Pharmaceutical Company Develops Process to Communicate Strategic Direction

The Need

This company had an urgent need to develop a process to deliver a critical and difficult message to its entire workforce. The "old ways" of communicating important information, top down directives, would not be sufficient. The leadership team knew that it needed buy-in and good ideas from all levels of the firm to be successful in implementing the new plan. A coordinated team effort would be essential every step along the way. Every employee needed to be 100% committed to the new direction of the organization. Compliance would not suffice.

The Adventure Associates Process

After a thorough needs assessment to define the scope of the workshop, the AAI facilitators along with the client narrowed down the focus of the program to a few key areas. Adventure Associates was then able to conduct a program that:

• Provided a quick review of fundamental communication skills needed for this effort; give people an opportunity to assess their own communication skills, practice these critical skills, and develop an action plan to address any challenging areas.
• Provided an enjoyable, outdoor, opportunity to practice working as a high-functioning cross-functional team. They then selected a team building program that demonstrated that power of building strong relationships and working collaboratively.
• Finally, and most importantly, Adventure Associates facilitated a modified Open Space Technology process for creating action steps to communicate the message.

Results

The leadership team left the session with a clear strategy for delivering this challenging message. The communication effort went smoothly, and the message that was delivered was consistent across the organization. Teams are implementing the plan, and feedback is being solicited and incorporated into the plan. Instead of discouragement and frustration, there is an upbeat, can-do attitude in the department.