Trust Rebuilding. Communication Norms. Seamless Collaboration.
The Situation:
The rise of hybrid work brought an unexpected challenge for many of our partners, including breakdowns in team communication. What used to be simple in-person updates became complex bottlenecks, leading to lost emails, varying response times, and growing frustration. We found that this dip in efficient communications triggered an automatic distrust within many teams around people's work output. One partner, in particular, expressed their need to find their way in the now popular hybrid work world. This partner, a property client, felt there was a clear need to reinvent team-level behaviours to adapt to the new working environment.
What They Did:
Working alongside our partner, we co-designed a new set of norms tailored for hybrid team communication. Key practices included:
A '24-hour response time' commitment
Aiming for 'inbox zero' by the end of each week, and
Designating a non-negotiable 'everyone in the office day' for team connection.
These guidelines were developed through consensus, ensuring buy-in from everyone involved. This is key to any trust-building activity.
The Impact it Made:
The results were initially bumpy, and within a matter of weeks, became transformative. With new norms in place, everyone became accustomed to what was expected of them. Communication bottlenecks were greatly reduced, improving both team performance and trust. Teams became more cohesive, the flow of information improved, and the 'everyone in the office day' became something team members looked forward to and planned team rituals around. Given the success, these norms are now being scaled across departments, creating a more unified and efficient organisation.
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