New Retail Strategy Impacting Organization Design
Challenges
Our client, a prominent retail within the consumer goods sector organization (hereafter referred to as “Retail Edge”), sought to assess and enhance the capabilities of its retail team to drive exceptional performance in a dynamic and competitive market. The new business strategy implied a new organization, from 8 large districts into 16 smaller areas to enhance performance and streamline management.
The organization partnered with AK+Partners to identify critical competencies, uncover developmental areas, and create targeted learning initiatives aligned with Retail Edge’s strategic goals.
220
Store Managers Assessed in 2024
8
Re-structured disctricts
Solution
Identification of key competencies
AK+Partners and Retail Edge identified an internal task force to identify the key competencies for Store Managers and District Managers needed to implement the strategy and successfully reach the company objectives. CATIL® Talent Review was used to define skills, knowledge, behaviors and values, while The Predictive Index Job Assessment was used to identify drives and complexity of the roles. In that way, Retail Edge defined the roles via different dimensions ensuring a well-rounded comprehension of what best performers look like.
Tailored talent assessment program
Based on key competencies identified for Store and District Managers, Retail Edge started to assess their managers’ leadership and expertise with the aim to identify their readiness to take more responsibilities. The results showed by CATIL® Talent Review allowed to discover organization’s strengths and gaps, used to create actionable development plans.

Results
Retail Edge’s collaboration with AK+Partners delivered outstanding results, setting a new benchmark for leadership development. Here’s what made this initiative a resounding success:
- Massive Reach:
- Over 220 Store Managers assessed in 2024—a record-breaking engagement that ensured no talent was left untapped. The initiative will now expand to include all managers—multiplying its impact across the organization
- Leadership Pipeline Reinforced:
- The initiative didn’t just fill gaps; it strengthened the entire leadership pipeline, ensuring a steady flow of ready-now leaders for future growth.
- Targeted Development:
- Critical areas for improvement were precisely identified, allowing for customized learning journeys tailored to real-world retail challenges.
Concluding Remark
The remarkable transformation at Retail Edge underscores how a robust methodology provides clarity and direction, ensuring every step aligns with strategic business objectives, building a resilient leadership pipeline, and setting a new industry benchmark for talent development and organizational excellence.
Leveraging scientific tools and data-driven assessments, such as CATIL® Talent Review and The Predictive Index, ensured objectivity and precision in evaluating leadership potential and readiness. This disciplined and evidence-based process not only uncovered hidden strengths and gaps but also enabled the creation of highly targeted, actionable development plans.
For more information on how to build customized skill-gap assessments and apply performance-validated tools like CATIL® TR and Predictive Index®, reach out to AK+Partners.
Ready to achieve similar results for your organization? Contact us today to learn how you can drive strategic transformation and unlock your organization’s full potential.