Publicis Groupe: Navigating matrix dynamics at scale

Publicis Groupe's senior leaders faced a familiar paradox: how do you drive seamless collaboration across agencies, regions, and competing priorities when you don't actually control the players?

Their Le Grand Studio leadership development program - which boasts over 1,500 alumni - was the perfect place to help leaders level up on this crucial topic.

With 150 VPs, SVPs, and Managing Directors logging in from around the globe, the challenge wasn't just about learning new frameworks - it was about practicing real influence in the messy reality of matrix organizations.

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The stakes? Leaders were struggling with:

• Building authority while fostering empowered team cultures
• Leading through constant change without losing team morale
• Managing influence across matrixed structures where they lack direct control
• Balancing short-term execution with long-term transformation

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Our Solution: Leadership Practice, not Leadership Theory

We designed a 120-minute leadership laboratory that put participants directly into the pressure they face daily.

Our Approach: SDS Framework in action

We built the experience using our signature Skills-Drills-Scenarios methodology:

Skills: Two leadership frameworks designed for matrix environments

• Sense-Respond-Adapt (SRA): How to flex strategy when external factors shift
• Adaptive Leadership: How to mobilize people through uncertainty and resistance

Each came with two unusual yet highly relevant case studies to frame them

Drill: Real-time leadership pressure testing

• Individual 6-minute modules delivered via interactive voice notes
• Leaders chose their path and responded to authentic workplace tensions
• Immediate practice applying frameworks to realistic leadership moments

Scenario: High-stakes collaboration challenge

• Custom-built EV challenger brand scenario with complete brand assets, product specs, C-suite WhatsApp voice notes, and cold open video
• Teams designed collaboration strategies for a  client launch with authentic market pressures
• Cross-agency dynamics with competing KPIs and regional tensions
• ‘Board game’ style creation space
• 35-minute sprint culminating in live pitches and "shark tank" style objections

The Magic: Immersive realism that drives real learning

What made this different? We didn't just teach influence - we created a fully immersive business environment where leaders had to earn it. Our custom EV challenger brand scenario included:

• Complete brand ecosystem: Product specs, market positioning, competitive landscape
• Executive context: C-suite WhatsApp voice notes revealing internal tensions and priorities
• Cinematic storytelling: Cold open video that dropped leaders directly into a high-pressure client moment
• Authentic resistance: Scenarios included the quiet undermining and agency silos leaders actually face
• Real-time adaptation: External pressures introduced mid-challenge, forcing strategy pivots
• Peer accountability: Leaders pitched their collaboration blueprints to colleagues who would challenge every assumption

The Impact: 91% would recommend

The results spoke to what matters most to senior leaders - practical application and sustainable change:

• 91% recommendation rating from participants
• Real-world application: Leaders immediately implemented SRA and Adaptive Leadership frameworks in ongoing projects
• Peer learning amplification: Teams shared strategies that transcended individual sessions

Why It Worked: The Wavetable Difference

This success reflects our core belief that transformation happens through experience, not information. We designed learning that:

• Meets leaders where they are: In the complexity and uncertainty they navigate daily
• Builds capability through practice: Real scenarios with genuine stakes
• Creates lasting networks: Peer learning that extends beyond formal sessions
• Delivers immediate ROI: Tools and mindsets leaders can apply the next day

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