Case study: team building
Building trust in teams
Product managers and senior engineers involved in a time-critical project were experiencing issues with trust in their team relationships. The problems had drawn the attention of the board of directors and needed rapid resolution.
An initial meeting with representatives from managers and engineers revealed a significant lack of trust between the two groups, which led to misunderstandings and negative assumptions.
Our goal was to enable a fluid exchange of critical information about projects between the two groups. We also wanted to help the team to develop flexible, innovative approaches to solving problems.
Processes
Members of both groups listed their expectations and their needs in respect of their relationships with the other group. Then the participants reviewed the expectations and needs of the other group members and listed realistic promises to meet these expectations and needs. In listing these promises, the groups were able to clarify the behaviours and procedures that were going to be most effective in building trust.
Outcomes
At the end of the Trust Day, members agreed there had been some very important discussions. They had created a written charter detailing the promises made by one another. And they had made a critical set of decisions about actions that would continue to build trust between the two groups.
