Bridging the Divide
Advising a client that they need to plan spontaneous moments may sound oxymoronic. However, it was a key step for the leadership group of this global construction company, if they were to build the relationships necessary to successfully realise the benefits of a recent organisational re-structure. At the point Omada got involved in this project two things were imminent. The first was that our client was about to embark on a major organisational transformation, merging three established OpCos into a single matrix structure. The second was that the world was about to be plunged into the throes of a global pandemic, an unforeseen eventuality that would add to the complexity of their change journey and the skills they would need to navigate it.
For this assignment, the focus of our attention was the 45-strong leadership group. The ‘engine room’ responsible for driving the organisational transformation and optimising the new ways of working, they would need to resolve a range of operational, commercial and cultural issues, and engage the wider workforce in the ‘new normal’. Our task was to support their efforts, devising a leadership programme that would equip them with the ‘toolkit’ of skills and know-how required to meet the challenges that lay ahead, and take account of the context in which they would meet them.
Right from the outset, it had been obvious that our client placed a premium on the quality of its internal working relationships. It was no surprise therefore that the ability to build them was identified early on as a key component of their leadership toolkit, particularly given the additional challenges created by wider world events.
The new structure meant the need to form new connections, and to do this quickly, so that the demands of transformation and on-going performance could be satisfied. Previously, leaders would have had the luxury of time and physical proximity to allow relationships to develop ‘organically’. However, new cross-border team structures, COVID-19 travel restrictions and on-going performance targets meant our group found themselves needing to proactively build relationships in a remote and virtual setting, and this was proving challenging.
Yes, technology had enabled continuity of contact, with the usual timetable of individual, team and departmental meetings simply shifting on-line. Meetings could still be ‘face-to-face’, even if those faces were on a screen, and the same people could cover the same points on the same agenda. However, despite this similar ‘process’, the outcome was very different. It was apparent to everyone that the quality of the relationships being developed wasn’t the same, and the decision-making and problem-solving disciplines upon which they were depending were suffering as a result. But why was this?
Omada was able to draw on its knowledge of the core building blocks on which trusted relationships are founded. We worked with the leadership team to build the understanding that effective workplace relationships are dependent on three evaluations. When forming new connections, each of us will assess the other party’s credibility (do they have the required skills and know-how), reliability (are they a person who does what they say they will), and intimacy (do we know them well enough as a person to feel ‘safe’ sharing ideas, discussing issues or receiving feedback).
Armed with these insights, the team could see how the first two of these, the rational and objective measures of credibility and reliability, had readily translated to the remote and virtual environment they now found themselves in. Their challenge was the third, intimacy. A more subjective evaluation, it centres on our experiences of colleagues as people. It’s what we see during the chance off-line encounters rather than the arranged meetings, what we learn about people during water cooler small talk, what we observe of their day-to-day ‘round the office’ behaviour.
However, you can’t ‘walk and talk’ between virtual meetings, cyber corridors don’t allow for chance encounters, full agendas rarely allow time for non-work matters and we don’t bump into colleagues in the home office. The team recognised that if they were to build trusting relationships, then they needed to find a place for these informal but important interactions in the on-line environment. They needed to plan in time for these valuable encounters that had previously occurred in the natural course of events, so that relationships didn’t just function but thrive.
Agendas were re-jigged to allow time for the informal catch up, before getting down to business. Time was scheduled between sessions so individuals could ‘catch up in the corridor’ if required, a safe space away from the group setting to check that everyone was aligned to what had been agreed. One-to-one and small group meetings were scheduled into diaries, where the only item for discussion was, ‘How are things with you?’. Teams held online socials where a ‘no backdrop’ policy was implemented, and interruptions from family and feline friends welcomed, so they learnt about their colleagues’ home lives, not just their home offices.
The result? Relationships began to flourish. Problem solving became more robust, with people feeling ‘safe’ to raise issues. Innovation improved, with team members comfortable to challenge the norms and suggest new ideas. With leaders now able to trust those around them and delegate tasks to the right level, operational efficiency improved. And engagement was enhanced, with leaders and colleagues taking the time to get to know the people around them on a personal as well as professional level.
With the new structures bedded in, our client’s focus has shifted from transformation to performance, confident that they have the all-important relationships in place to pursue their exciting agenda for growth.