Strengthening Feedback Culture Through Scalable Leadership Development

Alfresco partnered with Claria Partners to address engagement survey feedback and build a stronger culture of feedback and employee development. When the pandemic disrupted in person plans, the team quickly pivoted to deliver scalable virtual leadership development programs.

The Challenge
What challenge or need led you to work with Claria Partners?

Alfresco, a global commercial open-source software company with approximately 400 employees, identified a clear opportunity through its employee engagement survey. With higher-than-average participation, the results highlighted a need to strengthen feedback practices and better support employee development across the organization through a more structured learning and development strategy.

The People and Culture team sought to translate these insights into meaningful action. The goal was to build a more consistent culture of feedback and equip both employees and managers with the tools to support ongoing development. Initial plans focused on launching an in-person leadership development program for managers. However, as the COVID 19 pandemic emerged, those plans were no longer viable.

Our Approach
How did Claria Partners help address that challenge?

Claria Partners partnered closely with Alfresco to reassess priorities and quickly adapt to a fully remote environment. Through a collaborative discovery process, we identified multiple pathways to address the organization’s learning and development needs and aligned a strategy that would remain effective despite the shift to virtual work.

In partnership with Alfresco’s Chief People and Culture Officer, Claria designed and launched three fully virtual leadership development and employee training programs. Creating a Culture of Feedback, Development Planning for All Employees, and Development Planning for Managers. Each program was built to be practical, interactive, and immediately applicable, ensuring strong engagement and skill development in a remote setting.

The approach combined thoughtful instructional design with dynamic facilitation. Allowing participants to actively practice new skills, reflect on real scenarios, and build confidence in applying feedback and development strategies in their day-to-day work.

The Results
What results or impact did you see after working with Claria Partners?

The programs were met with overwhelmingly positive feedback from employees and managers. Participants reported that the sessions were highly relevant, practical, and valuable in shifting how they approached feedback and development.

Following the rollout, Alfresco conducted a follow up engagement survey. Scores related to feedback and employee development improved significantly, reflecting strong adoption and meaningful behavior change. The initiative helped establish a more consistent and effective feedback culture across the organization. It also demonstrated how targeted leadership development programs can directly improve employee engagement, capability, and performance in a remote environment.