The Brief
To prepare themselves for the increasingly competitive world of fundraising, British Red Cross recruited our assistance in launching their new ‘Public Affairs’ strategy. Central to their success was the need to encourage initiative and autonomy at Branch level, whilst stimulating an increased level of quality networking between HQ and the Branches.

The Solution
A Shared Sense of Direction - Teamworking across autonomous teams does not take place without a network of contacts and relationships being built up. Many of these contacts happen naturally, but in situations of rapid change the organisation itself can intervene more directly to act as a catalyst in bringing people together.

First, we introduced stimulating ideas drawn from our research into what successful teams actually do. Then, we created imaginative tasks for the delegates. Finally, we reinforced the learning experience by discussing the results and their implications for the workplace. We provided delegates at all levels of the organisation with a shared sense of direction and the skills to manage in a complex organisational structure.

• How to identify the value each team brings to the common purpose.
• Skills in developing informal cross-departmental communication, teamworking
and flexibility.
• Creating an attitude that fostered change and innovation.