How can we get regional buy-in to this global transformation / change initiative, and make sure the team fully understands what the implications are and agrees how we will address them?
At Stash, our contribution to achieving these three primary objectives was to: 'Facilitate / compere the session so that by the close on day two the Middle East management team understood what the transformation involved, why it was deemed necessary, what its consequences will be, how this will impact on each person present and what we will need to be doing in the short to medium term to deliver the requirements'. Day 1 was primarily about communication; sharing information, gaining understanding and commitment. Lots of interactive presentations, questions and discussion. Our role was to compere the various elements, to encourage the required level of discussion, to capture and play back key points, and to make sure the agenda was followed so that timings allowed a complete exploration of the many aspects of the transformation.
Day 2 was about the team preparing; what can we collectively do that will help us as a team to deliver what is required in terms of responding to this transformation? Our role here was more typical facilitation; helping the team identify and prioritise what was needed of them, then looking at and agreeing specific actions required to progress the work needed. This was a very interesting and enjoyable assignment working with a culturally-diverse, high-achieving and highly motivated team. Feedback post-event was very positive and we have subsequently been engaged by Sodexo to help with delivering various specific aspects of the transformation program. This included an equally interesting, more 'coal face' assignment in Kuwait later in 2017 working with the Middle East operations managers exploring the specifics of their response to the organisational changes.