Case study: fostering collaboration & creativity at a pension provider
People's Partnership asked us to deliver a bespoke team-building event for 30 members of the risk, compliance, and audit teams, to help build stronger internal and external relationships.
Fig 1. Four key ‘social styles’ that influence how we participate in a team environment.
We started the day with an ice-breaker activity using a Communication Styles framework. The team members split themselves into four groups based on their communication styles and were then tasked with preparing a creative presentation on the unique strengths, preferences, and communication patterns of their particular style.
We then mixed the groups to ensure a blend of communication styles in each team, before sending them out onto the streets of London for a photography challenge designed to put their communication and teamwork skills to the test.
The teams were given a list of items and locations, a set of rules, and three hours in which to take three creative, high-scoring photographs.
The items ranged from the ordinary (a banana) to the extraordinary (a team member's doppelganger). Bonus points were awarded if they could link their photograph to the People's Partnership values or the four communication styles.
The teams set about deciding on a strategy - whilst some puzzled over where to find a live duck, others questioned whether they would receive extra points if they returned with a police horse rather than merely a photograph of one.
The expressives set to work trying to convince the receptionist to lend them a stapler as they left the building. The BiteSize team eagerly awaited their return - anticipating team members clad in feather boas and kilts, and triumphantly wielding ukuleles, balloon animals, or corn on the cob.
The photography challenge was designed to strengthen communication and teamwork, but also served as an opportunity to maximise creativity, take people out of their comfort zone, and encourage creative problem-solving and strategic thinking.
Three hours later, five slightly soggy but harmonious teams returned to present their final photographs to the group and share what they had learned about teamwork along the way. Tenuous links to the company values and Communication Styles were claimed, and the group was entertained with stories of a conga with French grannies in the Tate Modern and Strictly Come Dancing style photoshoots with an obliging Uber driver.
While the scores were tallied, we delved into The Trusted Advisor framework, developed by Charles H. Green, to explore how professionals can develop trust, deepen stakeholder relationships, and become trusted advisors rather than just transactional service providers.
The event successfully combined collaboration, creativity, and exploration in a fun and engaging way.
Participants left the event with…
a renewed sense of connection to their colleagues and the organisation as a whole
a deeper understanding of their communication style, and how they can adapt to communicate more effectively with others;
and development actions for building stronger relationships using the Trusted Advisor framework.
We would like to thank People's Partnership for allowing us creative licence to develop this team building event!
Our client said…
“We asked for something that was fun and informative in that order, as this was our first opportunity to bring the whole team together. Not only did everybody have a great day, but the team felt even closer and, as importantly, left with some clear ideas and actions for developing relationships both internally and externally.”