Building a 'Next Gen' ComEx Academy

The short version

• Intrinsic motivation and change fatigue tied as the hardest barrier to building capability, at 5.25 out of 6. Getting budget approved ranked near the bottom.
• LANXESS asked each business unit what mattered most to deliver its own plan, and made that its first capability to build.
• Classroom modules gave way to 90-day Growth Projects tied to business goals, each supported by an experienced operator-coach.
• Headquarters stopped dictating process and tracked evidence instead, with each unit’s results validated by finance.
• The Academy delivered mid-eight-figure measurable improvement in its first year, twenty percent above plan.

The real challenges behind capability building

The roundtable opened with a live poll on capability-building challenges and evolved into a rich exchange about motivation, fatigue, measurement, and the changing nature of transformation. The group began by ranking the seven most common barriers to building organizational capability. The results were strikingly consistent.

The conversation that followed revealed how these challenges show up in daily practice.

Several leaders agreed that capability building is not only an operational problem.

Case study: building a ComEx Academy that scales behavior change

Roy van Griensven, Head of Commercial Excellence at LANXESS, shared how his team built a next-generation Commercial Excellence Academy that focuses on behavior, ownership, and measurable results rather than compliance or top-down directives.

1. 1

   Start with pull, not push

   Instead of launching a single corporate program, each business unit was asked a simple question: what matters most for you to deliver your plan this year? That became their first capability to build. The approach created ownership from the start and replaced resistance with engagement.

2. 2

   Replace training with guided discovery

   LANXESS replaced traditional classroom modules with a rhythm of Inspire, Reflect, Apply. Teams worked on 90-day Growth Projects linked directly to their business goals, each supported by experienced operator-coaches who guided reflection, problem-solving, and action planning against real challenges.

3. 3

   Build the mindset that unlocks the toolset

   Roy emphasized that knowledge is rarely the issue — belief is. The Academy integrated principles from Adversity Quotient (AQ⁠®) and GRIT⁠™ to help teams shift from frustration to forward motion.

4. 4

   Decentralize control, centralize evidence

   Headquarters stopped dictating the process and focused instead on evidence of impact. Each business unit tracked its own results, validated by finance. Within the first year the Academy delivered mid-eight-figure measurable improvement, exceeding plan by twenty percent.

Five insights from the room

1. 1

   Transformation, or continuous adaptation?

   The group agreed the word “transformation” no longer fits. “Transformation sounds like it ends. The real challenge is to build adaptability into how we work, so change becomes normal.”

2. 2

   The paradox of control

   Leaders who try to direct change often slow it down. “The moment we stop telling people what to do and start asking what they need, things move faster than we ever expected.”

3. 3

   Aligning incentives and intent

   Change stalls when reward systems lag behind. “We keep saying collaboration matters but still reward individual targets. Until the scorecard changes, behaviors won’t.”

4. 4

   Leading from the middle

   Mid-level leaders and front-line managers are the real catalysts. “They translate strategy into action. When they buy in, the rest of the organization follows.”

5. 5

   Creating safety to experiment

   “People need to know they won’t be punished for trying something new. When leaders thank people for effort — not just outcomes — learning accelerates.”

Why this model works

• It reduces change fatigue by aligning initiatives with what matters to the business.
• It builds intrinsic motivation, because people choose challenges that are meaningful to them.
• It closes the knowing–doing gap by turning the work itself into the learning environment.
• It demonstrates value early, through visible and credible results.