Dysfunctional Teams Unite

Problem:
A large military branch is centralizing the military and civilian population retirement and benefits programs to one site, which requires creating systems, both automated and manual that will support the production goals of this newly created division. New employees are added daily, and the teams have expanded from seventy five people to more than four hundred in less than three years. There are lots of kinks in the system, including the implementation of a new, yet quirky automated system, as well as newer employees facing a learning curve. How to share valuable benefits information in a timely manner is crucial. As the department swells, the teams expand, and there is little time in a twenty-four hour operation to provide any type of training that will support veteran employees and the new recruits. Each manager has his/her own style of managing, as well as different management/personnel expectations that not only pit one team against another, but result in decreased morale amongst all the players. There is little time and no support for cross-pollination of information, as this is a production shop. The teams are physically separated on different floors and in different buildings. The Director of the Department wants to improve company morale but has a limited budget and a limited time frame to see results happen.

Solution:
Although I was contracted to teach one-day team building trainings for more than half of her staff, I decided that the best way to make my program work, and impact the teams was to conduct an up-front survey that would provide insight into the mood of the organization. With the Director input, I developed a short survey that she could distribute to her staff. Using the results I designed a powerful, interactive training day that supported the employees to be honest regarding the challenges and strengths of this division, while providing creative ways to resolve many of the recurring breakdowns they had identified. I asked the Director and her management team to participate as well. The Director did attend several days of training classes, which let the employees know that she cared enough about the process to participate.

By the end of the training day, each team had generated a variety of interventions and actions plans they would undertake based upon their shift times and production quotas. Since I already knew many of the obstacles they faced, we were able to move quickly from obstacle to resolution. People felt listened to and cared about, as they talked openly both in their groups and in the larger class exercises.

According to the head of training, three months after the one-day class, the department morale has improved substantially. The Director has committed additional resources to support the phasing in of their new ideas, including committing funds to provide management coaching for herself and her team of managers.