WHAT WE DO

Service solutions that are bold, innovative and effective.

01 |  Collaboration by Design

             www.collaborationbydesign.com.au

 

WHAT IT IS

 “Changing cultures one conversation at a time”

Think of a day at work when you wanted to get something done and you didn’t have the resources to do it. What did you do? Most likely, you had a conversation with someone you know and trust. The person you chose was someone who you’ve learnt to trust as your go-to person when problems are around. In fact research tells us that when people want something, rather than heading for an unknown expert, they will talk to people they know who may or may not have the knowledge. These people are part of our informal network – the go-to people that we learn to trust as we go about our daily work.  The most important factor in your success is to learn who to go to, who to go through and even who to go around in order to get your work done.

Now think of the last ‘transformation program’ in your organisation. A new operating model was decided on by identifying problems and working out where savings could occur. As a result, roles were spilled and new ones created. If you have been part of an organisation for over a year you are likely to have experienced at least one ‘transformation’ and spilling of roles. But roles are occupied by people and people form networks through which knowledge, information, collegiality and experience flows. Rarely is this taken into account. Transformation programs do the figures and identify the structures that need changing, but on the whole do not address in any consistent way the everyday interactions through which people get their work done. This is why change programs so often miss the mark.

Collaboration by Design is a program that addresses organisation change through people and their working relationships. As such it serves to complement abstract transformation processes by engaging people, thus avoiding the risk of diminished productivity as people struggle with new ways of interacting. The basic assumption is that the health and transparency of the informal network of an organisation is the secret of its success. If aligned with the change, transformation will occur smoothly without loss of productivity. If not aligned, resistance will slow it down.  By learning about the informal network and identifying its key cultural influencers and working with them on the change, the transition is fast and effective. And. as an added bonus the collaboration by design process provides the feedback and groundwork necessary to design and implement a targeted leadership development and to grow and embed a positive risk culture.

HOW IT WORKS

Collaboration by design is based on five principles:

• Work is done through a network of relationships,
• When there is a flow of knowledge and experience through the organisational network, productivity increases.
• Organisational change requires a clear and compelling purpose that invites commitment from people because it is in line with their personal aspirations
• With a clear strategy, purpose & vision, people are experts in how to get their work done, and they know best who helps them get work done,
• Activating networks of key cultural influencers who support the change means it can be influenced and hastened.
• Activating KCI’s who are also positive risk role models enables a positive risk culture.
• If people are part of the change, they make the change,

Collaboration by Design has four steps, customised for each organisation:

1. Mapping the Informal Network using Organisational Network Analysis (ONA), a proven scientific approach that reveals collaboration patterns and Key Cultural Influencers (KCI) who enable productivity. (Positive risk role models can also be included in the maps)
2. Sensemaking workshop with internal project teams to discuss first order interpretations
3. Insight and Action Workshops use the digital insights from the ONA to give insight into systemic black holes and bottle necks, KCI’s and linkages, hubs and gaps in the collaboration patterns. In the facilitation of local second order interpretations people, mobilise new productive relationships and gain insight into relationships being based on reciprocal respect.
4. Collaboration Forums of cross-sections of Key Cultural Influencers (KCI) from across the business to plan, design and implement actions that realise the organisation strategy and purpose.
5. Action Learning Groups that come together across the different levels and including the Key Cultural Influencers work on aspects of the change.

BENEFITS

Collaboration by Design

• Enables the identification of the key champions of change that are not otherwise known to leadership
• Engages the people who do the work to improve organisation effectiveness, transparency, integrity and productivity,
• Mobilises the diversity and innovation of the individuals that make up the organisation.
• Activates relationships to maximise organisation agility while minimising the dependence on policy and process.

 

A PARTNERSHIP

Collaboration by Design  – (www.collaborationbydesign.com.au) is a joint venture of Optimice (www.optimice.com.au) and Changeworks. With more than 100 social network mapping projects around the world combined with work in leadership, coaching and culture change for more than two decades, Optimice and Changeworks bring unparalleled experience and value.

WHAT WE DO

Service solutions that are bold, innovative and effective.

02 |  One to one Coaching

WHAT IT IS

Organisational Coaching is a well-researched action learning process for bringing about constructive and lasting change for individuals and groups. It involves a series of one-to-one conversations designed to assist individuals and groups to learn and maximise their capacity to perform and contribute fully to the strategy of the organisation.

WHY USE IT

• Enhance leadership by improving communication and people relationships
• As a sounding board for ‘C’ suite leaders and Board members
• To further develop EQ and SQ, basis of wise decision making
• Learn to make good decisions in the face of complexity
• Cultivate the art and science of difficult conversations
• Onboarding new members and in the step up to a new role
• Develop political savvy
• Work through major life/work issues
• A sounding board for difficult strategic issues
• Learn the art of mediating conversations

CHANGEWORKS APPROACH

The Changeworks approach has been developed from over 15,000 hours of coaching people and teams in organisations as well as over 10 years teaching others to coach. Our approach is founded in theory and research and we have all contributed fully to the growing field of coaching through research and publications.

Coaching is a series of solution-focussed and reflective conversations. Through coaching a person will clarify and strengthen the connection between their role and potential, and the purpose, vision and strategy of the organisation they work in.

Our approach includes:

• A reflection-to-action process in service of the coachee,
• Deep listening deeply and honouring the problems faced in everyday work,
• Maintaining the balance between challenge and support,
• Reflects back the connection between purpose, values, strategy and action
• An independent sounding board space for senior executives and board members,
• Empowers a person to move towards learning and action.
• Enhances productivity and complex decision making
• Facilitates and monitors learning, change and action.
• Leads to people make changes quickly.
• maximises performance and has a flow-on effect into the organisation.

THE ENGAGEMENT

The engagement is established on mutual understandings between the coach, coachee and the organisation about the purpose of the coaching.

1. One-to-one Coaching (this is adapted depending on the client):

• Initial contact with the sponsor of the coaching and a contract
• If appropriate a three-way meeting between coach, coachee and sponsor to establish the common goal and purpose of the coaching
• A series (6-10) 1-hour sessions, reflective learning and follow-up.
• If appropriate a three-way completion session with coach, coachee and sponsor.

2. Team coaching

• Initial meeting with sponsor to establish purpose and goals
• One-to-one interviews with all team members
• Presence at a team meeting with observations about the approach
• Feedback to sponsor and team about the approach
• Establish a common model for change and common language and intervention preferences.
• Attend 6-10 meetings.
• Completion with team.

3. Workshops: A Coaching Approach for Leaders

Only 36% of Australian leaders are seen as being effective (DDI).  For 60% of those it is because they ignore relationships. Yet enabling the success of subordinates is the key role of leaders

Relationship is not just courtesy and pleasantries. It is about being honest and reflective, with sensitivity and compassion. More than speaking and telling, it means questions and listening, to begin seeing things in new ways, other people’s ways. Leaders who adopt a coaching approach are effective in these skills.

A Coaching Approach offers a sounding board and it challenges: listening, not passively, but to elicit new possibilities, the potential hidden by the taken-for-granted routines of everyday working life.Using a coaching approach with reports and a team encourages talent; introducing stretch goals and a new, often liberating, understanding and basis for action.

A Coaching Approach to Leadership is one/two day experiential program that teaches leaders to adopt a coaching approach in their leadership. This program is targeted, practical and people will leave the day able to immediately adopt the skills in their workplace.

 

WHAT WE DO

A collection of service solutions that are bold, innovative and edgy.

03 |  Collaborative Leadership Programs

Having spent some time looking at the new context and defining a new form of leadership, it is time to state the obvious; the real issue today is not how leadership is defined but how it is practiced. The role of leader has shifted from that of offering direction based on expertise to one of mindfully inspiring others and motivating them through local accountability and celebration of diversity – a role that moderates the flow of connection between all stakeholders in the service of a coherent organisational purpose. To build a collaborative culture means addressing both the capability of ‘good leadership’ and the capacity of free flowing ‘communication’ across the whole organisational network.

The “4M’s” of Collaborative Leadership.  

The CL program is systemic and designed around three levels of interventions: the whole system, the team level and the individual level.

There are four interconnected elements of the CL program – the 4 “M’s” of Membership, Mindfulness, Mobilising and Moderation. These elements consist of a suite of interventions, which together provide the container for the culture change.

Membership: The first element is the building of a common purpose/intent and objective. A shared commitment helps create a positive culture  that delivers business goals. The membership element of the CL program is the skill of telling a compelling narrative, and building excitement about a shared commitment that invites inspiration and engagement and celebrating success. The premise behind it is that unless people can link their personal aspirations with the purpose and goal of the organisation they will not have a sense of belonging and engagement. Leaders learn story-telling practices to enable this.

Mindfulness: Each employee deserves respect, trust and good leadership. The basis of good leadership is self-awareness, self-regulation and reflective practice. Awareness of ones motivations and intentions allows leaders to practice respect and trust with their teams and to learn the practices of good decision making in the face of complexity and ambiguity.

Moderation: The role of the leader is to provide the space for all voices to be heard in a situation. This is increasingly important in today’s networked and global organisations. It requires the ability to listen as well as ask powerful questions. It means putting aside one’s own expertise and closing the conversation space prematurely with opinions and easy solutions. The basis of moderation is the skills of “mediating conversations”. Through a leader demonstrating open listening and a non-judgemental attitude, people are able to trust and speak out with courage.

Mobilisation: Part of a leader’s role is to motivate people to respond to the call for action. This can require careful negotiation of impasses as well as the ability to move people forward towards solutions. Mobilisation practices include a coaching approach to conversations and meetings. If people have a common goal and purpose then it is easier to move forward in the face of difference of misalignment.

All programs are based on Collaborative Action Learning. This means they are experiential and effective. Practice is embedded through ongoing coaching and supervision. Our programs can use a variety of diagnostics but most particularly an online social network analysis. This maps the relational reciprocity across a team or organisation and identifies the leadership development gap between the current reality and the desired future state as well as being the basis for ongoing evaluation.

 

WHAT WE DO

A collection of service solutions that are bold, innovative and edgy.

04 |  Strategy Facilitation

Strategic thinking is defined as the longer term, big picture view of the organisation and WHAT its purpose is. The purpose is outlined in the broad aim (or vision) and it accompanying objectives.

Being strategic means identifying the many pathways that can be simultaneously designed to achieve the vision and purpose of the organisation. It requires all parts of the brain, the rational logic side as well as creativity, innovation and holistic thinking to formulate an integrated perspective of where the organisation is heading.

There is both strategic thinking and strategic planning.  While strategic thinking is about the WHAT – creating a vision and purpose for the organisation – strategic planning is about HOW to achieve this. Too often companies focus on the latter and do not spend enough time addressing strategic thinking.

Changework’s strategy facilitation is less about planning and more about strategic thinking. It includes experiential processes that help the synthesis of ideas, accessing intuition and creativity and aiming to formulate an integrated perspective, a vision of where the organisation should be heading and what the organisation needs to do well to achieve this.

 

WHAT WE DO

A collection of service solutions that are bold, innovative and edgy.

05 | Wise Decision Making: building speak-up cultures with wise decision making

 

Key Concepts:

• Recent actions in the global markets arena has led to stricter controls, oversight and legal action by regulators,
• Regulators agree that organisational culture and systemic factors are (most) significant in shaping moral awareness, moral reasoning and moral action,
• Traditional approaches to teaching individuals ethics and good decision making have had patchy results,
• Rationally based decision making skills do not provide the capacity to make wise choices in VUCA (volatile, uncertain,complex,ambiguous) environments,
• Recent research in moral psychology, behavioural ethics and neuroscience has led to the focus being shifted towards awareness of brain functioning (thinking fast and slow), moral intuition (inbuilt visceral responses) and a framework and reflective dialogue that encourages decision-making in complexity,
• Wise decisions are more frequent when people are self aware, understand the strengths and limits of human cognitive functions, and develop understanding of cognitive bias, perspective taking and reflective dialogue.
• Therefore an integrated approach that addresses systemic, cultural factors and individual behaviours is required.

 

Purpose
To enable a responsive, ethically compliant and commercially sustainable culture in which people in organisations manage risk through learning and practicing the framework and the skills of wise decision making.

1. Objectives:
   Our program is designed to:
   Map the decision making network across the organisation to identify areas of high and low connectivity that may indicate likelihood of high risk behaviours,
2. Identify Key Cultural Influencers (KCI’s) as well as those considered as positive Risk Champions (RC’s) and analyse the alignment of these groups. Mostly they do not align. The question becomes, are the most influential people in your culture promoting prudent risk behaviours?
3. Develop through consultation a series of cultural “nudges” to encourage moral awareness based on behavioural economics research
4. Build the capacity of Risk Champions to promote a ‘healthy’ risk culture through a series of collaborative forums and practical workshops in which they have the opportunity to brainstorm design solutions as well as learn the mindset and skills of ethical conversations and wise decision making,
5. Invite a small group of interested Risk Champions to in depth training as Decisions Advocates to be tactically located across the network.
6. Provide ongoing support through ethical conversations in lunchbox hypotheticals and other skills bursts programs to support the sustainability of a healthy risk culture.
7. Provide online resources to support the ongoing learning and development of people

 

 

 

WHAT WE DO

A collection of service solutions that are bold, innovative and edgy.

06 |  Mentor Coaching and Coaching Supervision

What supervision is

Supervision is a systematic process for the ongoing professional development of an organisational coach. In it, issues arising from coaching practice are explored. Supervision builds on the metaskills of reflective practice, collaborative inquiry, questioning and developing self-awareness. It provides a confidential reflective space where a coach can bring personal and practice issues that are interfering with their effectiveness.

Kinds of supervision

Supervision can occur in a one-to-one relationship between the coach and supervisor or in a group setting with a supervisor and up to six coaches. Group supervision adds in the perspectives of coaching peers and group dynamics that the supervisor facilitates.

Aim

Group supervision supports ongoing professional development in a number of ways:

• Coaches are validated as well as challenged in a community of practice setting that generates collective knowledge,
• Generative learning is shared through expertise and experience.
• Supervision ensures accountability and an ethical engagement.

How supervision works

The purpose and mindset of the supervision session is addressed first. Questions such as: What’s been going well since we last met? What are your hopes for our session today? What issues are you coming with today?”

This provides a check-in for everyone and identifies the range of issues to be discussed. Usually there is quick consensus about where to start, and a deeper statement of the issue by the person who introduced it. This might be followed by one of a number of ways of exploring the issue and can include others’ experience of it. The supervisor will guide the conversation, most often with questions which raise or lead to different ways of seeing and/or understanding the issue.

WHAT WE DO

Service solutions that are bold, innovative and edgy.

08 |  Teamwork by Design

Building high performing teams

Team coaching and facilitation are aimed at building teams that are cohesive and productive. In our networked and complex world the team has become the foundational work unit of an organisation. Organisations are teams of teams. Research shows that a team of A-players does not make an A team. Yet it is team work that gives a company its competitive edge.

Are you as a leader is your goal to:

• Shift to a focus on teamwork
• Achieve high engagement and productivity
• Have a new team and need help with on-boarding?
• Are struggling to achieve urgent deadlines/projects?
• Need to boost performance  – and individual coaching is not helping?
• Have a group of high performing individuals who don’t function well in meetings or as a team?

We are experts in building teams and teams of teams. We assist you and your team to build trust, conduct robust conversations, ensure commitment and accountability – all in the name of high productivity. We offer optional team diagnostics, an action learning approach and a before and after measurement.

We deliver a series of ‘skills burst’ workshops and ongoing coaching over 6-12 months to grow into high performing teams.

The team coach/facilitator acts as a mirror to the existing group dynamics and communication practices between group members.

With reflection and interventions in real time the coach helps the team to develop respectful ways and communication practices that enables purposeful collaboration and produces benefits such as:

• A shared common purpose and common goals
• Increased team engagement, KPI’s & output
• Identification of diversity of thinking and how to use it to enhance decision making,
• Meetings that are engaging and productive
• Constructive argumentation
• Purposeful communication across other teams and silos

Programs include:

• Conversations with all team members individually to establish the current state and future preferred state.
• Sharing of the aggregated responses to establish a common purpose and meaning
• Skills and tools about how to work ‘as a team’ (rather than a ‘group of individuals’)
• Avoiding serial monologues and having real conversations
• Managing difficult relationships within the team and externally
• Engaging in robust and constructive disagreement