“I am not responsible...”
What to do when irresponsibility prevails? The managing director of a sales organization contacted us: customers who called with product concerns were not given a solution, but were referred from the sales department to the back office and vice versa. They were passed from one colleague to another. The customers were correspondingly dissatisfied and the complaints piled up. The working atmosphere was irritable and the managing director was increasingly at a loss. Talks, warnings and even reprimands had been unsuccessful.
Our discussions with the management revealed that the company had been forced to implement strict cost-cutting measures in recent years - including a staff reduction of around 20%. The workforce, most of whom had worked well together for a long time, was considerably unsettled as a result. But now, two years later, everything seemed stable and nobody had a plausible explanation for the misconduct on many levels. We learned that the reorganization at the time was directly controlled by headquarters, with local managers largely excluded and relegated to the role of extras. It became clear that both local management and staff had experienced a sense of powerlessness and considerable frustration.
And now the collaboration was no longer working. Many employees were worried about being held responsible for problems of all kinds. There was strong cohesion within the individual teams, but at the same time there was less willingness to work together across departments. Everyone kept “their own backyard clean” and covered up for their direct colleagues. Customer problems were passed on internally without anyone taking responsibility for a solution. There was also a lack of cohesion and a sense of responsibility within the local management team. The managers identified more strongly with their subordinate teams than with the management team. The situation, both economically and culturally, was not good.
Challenge
The central task was to support the company in rebuilding both intra-team and cross-departmental collaboration. In addition, the sense of responsibility at the individual levels was to be strengthened and communication between managers improved.
Our approach
- Confidential interviews: Through a series of confidential interviews, we assessed the overall situation and reflected this back to the management team in an unembellished manner. We also talked about the future of the company and asked the management team what scenarios were likely to arise if behavior remained unchanged.
- Common objective: In the past, the employees had worked well and openly with each other - the necessary competence was therefore available. Therefore, in consultation with the management team, we considered a return to the strengths of earlier days to be a good starting point. In large group workshops, among other things, we worked with all employees to develop helpful principles and a calm communication campaign.
- Coaching for managers: Managers were offered coaching to strengthen their role and sense of responsibility.
- Quarterly team coaching sessions accompanied the management team over a period of around one year. einem Jahr.
Result
Thanks to various supportive measures, the company quickly regained effective collaboration. The (perhaps somewhat idealized) memory of the "good old days" was leveraged to reconnect with the organization's strengths and values, breathing new life into them in a modernized form.
Gradually, a new spirit emerged—an inspiring pull toward a fresh mindset within the company. Over time, the leadership team grew closer together, functioning more cohesively, while new internal teams were formed to enhance customer service. Team events for the entire workforce and a shared program slogan fostered a renewed sense of identification and a strong "we-feeling," which also had a positive impact on customer feedback.
After approximately one year, we left behind a well-structured and once again successful organization. A new CEO took over, and our work was complete.
