US Army Integrates Their Departments

The Need

A division of the Army needed a better flow of communication from the top down and among departments. Weekly staff meetings were cancelled more often than they occurred, and project assignments were falling between the cracks.

While the working relationships among members of various teams were positive and effective, cross-team dynamics were not so smooth. Each department had it’s own agenda, timeline and process for completing projects.

The Adventure Associates Process

As part of the pre-course assessment, Adventure Associates determined that The Emissary Process would be very beneficial for this group. One-by-one, participants provided open, candid remarks about the strengths and challenges they encountered with each team, effectively breaking down some barriers. The solutions became very obvious once people were open to feedback, and the team established clear channels of communication.

Results

One of the first things they did upon returning to work was to dedicate time for their staff meeting—no matter what. Someone takes notes and sends the meeting minutes out to all the participants to review. Teams then post their list of “inputs” from other departments in their office so they have a visual reminder of the issues addressed in the meeting.