Case Study 1: Streamlining Communication During Organisational Restructuring

Challenge:

A mid-sized tech company was undergoing a major organisational restructure, which led to confusion and anxiety amongst employees. Many of the managers, some of whom had recently been promoted without any formal training or coaching for their leadership role, struggled to communicate effectively with their teams, as they themselves were experiencing fear of the unknown in what this change would mean for the business and their roles.

Intervention:

After spending some time getting to know the org and the purpose goals and aspirations for the restructure, we conducted a series of workshops with the impacted managers and leaders, to understand their perspective, firstly on the planned change, and then on providing an awareness of the purpose of the these changes, how this will impact the business, teams and some roles, and how transparency and effective communication strategies can mitigate fear and tension amongst colleagues, creating a desire to participate in the redirection and growth of the business.

We provided one-on-one coaching to leaders and managers, with significant focus and inclusion of the new population of 'accidental managers' who needed to develop their understanding of leadership and the importance of effective communication skills, specifically during change, we also developed a series of workshops for all tiers of management to ensure that a standardised and consistent approach to understanding the principles of business change was embedded.

We helped the business to create a communication and engagement strategy, templates and a guid for managers to use in their regular team updates.

Results:

Improved clarity of the purpose and understanding of how to navigate and manage this structural change, clarity on the need for it, embedding a culture of transparency and consistency in messaging throughout the organisation to ensure that all employees are informed and, in some cases, consulted.

The business experienced increased employee morale and engagement as managers became more confident in their roles, as advocates for change. Employee sickness and attrition rates reduced by 20% during the restructuring period, proving that the desire to support this change was evident following the intervention.

Case Study 2: Improving Team Morale During a Change in Leadership

Challenge:

A well known healthcare organisation faced a significant drop in team morale, with an increase in attrition and sickness, following a sudden change in leadership. New managers, now responsible for maintaining team performance, were unprepared for the shift, feeling the pressure of newly implemented processes, protocol and targets.

There was little communication around this change which left managers and supervisors feeling unsettled and anxious about their future.

Intervention:

we worked with the business to develop a short to mid-term strategy to address attrition, with a longer term view to improving change capability across the organisation. Implementing a mentorship program that focused on pairing experienced leaders with accidental managers, helped new managers to quickly build their basic leadership skills. A longer term leadership development programme was designed to upskill leaders and managers at all levels, providing a pathway to succession planning and future-proofing.

Interactive and immersive workshops provided learning and enablement in areas like emotional intelligence, team dynamics, psychology of change and the positive benefits of continuous improvement. We provided forums and facilitated feedback sessions where team members could voice their concerns, get help with challenges and provide suggestions for improvement. These platforms enabled colleagues to feel heard, feel consulted and that their contribution to improving the culture and conditions of the workforce were valued.

Results:

Restored trust between the new leadership team, managers and their direct reports.

Providing opportunities for participation, contribution of ideas and feedback resulted in better team cohesion, understanding of the overall business objectives and purpose, providing encouraged collaboration and buy-in.

There was/is a notable increase in overall productivity and job satisfaction. We continue to support the longer term aspirations for this organisation in educating and equipping its people to become Change Leaders with a growth mindset and appetite for continued improvement.

Specific challenges faced by managers and how our guidance made a difference:

Challenge 1: Transitioning from Peer to Manager

Scenario:

A newly appointed manager in a retail company faced difficulties transitioning from being a peer to a manager, particularly in giving feedback and managing conflicts within the team.

Guidance Provided:

Conducted scenario discussions, role-play and problem solving exercises to help the manager practice navigate challenging situations and difficult conversations, providing learning, tools and frameworks on situational leadership and conflict resolution.

Offered ongoing support through mentoring ,weekly check-ins and coaching sessions.

Outcome:

The manager gained confidence and capability to approach managing conflict professionally, assertively and fairly, which Improved team dynamics, strengthened relationships and created a more positive work environment, and went on to successfully lead the team through an exceptionally challenging seasonal period, with the full support of their team, exceeding their set and aspirational targets and securing promotion within 12 months of the intervention.

Challenge 2: Leading through change with remote teams

Scenario:

After the impact of multiple lockdowns and the introduction of new working practices, a group of senior leaders in a an engineering firm were finding it challenging to manage remote teams effectively, struggling with effective engagement, accountability and trust.

Guidance Provided:

We developed a programme of learning that included Change Leadership vs Change Management, Effective Remote Leadership Best Practices, Leading with Trust and Empowering Teams. We supplemented these learning interventions with a suite of tools and techniques that could support virtual collaboration and contribution.

We also asked leaders to establish a set of expectations and performance metrics, through a consultative approach with their teams, which provided clear direction and purpose. We recommended regular virtual, and in-person where possible, coffee clubs, where non-work related chats and team-building activities could take place to maintain engagement.

Outcome:

Leaders felt more confident in their teams commitment and performance, colleagues felt a level of trust that they hadn't before, resulting in better team cohesion despite the physical distance.

With collectively agreed and measurable metrics, the business experienced an improvement in accountability and transparency, not just across the individual teams, but across the organisation as a whole, providing a culture shift at senior leader level, providing evidence that learning and continuous improvement doesn't stop at exec level, but is more important to lead the business and its people by example.