Case study: How Hitachi Rail leaders strengthened resilience and clarity through major organisational change

Organisation: Hitachi Rail
Sector: Rail and transport
Reach: Operating across 40 countries
Participants: Senior leaders
Programme: Leading Through Uncertainty (6 week leadership wellbeing development course)

When your organisation is responsible for high risk, business critical work, leadership steadiness is not a ‘nice to have’. It is part of the system that keeps people safe and operations running effectively.

For Hitachi Rail, a major acquisition introduced a period of sustained change and uncertainty. Their leaders wanted practical support to guide their teams confidently, protect continuity of service, and look after their own wellbeing at the same time.

SuperWellness partnered with Hitachi Rail to deliver Leading Through Uncertainty, a six week leadership wellbeing programme designed to help senior teams lead calmly, communicate clearly, and build sustainable resilience during significant transitions.

The challenge: Supporting leaders through change, without a ready set of tools

Following a major acquisition, Hitachi Rail’s Safety, Wellbeing and Sustainability function was managing several interconnected pressures:

• A period of organisational uncertainty and ongoing change.
  With new structures, evolving priorities, and emerging timelines, leaders were required to hold direction while supporting teams through a shifting context.
• A newly dispersed global team.
  The acquisition resulted in teams spread across multiple countries and time zones, which naturally added complexity to alignment and communication.
• A risk of inconsistent messaging.
  In times of change, partial information can be interpreted in different ways. Without shared approaches, uncertainty can unintentionally increase across teams.
• Leaders carrying uncertainty personally.
  Senior leaders were managing their own concerns about the future while still needing to motivate, reassure, and guide their teams.
• A new organisational culture.
  Leaders were adjusting to unfamiliar norms and expectations, alongside the broader transition already underway.

As Sarah Tack, Global Safety, Wellbeing and Sustainability Director at Hitachi Rail, explained:

“When there’s uncertainty in an organisation, people will come to their own conclusions, and that can then magnify itself in messages that aren’t always helpful, accurate, or consistent.”

In short, leaders needed a consistent, supportive way to communicate clearly, stay grounded, and help their teams feel safe and effective.Sarah approached SuperWellness with a clear aim, to equip her leadership team with both the space and the skills needed to lead effectively through uncertainty.

Specifically, the programme aimed to:

• Provide protected, high trust peer time.
  A consistent hour each week where senior leaders could process challenges together, share concerns, and reduce isolation.
• Build a practical communication and resilience toolkit.
  Leaders wanted pragmatic techniques they could apply immediately and continue to use after the programme ended.
• Strengthen leaders personal coping capacity.
  With leaders in a better place, they would be better positioned to cascade stability, confidence, and wellbeing to their teams.
• Support continuity during a high stakes transition.
  In a function responsible for risk critical activity, resilient leadership supports safe and steady delivery.

The solution: Leading Through Uncertainty, a six week leadership wellbeing programme

SuperWellness delivered Leading Through Uncertainty as:

• Six weekly sessions of one hour each
• Scheduled on Mondays at 9:00am UK time
• Supported by reflective materials and practice between sessions
• A blend of structured learning and open peer discussion
• Tailored to the realities of Hitachi Rail’s acquisition and dispersed leadership team

From the outset, expectations were set clearly. This was leadership development that required consistent commitment, and that clarity helped protect the integrity of the cohort.

“The expectation was set very clearly from the start. This is your time. Let’s all commit to it, because the benefit of just one hour once a week will be huge.”

The cadence was designed to fit senior calendars while maintaining momentum. As Sarah put it:

“More frequent would have been too much. Any less frequent and there wouldn’t have been enough continuity. Once a week was spot on.”

The impact: Clearer leadership, stronger connection, and practical resilience habits

While it was too early to quantify long term metrics, Sarah and her team reported meaningful early outcomes across four areas.

1.Leaders gained practical tools they could apply immediately

One of the most valuable elements was a set of simple, repeatable techniques to help leaders regulate themselves and communicate calmly under pressure.

Sarah highlighted:

• Sphere of control mapping
  A straightforward method to separate what leaders could influence from what they could not. This reduced overwhelm, sharpened decision making, and supported clearer communication.

“Deciding what is actually in our sphere of control, and what is not, by doing something simple, it all tends to blur into one. This helped separate it.”

• Breathing and pause techniques
  Creating a short moment of reset before responding to difficult situations.

“Taking a breath so that you can rebalance yourself rather than reacting was really effective.”

• Weekly mindset planning and reflection
  Helping leaders track what shaped their week and adjust consciously, rather than defaulting to automatic stress responses.

2.Leaders communicated with teams more openly and confidently

After the programme, leaders felt more able to be direct and reassuring with their teams, including when information was still emerging.

“Leaders feel more able to be honest and open with their teams, to explain that perhaps they don’t know so much about what’s going on, but this is something you could try that could help you feel a little bit more in control.”

That combination of transparency and practical support helped teams feel steadier during change.

3.The cohort built stronger informal connection and psychological safety

The protected hour did not only build skills, it also built trust. Leaders who previously connected mainly for transactional tasks began checking in informally, sharing techniques, and supporting one another across borders.

“It’s made the informal connections between us as a team much more effective. Now they are connecting just to talk about how they might be feeling, or what tools they’re using.”

Over time, leaders also noticed a more optimistic tone within the group.

“Better informal communication, more humour, a more positive vibe among leaders are all small early signs that things are working.”

4.SuperWellness’ facilitation style was a differentiator

Sarah emphasised the value of a human, bespoke approach rather than a standardised corporate model.

“The authenticity of the facilitator was one of the most valuable things. It wasn’t a particularly standardised corporate approach, and that made it even more valuable.”

That authenticity helped leaders engage more openly and embed the learning.

What’s next: Embedding the gains

Sarah’s view was clear, in challenging times, new behaviours need reinforcement so leaders do not naturally slip back into old habits.

“A monthly check in would help embed it and sustain it. Otherwise you default back to behaviours you may have had before.”

A light touch refresh model would help maintain resilience habits and keep global leadership alignment strong.

For Hitachi Rail, Leading Through Uncertainty delivered a practical resilience toolkit, stronger peer connection, and clearer leadership communication at a pivotal moment. The results were already visible in how leaders supported one another and led their teams through ongoing change.

It is a strong example of what happens when leaders are given protected space, pragmatic tools, and facilitation that feels human rather than formulaic. In uncertain environments, that combination enables leaders to stay steady, support their people, and keep the organisation moving forward with confidence.

Watch the full interview with Sarah below