Challenge

This was the China Regional Team of a global pharmaceutical firm. They had enjoyed good growth over the years, but were starting to lag behind in terms of market share and development. They had experienced high turnover in the past few years. Given the size and scope of the China market, those executives working outside of the Beijing China HQ seemed to be doing their own thing. The team was not aligned on issues and had many disparate positions. They seemed to have no underlying vision and the values were all over the board. There was little sense of team spirit and bonding and everyone appeared busy on their own projects. There were varying ages, tenure and experience on the team, leading to cliques and a lack of respect for some members.

Solution

The first step was to understand where the individual team members were. The regional head in Hong Kong, Managing Director in China and various team members all had their own spin on the issues. After interviewing key members of the team, it became clear which issues were common and which were disparate. A two-day Vision & Values Alignment and Executive Teambuilding program was suggested and conducted. MindSpan used its proprietary "AAA" "Awareness–Acceptance–Appreciate" methodology. It started with team members becoming aware of their different styles through conducting a Harrison Assessment for individuals and at the team level. Through this process members gained an awareness and acceptance of each team member. They started to appreciate and embrace each other as valuable team members. Subsequently the group exposed issues and gripes, which are were expressed and brought to the forefront for resolution.

The next step was to agree on a Vision for the business. This was done through breaking down the vision into different areas of Market / People / Product / Financial. A compelling Vision was created to pull the group forward with a sense of drive and purpose. Finally we employed MindSpan's propriety "Live the Values" exercise, in which all members created and aligned on Team Values for China. A Mantra or Slogan was created which was then cascaded throughout the team. This Live the Values" process became the glue from which the culture and bonding was forged. Action plans and individual pledges were then expressed to create a sense of commitment.

Outcome

A real sense of bonding and team spirit was created as a result. The emotion was palatable. The issues were confronted and resolved, thus releasing the tension and holdbacks. Importantly the grouped felt a new sense of motivation to drive towards common results with an aligned Vision. The Values were cascaded throughout the organization and it became clear at all levels what they stood for. The team was excited about the "Mantra", done in Chinese with special meaning. The momentum continued as the group got together regularly to review and refresh.

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Case Study 8: Facilitation – Igniting Passion in the Team