Passive dynamics - Finance in a Multinational
Situation
The Finance team was under constant pressure to deliver accurate figures to management in a fluid market environment, and had very little opportunity to pause and take a break in the day.
Objective: Restore team trust and focus to improve performance.
Diagnostic
The team was very diverse across age groups. Team members were going through personal challenges that they did not share. From a neuroscience lens, the process of reacting appropriately and constructively to a permanently changing environment places strong demands on the executive brain which in the long run can creates exhaustion, stress, lack of focus and loss of productivity.
Action
To assess the situation in preparation for recommendations on how to undertake the intervention, we used existing data on team members’ styles and conducted interviews, from the CEO to co-workers peers, to understand the perception of the team’s stakeholders at various levels in the organisation. We organised and facilitated workshops on achieving better interpersonal communication by developing personal awareness and regulating emotions. The content drew on neuroscience, mindfulness, and conflict management techniques. We created an atmosphere of safety and excitement to stimulate dopamine levels, to get them engaged. During the workshop, regular pause with breathing exercises and mindfulness sessions ensured we didn’t reached the “red zone” of burn out caused by the fear factor of discussing the difficult situation caused by work and personal life demand.
Result
The Finance Director reported a very high level of satisfaction. Team member reported that the facilitation had changed their perspective on conflict management and appreciation of differences. They decided to organise a company wide mindfulness event every week to reset the energy together. They realise that through their differences, their challenges were similar and it created empathy and built a channel of communication and support. They were more able to support each other, find creative solution for their internal client and ready to manage difficult conversations.