Background
Our sales department received a call from an up-and-coming
medical research company. The vice president of quality had
been called on to merge the quality control, and operations
teams of a division of this high tech, high stress company and
there was trouble in the ranks. The two departments were
dealing with new performance goals and a history of not
getting along.
Challenge
Our
needs assessment revealed that trust was a significant issue
for the newly formed team. A culture of intolerance and criticism
had developed under the former director.
Canunn's
Solution
Before meeting with this group of six senior managers, our lead
facilitator, asked the group to read Get Everyone in Your
Boat
Rowing in the Same Direction. This gave the senior leadership
team some common ground for talking about leading teams.
At the first meeting, our facilitator had the group talk about
their
values. They recognized their need to build trust among themselves
and the larger team, and to establish a Shared Values Contract.
Fast forward a year later and the leadership team has been meeting
quarterly with their goals in mind. They have problem-solved together,
and have led the larger team in various initiatives and activities
designed to build team trust. By all reports, the team environment
has greatly improved.
