UGAM: Growing High-Potential Talent for Global Execution
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Company
UGAM (Now Merkle)
Industry
Analytics & Digital Services
Location
India (with global client base)
UGAM, poised for a major global acquisition by Merkle, faced the challenge of scaling its leadership pipeline to meet international demand and post-acquisition complexity. The organization required its high-potential talent to move beyond technical expertise, master strategic execution under pressure, and solidify cross-functional teamwork. This six-month Evolve 4DX Hi-Potential Program was designed to ensure this rising talent bench could navigate the highly visible and complex transformation window.
KEY CHALLENGES
The stakes for UGAM's leadership development were high. The impending acquisition required the next generation of leaders to possess unified behaviors, flawless execution capacity, and robust strategic thinking. Relying on technical competence alone represented a critical vulnerability.
The intervention targeted three core capability shifts:
- Project Delivery: Building the capacity to reliably deliver critical projects and Wildly Important Goals (WIGs) under severe resource and time constraints.
- Team Cohesion: Strengthening essential teamwork and cross-functional execution to eliminate operational silos.
- Strategic Shift: Accelerating the evolution of talent from expert-level technical execution to strategic problem-solving and proactive ownership.
OUR AFERR BASED APPROACH
Evivve deployed the multi-month Evolve 4DX program, scaffolding the AFERR change model with the practical accountability framework of the 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX). This unique architecture ensured that insights from simulation translated directly into real-world business outcomes.
The program structure was phased for maximum learning transfer:
- Diagnostic & Consulting: We conducted internal audits and interviews, mapping desired leadership behaviors to business metrics and customizing game mechanics to reflect UGAM’s project workflows and execution blockers.
- Simulation & Gameplay: Participants engaged in multiple rounds of the Evivve simulation, facing changing priorities, resource constraints, and engineered communication breakdowns. Between rounds, teams leveraged the Experimentation and Realization phases of AFERR to analyze observed behavior and align execution plans.
- Execution Coaching & WIG Cadence: Participants defined their business-critical WIGs. Regular 1:1 and group coaching reinforced the learning, directly connecting gameplay insights to real-world execution focus. This provided action-oriented feedback to leaders, embedding lasting change in the Reflection phase of AFERR.
The continuous cycle of experience, data, and coaching closed the crucial knowing-doing gap.
ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT
The program delivered powerful, measurable outcomes, preparing UGAM’s leaders to effectively navigate and deliver during the complex transition into a Dentsu company.
Key Shifts Observed
The data showed powerful evidence of leadership calibration and execution discipline across the cohort. The program drove remarkable Execution Success, with 90% of business Wildly Important Goals (WIGs) achieved or exceeded during the program cadence. Leaders demonstrated significant advancement, recording a 4-point average increase in execution readiness, ownership, and collaboration metrics.
The initiative established a robust talent pipeline, as evidenced by 100% cohort retention throughout the entire six-month journey. Critically, the program guaranteed sustained action: teams immediately initiated and maintained execution on new, real-world business initiatives (Business Alignment). This solidified the Organizational Readiness, strengthening the post-acquisition leadership bench and capability, and directly contributing to organizational success.
Conclusion
The Evivve intervention played a crucial role in preparing UGAM’s high-potential talent to lead and deliver during a complex transformation window. The program successfully operationalized the strategic shift required, translating the company's aspirations for execution excellence into measurable, observable behaviors. By providing data-backed reports and embedding learning into real-world WIG execution, UGAM cultivated the robust, aligned, and self-aware leadership pipeline necessary to transition into a significant player within a major global entity.
AFERR Consulting
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Evivve Labs
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Evivve Simulation
Test the mechanics firsthand. Navigate the simulation independently to validate the learner journey and game dynamics.
