This case study explores the custom programme developed by London Business School for the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation in conjunction with the National Technology Enterprises Company Kuwait. The study examines the scale and accomplishments of the programme, as well as the unique tripartite collaboration between the three key stakeholders that delivered its success.

1. Kuwait Petroleum Corporation:
Transforming leadership
for 2030 and beyond
1

2. This case study explores the custom
programme developed by London
Business School for the Kuwait
Petroleum Corporation in conjunction
with the National Technology
Enterprises Company Kuwait.
The study examines the scale and
accomplishments of the programme, as well as
the unique tripartite collaboration between the
three key stakeholders that delivered its success.
2

3. Executive Summary
In 2013 the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC)
partnered with the National Technology Enterprises
Company Kuwait (NTEC), to meet ambitious growth
and people capability aspirations.
As the Gulf state’s number one source of revenue, KPC has a long-
term strategy aligned to government goals to secure financial stability,
prosperity and the creation of jobs beyond 2020 to 2030.
Key to the success of this strategy is the development of a leadership
pipeline that is robust and agile in the context of a volatile environment.
NTEC appointed London Business School (LBS) to develop and deliver
a leadership programme with world-class faculty, industry experts and
facilitators, that would make a lasting and real difference.
Unique in terms of ambition, scale and scope, K-LEAD was designed
to develop a top-level leadership team with two programmes - one
for senior executives and one for managers.These leaders would
be capable of growing the business and sustaining success – and
contributing strategically to Kuwait’s plans for the future as a whole.
3

4. 2 programmes:
1 for executives,
1 for managers
300
participants
60 modules
12 cohorts
Delivered
in two
countries
Multiple
benefits
to participants
and
K-companies
Impact
Since its launch in May 2014, 300 participants, representing the entire top tier
of leadership at KPC, have graduated from the programme.
Four cohorts of executives and eight cohorts of managers have acquired a KPC
leadership mind-set. They’ve become leadership role models for the organisation,
empowered to take responsiblity for delivering ambitious growth and equipped to deal
with the future challenges of a volatile, competitive environment.
This entails the integrative vision, strategic understanding and capabilities, and –
critically – the confidence to deliver impact and drive growth across Kuwait’s oil industry.
4

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Kuwait Petroleum Corporation
- To 2030 and Beyond
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation is
Kuwait’s national oil company and is
one of the world’s largest producers
of oil and gas. Headquartered in
Kuwait City, KPC’s activities are
focused on petroleum exploration,
production, petrochemicals, refining,
marketing, and transportation. Its
revenue was US$130.50 billion in
2014. Founded in 1980, the public-
owned corporation consists of some
11 subsidiary companies and is
operative worldwide.
KPC today manages approximately 7%
of the world’s oil and gas reserves, and
contributes 90% of Kuwait’s export
revenues. As a public entity, KPC has
a clearly articulated corporate mission:
to drive the development of a Kuwaiti
national workforce, the advancement
of commercial and technical expertise,
and the pro-active management of
environmental, health and safety
aspects across all of its businesses.
In 2013 KPC announced a growth,
investment and expansion strategy
that would take Kuwait’s economy
to 2030 and beyond. The ambitious
targets outlined in the strategy
hinge on strategic investment in the
development of their workforce.
KPC awarded a contract to the
National Technology Enterprises
Company (NTEC) to future-proof their
leadership pipeline.
NTEC: A wholly owned subsidiary of the Kuwait Investment
Authority, NTEC carries a mandate from the Kuwait
Council of Ministers to service the needs of the country’s
major stakeholders with their technology needs.
5

6. Meeting the Leadership Challenge:
A Strategic Partnership with London Business School
A key priority for KPC and NTEC was developing a leadership robust enough to deliver
against ambitions growth targets, with the flexibility and confidence to navigate market turbulence.
But they faced a challenge. As NTEC General Manager, Anas Meerza, explains:
“In the Gulf, we don’t have a culture of talking about leadership as such, but globalisation dictates that
clear leadership is needed. What we were seeing at KPC was that while there had been leadership of
projects, we still needed more in terms of clear leadership across the organisation.”
KPC and NTEC were looking for a learning partner who:
¢¢ Really understood what KPC was looking to achieve –
the challenges they faced specific to their culture and history
¢¢ Understood national oil companies and the oil industry
and were familiar with the issues and challenges facing GCC countries
¢¢ Offered real partnership – a partner with whom they could co-create the solution,
and who would be present to respond to change and to adapt where necessary
¢¢ Offered the highest quality contributors – KPC wanted the best
thinkers, teachers and experts from all over the world
¢¢ Could execute at scale
As Executive Director of Client Solutions at LBS, David Brown, explains, the School brought
a deep understanding of the region and its energy sector, as well as expertise in the field
of leadership. But there were additional qualities that made LBS unique: curiosity,
responsiveness and the desire – and capacity – to challenge assumptions.
6

7. This project combined KPC’s perspective on what they needed to achieve,
NTEC’s expertise in delivering large projects on the ground and LBS’s deep
expertise in delivering learning interventions.
The tripartite approach built solid stakeholder alignment, while laying the
ground for a long-term, ambitious learning solution that would be robust
enough to change and to respond to change.
THE SOLUTION: K-LEAD
The K-LEAD programme became a two-year learning journey for the entire top
echelon of KPC leadership: some 300 Managing Directors, Deputy Managing
Directors and Senior Managers.
Two levels of intervention were planned – a programme aimed at executives
and a separate programme for managers.
K-LEAD would develop leadership at each level; focusing
on the knowledge, capabilities and attitudes that would skill
them up and prepare them for 2030:
¢¢ Developing a KPC leadership mind-set
¢¢ Confidently role-modelling KPC leadership behaviours
¢¢ Caring about KPC concerns and issues
¢¢ Encouraging shared accountability
Designing the Solution: A Tripartite Approach
7

8. Leadership mindset, skills and behaviours
1 Inspiring others
2 Developing and coaching my team
3 Delivering strategic results
4 Adding value at a strategic level across
the Kuwait oil value chain
5 Demonstrating commitment to
my organisation
6 Aligning a team to achieve results
7 Managing resources- people,
money, time
8 Making business decisions
9 Implementing change
10 Sharing expertise and knowledge with
other managers in all parts of the sector
11 Understanding the Kuwait oil value chain
12 Understanding business skills:
accounting, finance, operations
13 Advocating and implementing
organisational change
14 Improved confidence in my leadership
“The programme has given me tools and techniques I am
now actively applying. I’m seeing traction in areas such as
adaptive change, leading others and team management.”
KPC Manager
8

9. “Communication and the flow of
information across all working channels
have become faster and more efficient. I
have a much better understanding of my
business counterpart’s way of thinking
and mind set, and I am more successful in
getting my point of view and suggestion
accepted by others. As a result, the entire
business decision-making process has
become faster in general.”
KPC Executive
9

10. Leadership Learning Journeys
At the Executive Level, K-LEAD was delivered across five modules to four cohorts.
Each module was designed to develop adaptive leadership capabilities, encouraging
participants to think and behave differently.
Module 1
London
Module 2
Kuwait
Module 3
Kuwait
Module 4
Kuwait
Module 5
London
Archetype:
The Hero
Archetype:
The Seer
Archetype:
The Sage
Archetype:
The Maverick
Archetype:
The Advocate
Maximising
Leadership
Potential
Strategy
Execution
Conversational
Dynamics
Leading the
Business
Corporate
Governance
and Adaptive
Teams
10

11. “One of the great benefits of
the programme was bringing
individuals together in person;
people within the K-Companies who
may have had a fleeting impression
of colleagues, but who were able to
get to know them in a much more
effective way on the programme. This
helped build important bridges
between individuals and between
K-Companies, which would not have
been possible otherwise.”
Samantha Manning
Head of Programmes, Executive Education,
London Business School and Lead Programme
Director for K-LEAD
“We understand the K
value chain so much
better, and we are
proactively supporting
each other now.”
KPC Executive
11

12. At the Manager level, K-LEAD was delivered in Kuwait and London to eight cohorts.
Module 1
London
Module 2
Kuwait
Module 3
Kuwait
Module 4
Kuwait
Module 5
London
Module 6
Kuwait
Action
Learning Day
Call to Adventure Crossing the
Threshold
Challenges and
Opportunities:
Allies and Enemies
Breakthrough and
Transformation
The Road Back Achieving
Mastery
Leading Self Strategic Thinking
and Implementation
Leading with
Impact
Business Skills
for Leaders
Leading Change
and Organisational
Innovation
Embedding the
learning back in the
Kuwait Oil Sector
12

13. “Deep engagement was achieved by spending
time in the first module to explore the nature
of the learning journey, different styles
and learning approaches to optimise and
sustain learning. Then during the programme
frequent inter-modular contact, webinars
and ad hoc conversations with participants
on assignments, adaptive challenges and
projects. One cohort still communicates,
almost daily via a cohort WhatsApp to share
news, views, ideas and learnings.”
Peter Long
K-LEAD Programme Director, LBS
“I appreciated the exchange of
Information when I most needed
it, as well as direct access to
my peers on subjects of mutual
strategic importance.”
KPC Manager
13

14. Varied approaches
for embedded learning
K-LEAD deploys a mix of experiential learning
methodologies to meet different learning styles and
objectives. The principal goal here, according to
Samantha Manning, Lead Programme Director for
K-LEAD, was to create learning journeys which helped
participants to embed their learning:
“The programme was established to support
KPC’s long-term goals and focussed on key
behaviours. To enable participants to transfer
their learning from the programme back to
their respective organisations, we designed
a range of action-oriented methodologies.”
A variety of leading-edge learning methodologies,
experiential activities and simulations were included
within the designs of both programmes to help
participants embed the learning during and after
the programme.
The Best of the Best
From the outset, KPC was clear that it favoured
a consortium approach, leveraging multiple inputs
from different sources: faculty, facilitators and
industry experts.
14

15. “Building a consortium meant that we could tap into
layers of expertise and breadth of perspective that
would ensure the programme was fully customised
to what KPC wanted to achieve. The LBS team was
focused on holding together the continuity of the
learning. With lots of different people coming in,
we had to be very clear about the red thread and
protecting the learning journey. Here the consistency
of the design to keep its flow was critical.”
David Brown
Executive Director
of Client Solutions, LBS
15

16. Over three years, with 12 cohorts incorporating 60 modules, we delivered approximately
one module per week (excluding major holidays) for all of KPC’s executives and managers.
This required KPC, NTEC and LBS to have a high degree of operational dexterity and flexibility.
A Tripartite Relationship
A key feature of K-LEAD is the joint partnership between LBS, NTEC and KPC.
With extensive expertise of working with Kuwait’s largest companies, and presence on the ground,
NTEC was in a privileged position to manage contractual and project coordination with KPC,
while driving the process and offering support at multiple layers to LBS.
The tripartite relationship benefitted from:
¢¢ KPC’s knowledge of their own leaders and their learning needs for the future
¢¢ NTEC’s experience of driving large projects around multi-stake holder contractual
frameworks in Kuwait
¢¢ LBS’s deep expertise in designing and delivering impactful leadership learning journeys over
an extended timescale and across large populations of C-suite and senior leaders
Challenges – Scale, Operations and an Industry In Flux
David Brown, part of the Joint Steering Group, believes the
programme’s success in delivering in a shifting landscape has been
down to the trilateral structure being able to provide “innovation and
resilience on the ground.”
16

17. “Together with NTEC and KPC,
we came at the programme delivery with
a continuous improvement mind-set that
meant we could keep the fundamentals of
the programme the same, while being flexible
about logistics, internal processes and about
refining the design with all of the contributors.
Key to this was maintaining a very strong and
open relationship between us.”
Stephanie Loison
Account Manager, LBS
17

18. Impact on Leaders
(Executives and Managers)
To measure the success and impact of
the programme we used a variety of
approaches including:
¢¢ Pulse check surveys before modules
¢¢ Post programme surveys
¢¢ Intra-cohort surveys
¢¢ Video booth responses
¢¢ Focus groups
Executives – Impact results
Executives reported that the programme
had comprehensively:
¢¢ Built alignment and buy-in in terms of Kuwait oil
strategy
¢¢ Helped to deliver strategic results
¢¢ Boosted leadership capabilities along with a
strong desire to apply learning
¢¢ Acted as a catalyst for extensive networking
across the KPC group bringing a range of
business and operational benefits
¢¢ Enhanced team communication and commitment
to the organisation
18

19. “We built great
relationships with
colleagues and this
expedites action needed
from other companies
within the sector. We are
sharing best practices
with each other and
supporting each other
if there is a problem”
KPC Senior Executive
“Communication right
across the Kuwaiti oil sector
has improved, which is
helping resolve a wealth of
issues and challenges.”
KPC Senior Executive
“The greatest impact both in learning
and leadership came in the personal
relationships forged during the
program. These relationships, both
between participants and faculty,
were key to engaging the various
participants before, during and
after the programme.”
Peter Danby
K-LEAD Programme Director,
LBS
19

20. “We were able to improve
the structure of one of the
new contracts my company
is bidding for in the near
future by networking with a
sister K company. This was
so beneficial to us.”
KPC Senior Executive
“For executives, one of the
biggest gains was having
real conversations across the
various operating companies
– so much so that new ideas
and real savings have been
shared. They found this
networking dimension deeply
valuable; it exceeded
their expectations.”
Samantha Manning
K-LEAD Programme Director, LBS
20

21. Managers - Impact results
The managers reported that the programme
had comprehensively enabled them to:
¢¢ Feel more confident as leaders
¢¢ Demonstrate their commitment to their organisation
¢¢ Align their teams to achieve results
¢¢ Make effective business decisions, and
¢¢ Be a role model to others through their
leadership behaviours
Back in the workplace, the managers have:
¢¢ Inspired others
¢¢ Developed and coached their teams, and
¢¢ Delivered strategic results
The impact data revealed the following
key benefits to the managers:
¢¢ More interaction with other managers across
K-companies and building social capital
¢¢ Learning how to lead others, inspire teams
and work more as a team, and
¢¢ Cascading the knowledge from the K-LEAD
programme to their teams
surveyed reported using their
learning from the K-LEAD programme
to support organisational strategy
82%
of managers
that their new K-LEAD network
had benefitted their respective
organisations (this latter point being
supported by 94% of line managers)
97.5%
confirmed
21

22. “What we saw was a whole new level of cross-
business dialogue leading to strong ties
and continuing conversations across the
K-family businesses. Following Module 3, one
of the participants decided to climb Mount
Everest, inspired by his self-learning and
how he could expand his and other people’s
horizons. He became a national hero!”
Peter Long
K-LEAD, Programme Director, LBS
“There was real impact in the area of ‘cross KPC
understanding and relationship building’. This was
a positive outcome over and above participants’ own
personal development. A number connected with
the coaching sessions and saw how to take this
into their own leadership style. For some the sense
of ‘leaving a legacy’ was a powerful idea and
caused them to think more deeply about
their leadership style.”
Bill Hennessy
K-LEAD Programme Director, LBS
22

23. “The programme has given
me the helicopter view of the
business which really makes
sense. It has helped me move
away from working at a micro
level and to shift my focus to
a more strategic agenda. I’ve
been surprised that I’ve been
able to put what I’ve learned into
practice straight away and have
seen the results immediately.”
KPC Manager
“Due to my position where information is
needed from on an urgent basis, networking
and knowing others – especially from
my own cohort – helped me get
the required information with
high quality, at the right time.”
KPC Manager
“Through his
networking across
the K-Family
companies, this
manager has identified
and emulated some
of the practices
being implemented
elsewhere to improve
work within the
department. He is
also recommending
other practices for
implementation
within the company.
He is sharing quality
procedures with other
K-companies.”
KPC Line Manager
23

24. “This programme has changed the language at KPC and
how our people think about strategy and leadership;
how they manage their own presence and interaction
with teams. It has helped our leaders be more
audacious within many constraints - we are in better
shape for implementing the country’s ambitious plans
for ensuring future financial prosperity and stability.”
Mr. Nizar Al-Adsani
Deputy Chairman and CEO, KPC
“This was a hugely ambitious and
important programme for Kuwait –
large volume of leaders in a short
amount of time in two extensive
programmes – we did it successfully
and it has deepened our commitment
to the region.”
Sir Andrew Likierman
Former Dean of London Business School
24

25. London Business School
Regent’s Park
London NW1 4SA
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7000 7000
www.london.edu
A Graduate School
of the University of London
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