Client Profile
Engineering leaders across a $7B technology company – a highly matrixed organization.
Client Needs
Senior leaders were frustrated with the matrix structure of the organization and struggled to produce high quality on-time delivery due to the many moving parts of the organization.
Client Focus Areas + Results
The goals were: 1) effectively influence without authority 2) increase the effectiveness of communication across functions and within teams 3) uplevel ability to coach and develop as the teams quickly grew.
Design:
- 37 mid-level managers in a Group Learning program over 18 months
- Each 12-week program included 12 participants, with group coaching, 1-1 coaching or peer coaching session every week to keep the program momentum going and sustain learning.
- Content customized to the needs of the group.
- Participants continued meeting with their peer coaches after the 12-week program ended to ensure sustained learning and collaboration.
Results:
- Use of collaboration skills/tools led to less frustration, less stress as well as quicker decision-making and higher productivity, including more on-time deliverables. This included crafting a ‘communications checklist’ to create consistency in use and cadence of intra and inter team communications; agreeing to a decision-making framework; clarifying roles and responsibilities; and practicing the skills of inquiry and advocacy.
- Influence skills improved with skill building around empathy, listening, inquiry and advocacy and rapport building. They learned to influence and be influence-able with each other and applied new skills out into the organization.
- Delegated and coached team members to take on more, increasing engagement, employing the In-the-Moment (ITM) Coaching model. Learned to adapt leadership approach to the person and situation at hand.
- 92% retention of leaders who participated in the program one year later.
It is easy to acquire leadership knowledge, but it is very difficult to turn such knowledge into habits. This program helped me establish lasting habits that will benefit me, my team, and my company.
This is a very well-organized program with materials and discussions that are highly relevant to issues that managers face everyday in most high-tech fi rms (and likely in other organizations as well). The coaches encouraged frank and open discussion in the group meetings as well as in the 1-1 coaching sessions.
It is an outstanding program and an absolute must for senior/emerging leaders who want to lead and influence cultural change in extremely matrixed organizations.
The beauty of this program is the 1-1 coaching sessions as well as the larger group discussions. Sometimes when you are faced with a very difficult situation, you just need someone (ideally unbiased) to ask the right set of questions and help take the blinders off . Additionally, this program provides an opportunity to also learn from others’ experience in dealing with such situations and share best practices.
