Cultivating alignment in the face of large-scale change

Client need 

A leading global social networking organization was implementing a new process for product development. To bring this structural change to fruition, the organization’s leaders needed to help their teams work together more cohesively. 

Thus, the organization partnered with BTS to help their people better understand their own roles, their teammates’ roles, and their collective goals, all to spur along the new product development process. 

Solution 

To achieve this goal, the company and BTS created a virtually delivered learning program that reached 260 people divided into 17 cohorts. Each cohort was comprised of both individual contributors and experienced managers across different functions.  

The program, completed over the course of three months, consisted of:  

• Two half-day workshops 
• Go-Dos, which are actionable steps to take back on the job 
• Playbooks, a tool that demonstrates how each role can live the company’s values during their day-to-day work 
• Experience maps, or self-development tools that 1) identify realistic, role-specific situations and 2) list actionable steps for building key capabilities 

• Momenta: BTS’s proprietary digital platform that allows people to explore someone else’s role by accessing their playbooks and experiencing their daily dilemmas, ultimately building cross-functional empathy 

The learning program was designed to meet people where they were and was fully customized to the organization’s unique values and culture.  

Results 

Participating managers have improved their abilities to ideate and follow through, align teams through difficult conversations, create attainable road maps, apply organizational frameworks, and measure success. As of now, 76% of the 259 participants have completed the initial phases of the learning journey, and have mentioned learning the following: 

• “Don’t be afraid to speak up, ask for help on understanding wants, needs and blockers, attend more meetings with [cross-functional teams], be bold, make assertions, [or] ask the hard-hitting questions.”
• “I need to do a better job of avoiding heroic efforts personally to fix the problem. I need to also avoid micromanaging the team as they work through a course correction.”
  – Technical Manager 
• “I would like to work on delegation through making better connections, [including] painting a clear picture of how my work will appeal to all stakeholders by gaining a better understanding of what is important to them.”