Case Story: From Conflict to Effective Collaboration
The Organization
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A wellbeing services county
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More than 5,000 employees
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Serving a population of over 250,000.
Background and development needs
The client organization had observed significant tensions and communication challenges within the internal cooperation of a key team and its stakeholder interactions. The team’s situation was described as strained; wellbeing at work had declined, and a large share of the team’s energy had started to shift away from their core mission. Yet their role in supporting internal customers required strong mutual collaboration.
HR leadership found the situation difficult and felt the strain themselves, as they were repeatedly drawn into resolving issues within the team.
How the intervention was designed and implemented
The intervention progressed in stages and consisted of the following elements:
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Establishing a steering group from HR and senior management to guide the process
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Creating a shared understanding of the situation: interviews with team members and building a collective narrative based on their input
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Delivering four workshops for the team:
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Presenting the key insights from the narrative and discussing the reflections it raised
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Strengthening collaboration, trust, and open communication within the group
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Taking responsibility for one’s own interactions and fostering a positive climate for cooperation
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Developing concrete shared ground rules to improve everyday work flow
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We were able to get a key team to refocus on their core responsibilities
- HR Director
The implementation of the process followed a structured and collaborative approach, where:
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The steering group met before and after each workshop
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All workshops were held onsite at the client’s premises
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Pre-interviews, considered essential for the process, were also conducted face-to-face
The program’s success was supported by close collaboration with the client’s HR and senior leadership. Equally important were the strong commitment of all participants to the process, their motivation to find shared solutions, and the clear and structured way of working.
Client Voice
We succeeded in restoring the interaction within this strategically important team to a healthy level and helped the team refocus on its core responsibilities. The employee survey indicated that as the process progressed, the team experienced a clear positive shift toward more appreciative and professional communication. Wellbeing at work had also improved noticeably.
We were able to engage people genuinely in developing their own work and in taking responsibility for both their individual and team-level interactions. A key part of the development process was the team’s dialogue around shared ground rules and the gradual refinement of these rules as the process advanced. In the end, we achieved not only a solution to a specific problematic situation but also created tools and structures that will support the team’s success going forward.
- HR Director