Starting point
A specialist vehicle manufacturer with around 180 employees suffered from a poor atmosphere, factions below executive level, ineffective communication and friction between people and departments. Valuable employees were considering leaving. The new managing director made rapid improvement a priority.
Goals
Resolve existing conflicts sustainably, create professional collaboration, and improve communication through appreciation, respect, openness and honesty.
Process
An introductory video meeting was followed by a questionnaire on how leaders experienced the situation, its causes and consequences. The responses painted a consistently worrying picture if nothing changed.
Two multi-day workshops focused on cooperation and communication. All participants signed a concrete implementation agreement.
Results
The reasons behind past behaviour became understandable. Leaders committed to a positive communication and feedback culture with clear rules. Practical ways to improve relationships were established as an ongoing process.
Participants recognised that everyone was suffering from the situation and that change was essential. Experiments and interventions demonstrated how departmental self-interest and silo thinking obstruct solutions for the whole organisation.
