Case Example – Coping with Change Via Effective Teaming
Case Background & Situation Analysis
- Client organisation is an IT solutions company that was acquired by a larger conglomerate.
- Following the acquisition, there was a restructuring initiative in the Singapore office to streamline the structure and integrate processes between the conglomerate and the newly acquired company.
- The team of 30 employees from the acquired company are very closely knit and used to a certain culture since their early start-up days.
- Following the acquisition, restructuring and new team members from the conglomerate-parent company, resistance to change and a drop in morale and productivity was observed.
Needs Analysis
Given the volatility of the situation, there is a need for the management to:
- Re-affirm the vision & mission of the organisation.
- Get continued commitment, namely to shareholders, customers and each other after the impending restructuring exercise.
- Stop further erosion of morale and productivity.
- Prevent possible loss of good employees & key talents.
Recommendations
To conduct a “rebuilding morale and productivity” initiative to:
- Help employees realize that it is “business as unusual”.
- Forge ahead confidently and energetically to implement the mission and achieve business goals.
- Help employees understand, cope/manage and even advocate (positive) change.
- Reduce incidence of immediate reactive actions and help to improve the prospects of longer-term acceptance of the changes and co-operation with new practices and systems.
- Provide an opportunity for the leader(s) to share with employees the need for restructuring, to streamline structures and operations and to provide insights to questions like “what’s next?”
- Provide an opportunity for employees to come together and form effective teams.
An Effective Teams – Business as Unusual Workshop was conducted to achieve the following:
Benefits
Improved commitment, morale and productivity.
- Greater acceptance of the changes.
- More flexibility, innovation and risk taking.
- Lower turnover and absenteeism.
- Increased team-play and team performance.
Post-Intervention Highlights
The Change & Transition as well as Effective Teaming initiatives resulted in significant positives for the client organisation including:
- Mindset shifts and change advocacy: Leverage on organisational changes as an opportunity to shift mindsets; to acknowledge that change is a constant, to advocate positive change in times of transition and to rally team members bringing out the best of collective efforts.
- Build commitment & alignment to organisational strategic directions & objectives: Increased commitment from team leaders to relate changes with that of organisation objectives & values, provide direction and gain clarity on their own as well as team members’ roles and responsibilities in order to effect greater work efficiency
- Re-focus on productivity and morale: Set the stage for greater productivity, clarity on individual and team SOPs and to provide a conducive and fun work environment.
- Emphasis on change as a constant: Greater acceptance to adopt changes, better appreciation of post-acquisition changes and higher commitment to adapt to impending changes.