CASE 2:

TEAM BUILDING TO BRIDGE COMMUNICATION GAPS

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Bridge Performance Coaching (BPC) was working extensively with a business ownership team to hire three new employees for their print and marketing business. It became apparent there were miscommunications happening throughout their team that were causing performance issues. Based on conversations with the owners and their staff, a facilitated team-building exercise was recommended to bridge those communication gaps.

 

The process involved each staff member completing a brief online strengths assessment. The results were remotely reviewed with each person individually by BPC to ensure accuracy. From there, BPC conducted a 2-hour on-site staff lunch as a team-building session. All staff members, including the owners, shared highlights from their respective assessments for the purpose of educating team members about effective strategies to work within the team context. The session provided additional opportunities for the owners to present their expectations with clarity within the context of a relaxed, “safe” space to a captive staff audience.

 

The results of this BPC directed team exercise on staff morale were phenomenal. The owners recognized an immediate attitude and productivity shift throughout their business. Here are some comments received after the process:

 

One staff responded as follows when asked if they would recommend this unique process to other teams: “YES! It is invaluable to put it all out there in front of one another to reveal directly how others like to be spoken to, etc., so that there is no question.”

 

One of the new staff members commented on the entire team building session as follows: “I enjoyed the team sharing activity.. it was fun and I feel very grateful my employers would spend the extra time and effort on their employees.. it means a lot. After the activity, I felt more comfortable around everyone. I would definitely recommend this activity to other teams because it shows that the employers are more than ‘bosses,’ and they are willing to put in the extra time and effort to make a better and more enjoyable workplace.”

 

The owners’ responses to specific questions were as follows:

 

Q: How would you rate the acceptance of the process and its results with your team? (1 being poor, up to 5 being excellent) R: “5 – excellent session and we think the team enjoyed this”

 

Q: What were the things that stood out about the way the team session was conducted? Did you feel the team was engaged? Was it fun? R: “Sonja was a great facilitator and she got the team to share quite a bit.”

 

Q: Would you recommend this process to other franchisees? R: “Yes – very valuable, positive, and productive session that all centers should consider. I like this more than the other sessions we have tried – this seemed to be the best way to start a collaboration of a team.”