The Client:

Our client is a multi-divisional conglomerate operating across geographies.

The Challenge:

Our client had recently changed the organisation structure. They organised themselves into vertical product lines across the globe. This meant managers had to deal with teams at different locations, with flexible work arrangements. The managers were acutely aware of the opportunities and challenges presented by the new structure. As the global business head put it "we must make it come together… because there’s no going back".

The Solution:

Our premise:

A vertical product line organisation structure requires managers to effectively manage virtual/distributed teams.

What we did:

Tier 1: Identifying skills for managing distributed teams

• Worked with HR to identify skills required to manage virtual/distributed teams effectively, such as trust building, fostering communication, implementing team processes and so on.

Tier 2: Building the skill-sets for managing distributed teams.

• Since we were working with seasoned managers, we decided to structure workshops to have meaningful conversations around managing virtual/distributed teams.
• Participants described well-managed virtual/distributed teams and identified key success factors.
• They also described dysfunctional virtual/distributed teams and identified hindering factors.
• We then facilitated a dialogue to identify skills required to manage distributed teams and shared tips and ideas to help manage such teams successfully.
  
  

The Result:

Managers felt better equipped to manage virtual/distributed teams.