Honest communication saves the day for logistics company

A team in a logistics company was struggling to work together and interpersonal relationships had broken down between some of them. Individually they all held someone else responsible for what had been going on, and they were unable to resolve the situation or unite behind a common, shared vision.

Having come across Rees & England in a previous role, the director of workforce development knew that the one-to-one interviews and coaching offered by Rees & England were exactly what her team needed.

In June 2010, Jonathan Rees and Paul England met with every member of the impacted group to identify common viewpoints as well as specific challenges. The interviews and coaching provided the team with the opportunity to consider what they could personally do to improve the situation.

In addition, Rees & England ran a two-day workshop which aimed to help the team explore its behaviour from an objective and detached viewpoint. By using the latest thinking on “Emotional Intelligence” and an assessment of the “Conflict and Collaboration” styles within the team, Rees & England was able to help the employees see how they had become entrenched in certain roles and behaviour patterns and to see the situation from another’s perspective. For the first time in months, they were able to see a way forward and had the resources to be able to choose a different way to behave if and when conflict arose.

The workshop concluded with the team working together to generate a visual metaphor for the culture that would best represent and support their working together. This metaphor was used to openly and honestly discuss what each member of the group needed to be able to achieve the vision and many commitments were made.

Six months later, a follow-on session was held to evaluate progress and agree further commitments. During the day, Rees & England helped the team to identify key attributes and behaviour that they desired from one another to continue moving forward.

After the two-day workshop the team was noticeably talking more openly and honestly about their feelings and was able to discuss the impact of each other’s behaviour on the group dynamic. The majority of the team was able to recognise dysfunctional elements to their relationships and agree on what needed to be done to improve the situation. By the end of the coaching and workshop sessions, the goal of having an open, honest and functional group seemed increasingly possible and achievable.

If this case study in any way reflects your situation, contact us today to discuss how we might work together.