Case in numbers
The challenge: Cultivating Autonomy and Collaboration
The journey of AstraZeneca's Respiratory and Immunology leadership team of 10 members was characterized by a profound commitment to empowerment and autonomy. Some of them had only just met each other, others had known each other for some time, so relationship building was one of the many important factors in overcoming this challenge. The team members sought not only for independence in decision-making in their business areas, but also full empowerment to effectively shape their own part of the business. Coupled with a strong desire to improve collaboration, they wanted to knit the team closer together by leveraging the strengths of each other. The goal was to create an environment where business success is a collective effort and where all team members feel empowered, heard, and included.
The process: Change in Dynamics Through High-Performing Team program
The team transformation process took place over 16 weeks from July to November and followed the High-Performing Team (HPT) program trajectory of 4 team sessions. Central to this journey were in-depth conversations with the team leader and personalized dual coaching sessions for each of the 10 team members. With the first signs of individual empowerment and the development of personal strengths, the process was crucial for change to reshape the dynamics of the team. Each member began to discover their unique contribution and express it by utilizing their strengths, resulting in more cohesive and effective team.
The results: Building a Lasting Impact
Empathy Drives Team Success
The High-Performing Team program has triggered profound change among the leaders and their teams, leading to remarkable results that go beyond traditional business metrics. Participants reported a significant improvement in their leadership skills, particularly in terms of engaging and coaching their teams with a new level of empathy and effectiveness. This development has not only boosted leaders' confidence, but also fostered a culture of generosity in giving positive feedback, which has significantly improved team performance and cohesion. The High-Performing Team program has provided leaders with a solid framework that allows them to better focus on and leverage individual strengths, fostering a more inclusive and supportive team environment.
Strengthening Leadership, Enhancing Synergy
In addition, the initiative has significantly enhanced leaders' coaching skills, with a focus on leveraging individual team members' strengths and dealing effectively with potential derailers. This nuanced coaching approach has provided deep insights into team dynamics, improved individual engagement and enhanced performance through a personalized understanding of motivators and strengths. The High-Performing Team program's focus on identifying and eliminating blind spots and facilitating honest conversations has been instrumental in improving team synergy and accountability.
Ownership Boosts Business Performance
On the business side, the High-Performing Team program has given managers the opportunity to take ultimate responsibility for their regions, resulting in accelerated business performance. This newfound ownership, combined with a strategic focus on leveraging individual and collective strengths, has significantly improved business performance and operational efficiency. The introduction of practices such as CoffeeSyncs for conflict management and a strategic shift towards leveraging strengths in change management and job crafting have further boosted team morale and adaptability. As a result, team members are now more involved in critical areas such as marketing, policy, strategic development, and people management and are aligning their roles more closely with their strengths. This holistic approach has not only increased job satisfaction but has also ensured that business decisions are made collaboratively, with regular feedback and a strong emphasis on strengths-based contributions, resulting in a more dynamic and resilient business model.
In summary, team members now:
- take full ownership of business decisions.
- provide each other with regular feedback.
- lean on and pull others into the business scenarios, based upon their strengths.
- having frank conversations to manage conflict in the moment.
- using the tools with their own teams leading to higher levels of ownership.
How have they integrated the benefits into the day-to-day business?
1. Individual Accountability
Team members have gotten into the habit of setting their Weekly Aims, focusing on using their strengths to achieve them. The Reflection part follows at the end of the week to evaluate the achievement of the goal and understand the contributing factors.
2. Weekly Team Meeting
The Monday afternoon team meetings have evolved into strategic sessions where each member outlines their Weekly Aim and the strengths they will employ to meet them. These meetings also serve as a base for discussing how they and the management team can provide support to each individual.
Additionally, they dedicate time to share Reflections from the previous week, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and learning.
3. 1-on-1 Meetings
Their individual catch-up meetings are now broken down into discussions about organizational performance and e2grow performance indicators, focusing on how team members are leveraging their strengths, managing their raw talents, and applying the habits they've learned. These conversations encourage more thoughtful decisions that directly link their personal development to their business goals.
4. Monthly Business Review
Integrating their strengths and applying key habits have become fundamental aspects of their monthly reviews. This structured approach ensures that strategic initiatives are consistently aligned with day-to-day business, which has a significant impact on overall business efficiency and team cohesion.
Testimonials
You don’t need all strengths to succeed. Just to understand your own strengths, and how to leverage others to reach them for input. As an example, one member of the team has 5 of their strengths all in Execution – she was struggling to open the doors for clients and reached out to colleagues with high Self-Assurance and Ideation on how to powerfully engage with a client – which led to a significant win. We are all now aware what drives high performance; it’s about bringing in diverse perspectives - having a powerful combination of strengths – to solve the business challenges
WATCH TESTIMONIAL VIDEO
I thoroughly enjoyed working with Mark [coach] through the High-Performing Team program and would highly recommend it for strengthening team collaboration and performance. The program raised our self awareness of what strengths we bring into the team and that led to a better understanding of who best to collaborate with to improve success. It’s helped me to understand myself better and where I can add value to the team in my own unique way, but also understand my team strengths, how to collaborate more effectively with them, what drives them and equally what frustrates them. The common platform of the language, strengths and process has united the team especially in our communication and this has led to better working processes and results. Mark has an open and welcoming coaching style which put everyone at ease and shared useful tools to facilitate all the skills learnt.
Over the past 16 weeks I have worked with Mark and the wider leadership to embark on a High-Performing Team’s programme. What a journey it was. As a well functioning, performing team we believed we were already working at the top of our licence however during the course we gained a deeper understanding of each others strengths and an understanding of how to collaborate more effectively to accelerate business performance. During the course I utilised my understanding of individual strength of the wider team to pull together a task force to help resolve a key challenge. Mark offers practical, easy to implement tools and techniques to ensure the team is functioning to a high standard - these include CoffeeSyncs and the team Progress huddle. These are all techniques I will continue to use following completion of the course. Finally, Mark delivers the course with passion and enthusiasm, his communication style adapts to reflect the needs of the group which ensured that engagement was high throughout the course. I would highly recommend.
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