Organization and Team Alignment

Change is constant and an organization’s ability to anticipate and transition will determine its success and sustainability. Optimal team dynamics and system-wide engagement are crucial. Using proven approaches and processes our organization and team alignment practice helps organizations and their leadership teams shape their futures based upon their current situation, where they need to be and how to close the gap.

With extensive experience within the private and public sectors during periods of significant expansion, downsizing, realignment, merger and privatization we creatively design sustainable large scale and small team interventions based on sound participative planning frameworks. These interventions are based on the principle that each system possesses the experience, skills, and capacity to determine their own future. Our role is to design and facilitate the participative processes that will enable these to be fully engaged.

Within each organization healthy and respectful team relationships are the foundation upon which sustainable strategies and action plans will be created and implemented. This principle is embedded in our intervention designs.

In the design of system interventions we draw upon expertise with open systems, human relations and group development theories. We believe that if the right people are included there exists in the client’s system the capacity to define their future, resolve their challenges, learn to optimally work together, and achieve their goals. Our role is to enable this capacity, not to create dependency. We act as process consultants not subject matter experts.

We design the framework or ‘container’ in which the group can define their future, resolve their challenges, learn to optimally work together, and achieve their goals. We incorporate such approaches and methodologies as:

open space technology
appreciative inquiry
search conference
facilitated dialogue
sustained dialogue
learning communities

Case Studies

Enabled a new leader to stabilize and re-engage a professional team during an extensive and disruptive amalgamation by designing and conducting a participative system intervention focused on examining and prioritizing immediate challenges and opportunities.
Enabled a public sector organization to anticipate and respond to the pending retirement of significant numbers of key employees in specialized functions by designing and managing an action planning intervention that engaged the employee population in developing and supporting an inaugural tenure program allowing for the systematic re-deployment of staff.
Enabled the leadership of an emerging software company to create and operationalize a plan to secure the first sale of a new strategic product by designing and managing an action planning intervention.
Designed and managed a system wide participative planning framework focused on creating and implementing a new performance management system for a public sector organization that secured system wide support and engagement of management and employees.
Designed and facilitated a team relationship building intervention with a business ownership/executive group.
Designed and facilitated a system wide strategic planning event with a new and growing federal agency.
Designed and facilitated a system wide intervention that addressed and resolved a significant breach of trust leading to a dramatic increase in employee satisfaction and engagement.
Designed and facilitated a system wide intervention with a national organization focused on operationalizing 9 strategic imperatives and building relationships with the system.
Designed and facilitated a 'search conference' with the leadership team of a private company focussed on determining its vision for the future and the strategies and action plans to achieve that future.
Enabled a management team to focus their organization on the final quarter of the fiscal year and effectively demonstrate their appreciation for the contributions of their staff by designing an interactive event that recognized and leveraged the organization's strengths.
Provided the opportunity for a professional team with a community services organization to become more cohesive and collaborative by designing and conducting an interactive event utilizing appreciative inquiry.
Designed and facilitated a learning community series with a public sector IT management team focused on improving team member relationships and creating a cohesive management team that projects an image of solidarity, cohesiveness and technical credibility.

Locations

The Collaboration Centre

150 Elgin Street
10th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario | K2P 1L4 Google Map

The Innovation Centre

1000 Innovation Drive
5th Floor
Kanata, Ontario | K2K 3E7
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Queensway Centre

15 Fitzgerald Road
Suite 200
Nepean, Ontario | K2H 9G1
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St-Laurent Centre

1730 St. Laurent Boulevard, Suite 800
Ottawa, Ontario K1G 5L1
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