Something to celebrate!

“We achieved more in 3 days virtually, than we would have done getting everyone to travel to take part in a 2-day face to face meeting” 

Human beings are social creatures with a natural desire to be together. Our need to be within arm’s length of each other is present deep within our DNA. We are genetically programmed to protect  family bonds and to create  the next generation to ensure the survival of our species. Our need to be in the company of others is as old as life itself.    Just as for life, so it is for within business. Care is taken to have high quality discussion face to face, to protect team bonds and ensure survival of the business. Until now, we have had a choice about whether to travel to meet face to face or work  remotely. For the moment, that choice has been removed  leaving us with a different decision about how to protect our shared future.     When change is forced onto us we go through a process of reckoning as we learn to shift our routines and patterns of behaviour.     The Kubler Ross Change Curve describes it well.  

At the start  of change, we  typically feel shocked and numbed. We then  move  through a tricky period of denial, blame and despair before accepting, testing and learning from, and getting used to, the new normal. This period of reckoning can slow us down and can feel very painful before we begin to feel liberated.   

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Over the past two weeks, we have  watched (and supported)  the  developing  strength and determination of business leaders as they have moved quickly from shock and denial to designing and creating the new ‘working from home’ normal where people are working well remotely to:   

• Work well virtually. • Keep teams connected.   • Continue to get work done. 

  Many industries with their supply chains, cannot stand still. They must continue to operate like healthy arteries, maintaining the supply of essential goods and nutrients to all of us. While a supply chain connects the physical, we must now put focus on connecting humans. Where there is not a supply chain we must now put in place the human chain.

We are all facing a new way of working and the good news is we humans are a resilient lot and hard-wired not just to survive, but also to thrive.  Take another look at the Change Curve and fully acknowledge and respect where you are today. Now, enquire about where others may be. From here, you can make a conscious choice about what needs to happen next.

As you think about ways to encourage positive momentum and move faster through the curve remember this is not about speed for speed’s sake; rather about strengthening the human chain.   Thinking optimistically, we can help each other to adapt. We are literally all in this together, and together we are strong.  It is time to adapt to the new normal.    We offer this advice with absolute commitment to your success and with the invitation for you to flex your virtual muscles and grow stronger, effective meeting habits. Build them and irrespective of circumstance you will get more value from your virtual/face to face meetings.    With real (and virtual) commitment to great meeting practice, to your success and that of your business.

Helen, Catherine, Ben +44 2031 433 433

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CASE STUDY

Ben’s case study shares the learning from a meeting he facilitated for a global sales team. The team had 14 people working virtually in  12 different locations. It is a fantastic example of where a human chain was strengthened irrespective of geography and logistics.

THE CONTEXT

This newly expanded global team had planned to meet face to face for the first time to align on their goals, priorities and ways of working. A 2-day meeting was planned requiring extensive travel for most of the 14 members, some of whom had never met.      After the corporation placed a travel ban in early March the team considered different options including postponing to September. As their trusted facilitator, I helped them to explore options and  they soon  decided  to  change plans to work virtually over 3 days.     The meeting still  involved all 14 people, now  in 6 different time zones,  in 12 different locations ranging from Hong Kong, Russia, and Europe through to the US. 

It was clear to me that several things had to come together to make this a success:  • Clear and shared purpose and objectives 

This was clear from the start, I had no concern there, this team with their leader are very focussed.  • Strong intent and commitment

This team have got a great attitude and spirit, I knew they were ready and willing to do what they could, going beyond normal expectations to make it happen.

• Practical and common ways of working  If  I  was to  take something so complex and make it work  in  6 time zones  across  a difference of 14 hours, we needed to define a consistent approach. 

 

FOUNDATIONAL THINKING 

I  needed a strong foundation to my thinking as I designed the process for this virtual session, something that everyone could relate to. I realised three things: 

• Every member of a team is not always (and cannot be) involved in every conversation. • Teams do not deliver every piece of work together as one unit, 100% of the time. • For a team to succeed, individuals from time to time need to adapt their perception of virtual working.  Visuals by Inky Thinking© The Facilitation Partnership Limited© 3

This realisation brought forward a metaphor of a relay where instead of the traditional baton being passed, a baton of thought, knowledge and insight would be passed between team members. 

  THE DESIGN 

I designed a relay to deliver work around the globe.   

I reasoned that  within a relay team,  everyone brings their own discipline… 100m sprinter,  200m sprinter, 400m sprinter, and they come together for the relay. For them to perform well they need to work separately on their own discipline and then must align on their goals, collaborate, train together and share a common attitude to win.     This team of experts passed the baton all week, working together from their respective homes in  Hong Kong, Russia, Switzerland and the UK. When the US team come online, they would be brought up to speed and align together to make progress and decisions. The US team would then be encouraged to take things further and polish, create the next version, handing over to the other team to take on again the next day.      Sometimes  initial seed thinking was quickly done on a fresh topic and a question was posed for the next group to pick up in the next working session.     The team commented on how refreshing it felt knowing that while they slept or spent time with their family, another group was collaborating, designing and proposing work for them to refine when they woke.    Throughout the course of the meeting, the team came together as a full group from time to time. It was important that they could align real-time for 2-3 hours each day. It helped to land the big decisions and agree next steps.  This meant some individuals had to make small sacrifices to their daily schedule; for example, the team member in Hong Kong needed to work the late shift while the people in Chicago started calls at 7am. This was requested and agreed well in advance of the meeting and we ensured no surprises.    Even during the  full-group  time, we created opportunities for smaller groups  to converse together  just like they might in a face to face meeting. Sometimes  they were grouped proactively  around functionality and expertise, sometimes I just invited them to log onto a different conference call based on their passion for a topic; they joined not knowing which other team members they would find there.   Working visually was important  too, there was always something on screen to engage with, be it a video of their team member speaking  or  sharing a groups work,  a template to  collaborate on  or  to  capture notes  in. I found this critical to maintaining high levels of engagement.   

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 THE OUTCOME 

The team were triumphant! They summarised this themselves by using nearby at-home item that represent how they felt….an Xbox controller for joy and being in control; a child’s bracelet which picked out diverse personalities, a toy car to demonstrate momentum and Buzz Lightyear for infinity and beyond!

We have facilitated for this leader for many years, so I know he was delighted with the impact of our time, especially when he commented;

“We‘ve achieved more in 3 days virtually, than we would have done getting everyone to travel to take part in a 2-day face to face meeting”

 REFLECTIONS 

This period of uncertainty requires us to change the way we are working, both outwardly and inwardly. I truly believe that nothing replaces the power of working face to face, however we have to be realistic and  sensitive moving forward.  The mind map below reviews my experience of working virtually last week. 

 On top of that, I offer two big reflections: 

1. Relationships can still be built, even when working virtually. A team may be thousands of miles apart but there is still chance to learn about people’s rituals, routines and families by inviting them to share aspects of their lives that they might not normally be able to do in a meeting room.  I found that team members were willing to open that window into their life; their family, pets, personal rituals and their unique eccentricities. 

2. Despite having to work individually at home, in different buildings or on different continents; purposeful virtual collaboration can knit together individual knowledge and strength. Moreover, it will help teams to feel connected (when they need it most) and enable the business to move forward. Way, way better than postponing until the team can meet face to face.      At first glance what may seem impossible, may be possible virtually  and for some teams, I’d say more  could be possible than normal. 

This team now have a way of working that will kick-start their businesses recovery ahead of the recovery curve. 

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