4 Human-Centered Factors
Behind Industrial Growth

2. Leadership: The Key to Executing on Strategy

In every high-performing plant, there’s a leader who rallies teams during change, speaks honestly in tough moments, and matches execution to vision.

Across many manufacturing organizations, those leaders operate in pockets, while the top team remains disconnected or overwhelmed. But transformation only thrives when accountable and empowered leadership syncs at every level.

To coordinate executive and plant leadership, use the Assess > Align > Accelerate approach:

• Assess how the executive leadership team and plant managers work as individuals and as a team.
• Align them on purpose, roles, and operating norms.

Accelerate results through targeted coaching, shared goals, and decision-making discipline. 

Agreement in action: When a multinational manufacturer got its executives and site leadership to agree on a shared goal of reducing waste and increasing yield, not only did KPIs improve, but employee engagement soared because leadership was finally speaking with one voice.

3. People: The Way to Power Lasting Transformation

Advanced automation. Smart factories. Predictive maintenance.

The technology side of transformation gets a lot of attention. But no matter how much you invest in tools or systems, change won’t stick without people who believe in it and leaders equipped to drive it forward.

Korn Ferry’s Workforce Survey 2025 revealed that 57% of industrial leaders say that their workers are resistant to the tools of digital transformation like AI and other technologies. That resistance creates a significant challenge because skills for the future are a business priority for 24% of manufacturing leaders.

To accelerate transformation, you need a workforce that’s sized right and skilled enough to meet the demands of automation, AI, and the industrial internet of things (IIoT). You also need leaders who understand plant-floor realities and can connect strategy to daily work.

To build that kind of workforce, focus on getting these four things right:

• Clarity on what great looks like. Success profiles help define the skills, traits, and behaviors needed in critical frontline roles at all levels so hiring, training, and promotion are grounded in real expectations.
• A forward-looking workforce plan that anticipates future capability needs. With the rise of automation, AI, and IIoT, manufacturers need to invest in reskilling before gaps appear.
• A value proposition that resonates. Hourly and skilled workers want more than paychecks. They want to feel safe, supported, and valued. This is where a strong EVP and employer brand make a real difference. That’s why 47% of CHROs report that they are investing more in talent retention, culture, and employer value proposition in the next two years.
• Ways to retain what’s working. Internal mobility and thoughtful rewards help keep institutional knowledge in-house and give people a reason to stay and grow.

Manufacturers that get these factors right aren’t just reacting to change—they’re building the capacity to lead it. 

By investing in your people, you signal that transformation isn't happening to them—it's happening with them.

4. Culture: The Shift That Makes Change Stick

Culture has to be more than a corporate buzzword. On the shop floor, it’s lived every day in how problems are solved, how leaders show up, and how safe employees feel speaking up.

If structure is the scaffolding of transformation, culture is the glue. Korn Ferry's 2025 World's Most Admired Companies survey reveals that a culture that supports change is one of the top success criteria among leading organizations. 

“The World’s Most Admired Companies understand that innovation stems from embracing change, not resisting it. They have built cultures where new ideas are nurtured, risks are viewed as growth opportunities, and teams are empowered to challenge the status quo. Those who recognize disruption as a catalyst, not a threat, are the ones shaping the future and driving lasting success.”
Mark Royal, Korn Ferry Senior Client Partner and Employee Engagement specialist

Manufacturers must go beyond compliance to build cultures where innovation, safety, and accountability are everyday behaviors.

Focus on:

• Identifying influencers across shifts and teams.
• Tracking behavior changes through sentiment data and social listening.
• Co-creating cultural movements around safety, quality, or continuous improvement.

Action Item: Introduce “Culture Catalysts” across all shifts, peer leaders who help embed new safety norms and recognition behaviors. Watch incident rates drop and trust scores climb. 

When Everything Connects: A Blueprint for Resilient Growth

When structure, leadership, people, and culture move in tandem, transformation becomes more than an initiative. It becomes how work gets done day in and day out.

Manufacturers then see real results:

• Faster integration post-M&A
• Smoother tech and automation adoption
• Stronger frontline performance
• Greater organizational resilience

But even the best-designed strategy won’t deliver if your teams can’t see themselves in it.

Resilient growth comes from within. It comes from leaders who model change, people who believe in the mission, and systems that remove friction instead of adding it.