Working with the BBC
In 2021, ALCHEMY worked alongside the BBC's Chief Product Officer who inherited more than 100 cross-functional teams spanning iPlayer, Sounds, News, Sport and Bitesize, each running to its own rhythm. Individually, the leaders were strong; collectively, there was no shared way of working as the BBC pushed toward one unified digital offering, One Digital.
ALCHEMY worked alongside the BBC to help. Later incorporating the Technology division as well.
Our Approach
ALCHEMY profiled the senior leadership team through the ALCHEMY Profile process, using the five-layer model (intellect, personality, motivations, behaviours and experience) to define What Amazing Looks Like (WALL) for the new, unified BBC leadership team.
From that, individual development plans were built for each leader, setting out growth goals and where gaps could be closed through recruitment or succession and promotion from within the teams.
ALCHEMY then ran a High Performing Leadership Team programme focused on team communication and supported collaborative decision making.
Alongside this, ALCHEMY ran targeted, action-led coaching with each existing and new senior leader to help them grow into the scale and remit their new roles demanded.
Results
The leadership team began operating as one function rather than a set of silos, pulling together to deliver the results the BBC needed:
▸ Increased collaboration and shared decision-making across a genuinely High Performing Leadership Team.
▸ Merged Product and Technology into one division, supporting the selection of roles and the transition into new remits.
▸ Improved quality of new hires through accurate, data-led profiles and deep understanding of what the team needed to succeed.
▸ Grew leaders' confidence, public profile and ability to manage reputation and credibility across the wider BBC.
▸ Increased the impact of their communication within the team, and to senior BBC board members.
Business Impact
The leadership team came together as a high-performing, authentic unit, aligned around a shared vision and strategy, and equipped to successfully lead the BBC's transformation into one cohesive organisation.
The project is ongoing with the next stage remit to profile the expanded Product and Technology Teams and run a leadership programme against it to continue enabling High Performing Leadership within the new larger remit.