By Marie Kjellberg, Agile People Coach at Scania
Scania is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, and engines. Founded in 1891, the company currently employs approximately 59,000 people across more than 100 countries. Scania has a strong lean and agile culture. In October, the company’s Agile People Coach, Marie Kjellberg, spoke in a webinar organized by RMP Nordic about how Scania uses the Reiss Motivation Profile® (RMP) as part of its leadership and people development programs.
Marie shared that the company currently has three certified RMP coaches who have conducted motivation profiles for approximately 50 teams, and have also provided lighter RMP training sessions for another 50 teams.
At Scania, the RMP is primarily used for leadership development, personal growth, and team building.
• In leadership development, the RMP is integrated into existing leadership programs and serves as both a starting point and key training material for leadership development.
• In team development, team members explore their individual and collective motivational drivers, create personal “washing instructions” (Do’s & Don’ts) based on these insights, and jointly establish shared team rules (“Team Agreement”).
• In personal development, the RMP is used in one-on-one conversations, mentoring, and to support personal or career growth. It can also help enhance personal well-being.
• At the organizational level, the RMP helps reveal underlying themes related to culture, collaboration, and values.
The RMP is most effective when conducted for the entire team rather than just supervisors, as involving everyone is essential to fully leverage motivational insights in team building. Marie explained that Scania offers both RMP “Light” training sessions (without individual profiles) and in-depth coaching programs where each participant receives their personal RMP profile. In these sessions, participants also create their own personal “washing instructions” (Do’s & Don’ts). Based on motivational insights, the team then examines shared drivers and develops common team rules (“Team Agreement”) that help determine which working methods best support collaboration.
According to Marie, the ideal team size for coaching is 8–10 people. RMP coaching can be conducted either in person or remotely, which works well for Scania’s international teams. However, using RMP effectively requires openness and trust within the team. Based on Marie’s experience, a team functions best when it is diverse in terms of motivational profiles. A group that is too homogeneous can hinder innovation and lead to narrow, one-sided thinking. The best results are achieved when the strengths of all team members are recognized and valued equally.
At Scania, an internal RMP coach facilitates the sessions and conducts a follow-up meeting, after which teams take responsibility for applying the insights in their daily work. The overall goal is to integrate the RMP into existing programs, practices, and strategies.
Finally, Marie shared her personal tips for implementing the RMP:
• Start small and scale organically – early success stories create pull.
• Combine full RMP with RMP Light – it sparks curiosity, builds momentum, and fosters inclusivity.
• Integrate RMP into existing initiatives, such as leadership programs, agile coaching, and mentoring networks.
• Keep it alive – follow up with teams using the Leadership Profile to ensure continuous development.
Author: Salla Aaltonen, based on insights from Marie Kjellberg
