The marketing department of a national retail chain was charged with upgrading the organization’s marketing database software. To complete the project, territory headquarters assigned a cross-functional team comprised of employees from marketing, information technology, and procurement, as well as several ex-officio members. There were issues with dynamics from the project’s inception. Team members had very little knowledge of one another, and at the time, marketing and information technology were mired in an internal debate over who would manage the project – and the database. Additionally, a recent re-org made the individual team members highly skeptical of one another, causing time-consuming delays in productivity. The group could not achieve consensus on the simplest of issues.
Approach
The consultant was brought in to create cohesion with this team so that they could achieve consensus, become productive, and fulfill their mission. Initial analysis determined that this team needed intensive work in team building and conflict resolution.
Creating Cohesion
At its core, this team was unable to trust. Team members were unwilling to open themselves up and express their opinions. Fear was also a factor - fear of rejection, and a fear that weaknesses and mistakes would not be viewed for their constructive benefits. Without trust, team members were unable and unwilling to conflict constructively. Team members’ commitment was to the project, not to one another. Although they wanted results, they had no idea how to achieve them. The first step was to build trust. Team members participated in effectiveness exercises, and personality, leadership and behavioral profiling. The next step was teaching members how to create healthy conflict. After developing trust and healthy conflict, team members training focused on commitment to one another and accountability for all actions. Once individual team members attained a grasp on these core skills, they began to function as a whole, with renewed focus and direction.
Results
The consultant conducted periodic follow-ups with the group throughout the course of the 18-month project. Although there were minor issues that needed attention along the way, the database project was successfully implemented.
