Bühler Group, in collaboration with the IMD International Institute for Management Development, has been honored with the Brandon Hall Group Bronze Medal Excellence Award in Learning and Development, category Best Team Development Program for their high performance teams program. This recognition celebrates not only the transformative impact of the joint initiative but Bühler’s enduring commitment to developing high-performing, values-driven leadership teams to advance its global strategic goals.

The award-winning program is a cornerstone of Bühler’s strategic transformation journey aimed to embed the company’s values –Trust, Ownership, and Passion (TOP) – into its leadership culture, driving cultural transformation and improving performance to achieve strategic objectives.

Developed in partnership with IMD, the renowned Swiss academic institute, the program was implemented between 2020 and 2023 to empower Bühler’s top 140 executives and cascade high-performance team practices to over 1,000 leaders throughout the organization.

The program developed at Bühler featured a multi-phase learning experience for the top managers, which included pre-work, a four-day residential program in Lausanne, individualized coaching, and follow-up seminars. It was structured around a research-based four-step model to enhance team effectiveness. Building on this foundation, Bühler and IMD designed a cascading process that trained selected individuals who then facilitated High-Performing Team (HPT) workshops, enabling the rollout of these workshops across Bühler’s global teams.

 “Together with IMD, we created a learning journey that not only strengthened team effectiveness but also accelerated our cultural evolution,” says Irene Mark-Eisenring, Chief Human Resources Officer at Bühler. “This award is a testament to our commitment to building a values-driven, high-performing culture.”

Evolving culture, elevating performance

Survey results from participants of the four-day residential TOP Leadership Program at IMD underscored the program’s powerful impact: 98% reported gaining practical tools and fresh knowledge relevant to their roles, while an equal 98% felt well-prepared to apply their learnings in the workplace. 

Later surveys measuring the impact of the High-Performing Team workshops also confirmed the effectiveness of the learning journey. Every single respondent reported that they observed an “increase” or a “significant increase” in the trust level within their teams. “These metrics drive real impact as they are also tied to psychological safety, employee satisfaction, shared identity, and employee retention,” says Elke Thamm, Head of People Development & Talent at Bühler. 

“Most companies struggle to apply the learnings and frameworks despite their positive intentions. Bühler not only delivered on its ambition to apply the learning, but proactively drove the process, and succeeded in scaling the application,” says IMD’s Professor Ina Toegel.

The program has shaped Bühler’s high performance team culture in multiple ways – from strengthening leadership alignment to enhancing team collaboration – and continues to support teams in navigating uncertainty and driving performance in today’s dynamic market environment.

"This Brandon Hall Group award highlights the incredible commitment of Bühler Group, to leadership development and creating real impact—and the privilege IMD has in partnering with such visionary organization to support their leaders and teams in achieving extraordinary results," said Misiek Piskorski, Dean of Executive Education at IMD and Professor of Digital Strategy. 

The learning journey was recognized this year by the Brandon Hall Group with the Bronze Medal in Learning and Development, in the category Best Team Development. The Human Capital Management (HCM) Excellence Awards Program from Brandon Hall Group, now in its 32nd year, recognizes organizations worldwide for excellence in Learning and Development, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Talent Acquisition, Human Resources, Sales Performance, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and Future of Work initiatives. The rigorous evaluation process, conducted by a panel of veteran industry experts and Brandon Hall Group analysts, identified programs that demonstrated exceptional innovation, measurable business impact, and transformative approaches to human capital management.