Background
IKEA is a globally recognised business operating huge stores, each offering thousands of goods.
Managing logistics is therefore an extremely tough job and effective cooperation in the management team is a must. The sheer volume of goods coming in and out of each IKEA store each day makes running a logistics department an enormous challenge. A manager in this area drives the cooperation between the sales and logistics departments, knowing how to exploit every cubic metre of space. It is also the manager’s responsibility to supervise the ordering of products to the store, ensuring the correct quantities are forecast and acquired.
The qualities required for this job are excellent communication and education skills, an analytical mind, organisational skills and the ability to prioritise, setting short and long term goals and seeing them through to fulfilment.
In this instance, the team manager, overseeing 12 young, professional logistics experts, wanted to support the team by giving them tools to help them manage stress and conflict. It seemed that better self-awareness, tolerance and openness in communication would be the first steps on the road to success.
Tools & Approach
The mentor and coach proposed implementing Facet5 TeamScape, using the workshop to build understanding, trust and tolerance within the team.
Firstly, Facet5 was administered to all 12 individuals within the team. Each team member subsequently received feedback on his/her individual Facet5 profile. Everybody prepared an individual action plan to develop and improve existing team work, contributing with personal added value.
The next stage was a two-day TeamScape workshop, which gave them an opportunity to exchange information on individual Facet5 profiles, to propose ideas and initiatives, and to discuss how individuals go about resolving differences. They shared their recommendations and remarks in short 360 evaluations. Running a few exercises showed them how they can utilise their strengths and support the wider team in different work phases.
Results
The project enabled the IKEA Logistics team to gain a better understanding of each other’s preferences and behaviours. They were able to improve communication and create openness and trust, which led to much more open sharing of opinions and ideas.
The mentor and coach again met the manager of the team in a follow-up session, where the manager emphasised the visible changes of behaviours and postures of team members. Their engagement and new enthusiasm pushed the team to a new level.
Facet5 TeamScape helped to give a clear picture of the team and the individuals within it, showing how they interacted and focussing on their areas of strength to promote greater team synergy. By creating a common language within the organisation, it enabled better communication around attitudes, motivators and challenges, making difficult conversations easier to have and conflicts easier to resolve. It created a much better sense of team, and helped to embed the new leader in his role, despite the numerous obstacles in his way at the outset. The whole project was a great success, and a good example of how Facet5 can transform the landscape of a team at any level of an organisation.
The project enabled the IKEA Logistics team to gain a better understanding of each other’s preferences and behaviours. Their engagement and new enthusiasm pushed the team to a new level.
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