Case study: Team development
Vessel
A utility company within the top FTSE 100
The Charter
The Director
Departing from
Sticky Change was approached by the Director of a large change programme, worth £70 million, within the utility sector, to work with the newly formed leadership team, over a 9 month period. Initially there was a fair amount of tension within the team and meetings were often fairly aggressive and confrontational. The Director wished to developed a cohesive and harmonious team, that not only worked together to achieve the business aims but also enjoyed the experience and learnt to appreciate each others’ strengths.
Destination
The team chose to use Team Management Profile as the initial diagnostic tool. Following 1:1 consultations, the first workshop was designed and facilitated. At this workshop, the team members received their individual feedback and discussed the implications of their profiles for the team as a whole. They identified some gaps and agreed how to address these. A behavioural charter was defined and implemented back in the workplace. To assist in its implementation, the facilitator attended meetings to observe behaviours and provide feedback.
The relationship with one member of the team was particularly difficult, to such an extent that this team member was on the verge of resigning. The facilitator provided a number of 1:1 coaching sessions to assist this person integrate better into the team. His stress levels reduced significantly and the rest of the team members report that they now are able to work with him much more effectively.
Two further workshops were held over a 4 month period to continue the focus on developing a high performing team, as well as to obtain clarity on the team’s purpose and their individual roles and responsibilities.
A final workshop was facilitated 3 months later which focused on developing a high performance climate. A 360 degree climate questionnaire was used to provide the data about the current climate and an action plan was agreed to address the areas of concern.
Skipper's comments
Bringing a team together and understanding how to get best performance from it requires more than good will and the best intention of its members. It first requires a collective understanding of how each member works, thinks and behaves as individuals. Sticky Change worked with us over a 9 month period to introduce methods and tools to help establish this understanding. As a direct consequence, the performance of my team improved and we now work together much more effectively.
Guests’ comments about workshops
The team report that they are now working more cohesively, meetings are more effective and the members are more trusting of each other and are taking higher levels of accountability and corporate responsibility.
