Case study: Weaving a values-based leadership culture at Bower Roebuck

Nestled in the heart of New Mill, West Yorkshire, Bower Roebuck is a luxury fabric manufacturer with a proud heritage and a forward-thinking mindset. With around 60 employees, the company is known not just for its exquisite, bespoke fabrics, but also for its pioneering spirit - being the first in the industry to introduce innovations like computerised design looms back in 1989.

Bower Roebuck is deeply committed to sustainability (they’re Responsible Wool Standard certified), and they invest heavily in their people and the local community. At the core of everything they do is a desire to delight their customers - not just with high quality and service standards, but with products that carry emotional value.

Although part of the international Scabal Group, Bower Roebuck has its own unique identity. They recognised the need to align their leadership approach with Scabal’s agreed capabilities, while also defining their own mission, vision, and values. They wanted to build a more cohesive leadership team and equip both senior leaders and line managers with the tools to set clear objectives and give meaningful feedback.

That’s where Beanstalk HR came in.

We designed and delivered a four-part leadership development programme, grounded in a transformational model of organisational culture. Alongside this, we created tailored training on objective setting and feedback for line managers.

We explored how everyday communication shapes workplace culture. We introduced emotional intelligence and conflict management, and took a good look at what was working -and what wasn’t - within the existing culture.

Through collaborative exercises, including storyboarding the customer journey, we created Bower Roebuck’s new mission and vision statements. We defined core values like respect and integrity, and built a leadership behaviours matrix and decision-making code, identifying practical ways to bring these values to life - ‘cultural carriers’ like storytelling, recognition programmes, and values-based recruitment - to help embed the values into everyday life at work.

The Impact

• A clear, cohesive leadership framework that reflects both Bower Roebuck’s values and Scabal’s expectations.
• Stronger, more transparent leadership communication.
• A consistent, structured approach to performance management.
• Strategic alignment that ensures cultural transformation is not just a one-off project, but something that’s embedded and sustainable.

“Yvette helped to deliver a development programme to our Leadership Team. She really took the time to get to know the business and the desired outcomes in order to provide appropriate tailored support.” – Jane Horner, HR Manager

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