In 2018, we worked with MTC to design and deliver a high-impact and multi-dimensional two day team immersion programme here at the Møller Institute for the 11 senior leadership team members. Additionally, we ran a pre programme day in which we developed a sustained diagnostic session with the senior team centred around 1:1 structured interviews as well as tools and psychometrics for raising their self- awareness, understanding diversity in the team and personal leadership.
Background
The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) was established in 2010 as an independent Research & Technology Organisation (RTO) with the objective of bridging the gap between academia and industry.
Since 2011 MTC expanded rapidly from 16 industrial members and 44 staff to an order of magnitude more members and more than 500 employees from diverse backgrounds. Their footprint and facilities have been developed with the construction of three more facilities, including the National Centre for Additive Manufacturing.
Design
Growth of this scale and pace always brings challenges as well as opportunities, irrespective of the nature of the organisation. At this point, the senior leadership team at MTC wanted to refocus on cultivating the perfect environment for team performance, teamwork, as well as strategy alignment and execution in order to be in the best possible place to understand the organisational need for cultural change following rapid organisational growth.
The aims of the programme were to develop a highly customised and effective team immersion programme for the MTC senior leadership team that delivered real tangible performance benefits for the individuals, the team and MTC as an organisation. A key outcome was to develop a sustainable and empowered senior leadership team for MTC where the team developed high trust, the courage for healthy conflict, commitment, accountability and focus on collective results. We wanted to provide alignment in the team to the strategy and growth vision of the organisation and enable the team to provide the optimal culture and environment for wider MTC colleagues and succeed in working towards the organisation’s vision and mission.
Delivery
The Møller Institute took a blended learning approach to deliver the MTC leadership development programme by combining diagnostic tools and de-briefs, team exercises, practitioner talks, post-programme impact assessment and facilitation. The different teaching and speaker sessions, by our highly experienced Associates, featured highly interactive and participative methods and the use of a variety of approaches and resources ensured a high impact learning experience and behaviour changes.
We created a challenging but psychologically safe learning environment where the team would be encouraged to share and contribute in highly authentic ways. We also included a “mindfulness” theory and practice session with our Mindfulness expert and Associate and extended the learning to include a dinner in a historic Cambridge College.
The programme focused on building personal leadership skills as well as understanding how to adopt behaviours, skills and attitudes of a high performing team
Key areas:
- Personal Leadership: The evolving business context and personal leadership challenges
- High Performance teams and your own social style
- Habits and systems (over goals and targets); how to improve the performance of the team
- Twilight Talk – The Art and Science of High Performing Teams
- Creating a climate of support, trust, growth and discipline
Impact
Following the Programme, we arranged follow up Executive Coaching calls from our coaches and the Senior Team. These checked the impact and progress on actions that are agreed following the two-day Immersion.
The senior team participants were able to develop further overall emotional intelligence as well as self-awareness of their roles as team members as well as the roles, styles and preferences of others.
Participants developed a deeper understanding of team dynamics and the diversity of the team and also existing potential dysfunctions or sub-optimal behaviours and how to change these through practical application
Members of the team were aligned and understood how they could align all areas of the organisation as well as to model the leadership behaviours to help them to achieve their objectives.