adapts its design as necessary. This iterative process ensures the programme evolves alongside Qualico’s changing needs, maintaining its alignment with organisational growth and leadership priorities.

In your role as part of the programme team, what was the biggest challenge and achievement?

The biggest challenge in our role was balancing the desire for speed in rolling out the Leadership Development Programme with the need to ensure its effectiveness and long-term impact.

Getting the foundational elements right was critical, establishing the momentum to engage hundreds of participants per cohort, and remaining agile and adaptive throughout the process. Striking this balance required meticulous collaboration, communication, and willingness to learn.

The biggest achievement has been the deep partnership established between Ivey and Qualico. We have operated as a unified, thinking-and-doing unit, often anticipating each other’s needs and making holistic decisions that advance the programme’s purpose and impact. This level of alignment and mutual trust has been instrumental in delivering a programme that is impactful and highly responsive to the organisation’s evolving needs.

Do you have an initiative in organisational, leadership, and people development worth sharing? The next edition of the MERIT Summit & Awards is coming up soon on 5-6 June 2025 in Lyon. Submit your application until 7 March – shortlisted initiatives will be invited to present at the upcoming summit in Lyon.