About
In a fast-moving global industry, Avolon recognised that technical excellence alone wasn’t enough. To stay ahead, they needed teams that were not only skilled but also aligned, connected, and continuously improving. That’s why they created Evolve – a large-group, companywide development experience designed to help real-world teams build on their strengths and unlock even greater performance.
As a leading global aviation finance company, Avolon’s strategy is to invest in young, modern, fuel-efficient aircraft and lease them to the world’s airlines. Launched in 2010, they have over 1000 aircraft and work with 142 airlines in 60 countries. Evolve brought together their entire global workforce of 240 people and this is the story of how it reflected their dynamic culture, was inclusive, interactive and resulted in positive workplace change.
As Avolon scaled globally, they saw the need to strengthen team cohesion, align ways of working, and build a culture of ownership and feedback – without losing the agility and energy that had driven their success. Their plan was to bring every member of staff, from Dubai, Dublin, Hong Kong, São Paulo and Singapore together in Dublin for a large-group event. The solution had to be inclusive, practical, and deliver measurable outcomes across each of the 26 real-world teams. Having everyone in one room was also the perfect opportunity to help build interpersonal relationships and reinforce Avolon’s corporate values: transparency, respect, insightfulness, bravery and ebullience.
Avolon partnered with Impact to transform their company-wide development experience into a focused team action day with measurable outcomes.
Year one: Shared foundations, tailored focus
The entire company started the day together in one space. Through an experiential task around leadership action and an engaging introduction to Impact’s Team Performance Model – six domains essential for sustaining performance – participants reflected on their own team’s strengths and challenges. Intact teams then moved to their own space to focus on three domains: Unified Purpose, External Alignment, plus one of their choice. Impact had developed interactive sessions around each domain to ensure consistency of experience and understanding across the organisation.
Year two: Data-driven, team-led
Prior to the event, Impact facilitators had met with team leaders to co-design the day and all participants had completed Impact’s Team Performance Inventory™️ to assess themselves against the six domains. Teams went straight into their own spaces to review and analyse the results before choosing two of five development sessions that best aligned with their needs, maintaining a consistent structure while allowing for meaningful customisation.
How did we make this day full of action?
Evolve is a day of choice – each team decides which development sessions will be most beneficial. Nobody knows their team better than their manager and so Impact facilitators partnered with team leaders in advance to co-design a day that would best meet each team’s needs. The morning was fun, interactive, and grounded in real workplace scenarios. Teams used their Team Performance Inventory results to select two sessions for the afternoon that would help them make meaningful progress from:
- Re-prioritising
- Working smarter
- Taking ownership and accountability
- Communicating constructively
- Building a feedback culture
For example, teams exploring re-prioritising used a practical framework to assess actions and behaviours against goals. Managers prepared team priorities in advance, and small groups mapped these against the framework. The focus was on reflection and future action, not micro-details. Impact facilitators adapted sessions in real time to suit each team’s pace and interest.
Avolon knew that incremental gains were what mattered - and that’s what Evolve delivered.
In year one, all teams explored six domains at a high level, with Unified Purpose and External Alignment prioritised across the company. When the Team Performance Inventory was repeated in year two, these two domains emerged as consistently high performing:
1. Unified Purpose (average score: 5.4/6.0)
Scored in Top 2 domains for 24 of 26 teams. Teams showed a strong sense of shared direction, with clarity on how individuals contribute to the team and broader business objectives.
2. External Alignment (average score: 5.1/6.0)
Scored in Top 2 domains for 16 of 26 teams. Teams demonstrated strong stakeholder relationships and alignment with the company’s strategic direction.
What happened next?
To sustain momentum, each team leader received a manager support pack created by Impact. This enabled them to self-deliver the remaining development sessions their team hadn’t explored during the event, along with additional sessions designed to build on commitments and help teams to get the most out of Evolve.
Evolve is now a core part of Avolon’s team development strategy. With each year building on the last, the company continues to invest in practical, human-centred experiences that drive real change, helping teams stay aligned, agile, and impactful in a complex global environment.
We asked participants to give their honest opinion of Evolve and here is what they said: “Thanks for an excellent day. We were able to advance from ‘what can you do for me?’ towards ‘what behaviours will make me and my team more impactful?’
“I enjoyed our team session the most – spending time with colleagues from across the globe in a more relaxed environment was very fruitful. Each module was sharp and concise, ensuring good participation across the room.”
“We needed it. There are areas of the team we need to work on that we were surprised to learn about. The day helped us talk openly and know each other better. It showed how useful it is to agree on small changes we can all work on together, e.g. communication.”
“I noticed significant improvement from actions implemented from the previous year. There are huge interdependencies across all teams within Avolon and this gives a shared approach where support can be received and provided to assist each other.”