Century 21 Department Store — Case Study Part Three
Establishing interdepartmental communication and respect.
Overview
Case study
Two significant silos in the company worked well internally but had significant challenges working interdepartmentally and a pervasive resignation existed that the departments could ever function well together in any meaningful way.
APPROACH
Conducted experiential learning sessions to illuminate the radical, positive impact of a win/win approach between power departments beyond concept into a real shift from ‘us’ and ‘them’ to ‘we’. Trained people in how to listen when they are the source of someone else’s complaint and to move beyond us/them positions even with difficult circumstances and personalities to create high caliber collaborative solutions.
RESULTS
Created events for the groups to have fun, develop relationships and deepen connection and sense of community together. Conducted open, honest discussion sessions to address the real issues. Management has received ongoing feedback of a growing sense of shared purpose, significantly diminished gossip and back channel communication, and people feeling enabled to get their job done well in synergy with the other group. (Specific result?)
