Developing Team Effectiveness With A FTSE 100 Financial Services Provider

This FTSE100 financial services provider was increasing its use of digital channels to engage its customers, thereby increasing the risk of cyber-attack. However, the expanding Information Team was perceived as disjointed and inconsistent. YSC Consulting was brought in to build the team’s effectiveness and ability to support the business.

Key objectives identified for this project included:

• Creating commitment and trust between team members.
• Establishing mechanisms for regular communication so that issues would addressed by the team rather than referred to management.
• Providing consistency and clarity around the advice the team gave to the rest of the business.
• Developing a shared understanding of the team’s role.

YSC conducted a series of individual diagnostic interviews with team members and stakeholders to explore the dynamics and underlying causes of how the team were operating. This generated:

• A map of how the team were experienced by the business.
• Clarity about how the business and team members wanted the team to move forward.
• Insight into the psychological blocks and barriers that were stopping the team from resolving these issues.

YSC then facilitated a one-day workshop with the team, using YSC’s High Performing Teams Model and the interviews to provide a focus and spur for action. Key goals of the workshop included:

• Trust building.
• Creating a common team purpose.
• Identifying what the team need to do to deliver that purpose.

The team came together to develop their commitments to work together in the following ways:

• Agreeing on common positions for engaging the business.
• Involving colleagues on the team where their interests are being affected.
• Resolving issues between themselves, only referring up on critical issues.
• Creating space to communicate with each other by booking in one-to-ones and opening their diaries to each other.
• Prioritizing what they take on, so they can focus on addressing the longer term strategic challenges.
• Engaging in more conversations with sponsors about what is realistic.
• Creating a new statement of purpose.

The more collaborative culture the team has created is already delivering results.