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Client
Need
A
global executive team that are based all over the world were working
very effectively together when they were physically together but
unable to sustain this when they were within their own operations
and therefore remote from each other. The impact of this was that
the organisation was starting to operate in a dysfunctional way
and the customers expectations were in jeopardy therefore affecting
the achievement of financial results and allowing the competition
to strengthen.
Through
research and exposure to the team we discovered that there were
two key issues.
1.
As a functionally structured organisation each executive was focusing
on achieving their own functions objectives and lost sight of
their role as part of the executive team to take responsibility
for the delivery of the overall strategy as well.
2. The communication was infrequent and only
effective when face to face. No pro active communication was happening.
Our
Approach
We
wanted to create this scenario within the programme where they
achieved great success when together and struggled when working
remotely from each other, enabling them to overcome this issue.
We
took the team to a country house where they had to live together
24 hours a day for three days. This included cooking for themselves
with limited ingredients and forced them to make team decisions
in short time scales that were for the good of the whole and considered
all team members involved.
During
the days we conducted challenges where the team operated together
to achieve a goal, which was always hugely successful, and then
where they had a common goal that had to be achieved as a team
but they were split into three and were remote from each other.
This could only be achieved if the team planned properly and communicated
effectively. Once the teams were remote they became focused on
their own tasks and lost their way in achieving the team goal.
This disappointed enabled the team to experience and understand
the opportunities they were missing in the work place.
At
that point our role focused on getting the team to think about
what they needed to do differently to get communication to work
remotely. Once they had agreed some ideas and approaches we did
another exercise where this new way of operating was put to the
test and enabled the team to experience the success of their new
approach.
Facilitated
coaching sessions then took place to understand what the team
needed to do to apply this learning back in the working environment.
This resulted in:
•
An agreed communication strategy
• A team charter agreeing how they were going to operate
together
• A defined decision making process
The
Results
•
A highly effective, cohesive team even when remote from each other
• A cost reduction as less duplication and time wasting
across the organisation
• A more streamlined organisation able to better deliver
to customers
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