organizations

We see organizations as systems. Our interventions intend to help parts of the organization – for example a specific team or an executive – to meet their needs and objectives without harming any other part of the organization or its environment.

We therefore always intervene to support the organization or the team on two levels:

  1. The specific issues under consideration (e.g. research planning, internal procedures, or the organizational structure)
  2. The underlying human relationships and the motivation to commit

So far we have supported organizations in the following sectors: Research, Insurance and Public Management

We intervene with the following purposes:

Management advice

organizations management adviceBefore going further, we will try to understand your situation, your objectives, the relevant stakeholders, their relationships and the situation. For this work, we use specific tools that we call solution-oriented conversations, stakeholder mapping, and systemic constellations. These approaches will allow you to see new aspects of the situation and us to propose, if necessary, specific follow-up measures.

We integrate these approaches in many of our interventions. In 2018, we used these approaches, for example with executives from WWF Germany or the Man and Biosphere Reserve of Fontainebleau-Gâtinais.

Dialogue Culture

organizations dialogue cultureIf you are interested: We help you change to a more dialogical and participatory management culture. It would still be up to you to define your vision of this, of course, but we accompany you along the way of the change process. We offer audits of your current culture, advice on the process steps for change, facilitation for the required meetings, as well as training.

Conflict Management

organizations conflict managementWe can help when communication breaks down and even when people start working against each other instead of with each other. Our conflict management approach helps the members to put the difficult issues on the table in a secured environment or at least to find a regulation that allows them to overcome the deadlock. If they still want to improve their relationship, they can clarify perceptions, feelings, thoughts and intentions. Once through this process, the team typically receives a boost of energy and gets liberated to work and perform better. If they just want to address the conflictual issues (without getting into relational matters) we can support them as an intermediary.

When there is no conflict in a team, but maybe high levels of stress, or the feeling that coherence could be better, we can also support the team to identify topics that need clarification and facilitate the exchange. We use group facilitation tools such as brainstorming or dialogue.

In 2018 we have supported two teams in this way

Group facilitation

organizations group facilitationThis approach helps an organization or a project to determine and change its strategic objectives and to plan for their implementation. The process includes all those that are concerned by the initiative. It is a participatory process that assures the integration of the best ideas, the concerns of all and in this way creates the motivation and the support to act. We use group facilitation tools such as brainstorming, World Café and Open Space.

This participatory project management approach is especially essential in projects when there are no clear lines of hierarchic power. It ensures participation, commitment as well as prevention and clarification of problems

In 2017 we have accompanied a unit of 35 researchers from CIRAD using this approach as well as the government of New Caledonia.

Stress Management and Wellbeing

organizations stress managementAll people live moments of stress at times. Some stress can be very useful for our learning and growth. If stress gets too strong and chronic, however, it endangers our health and eventually the organization. We therefore need approaches to observe and recognize stress, manage it and assure long-term wellbeing. Our interventions give you the tools to do so and – if this is desired – can also prepare a team as a whole to become a resource in alleviating stress for its members.

In 2018 we accompanied a team of Allianz Partners on stress management and wellbeing.

Team coaching

organizations team coachingWhen change processes are taking place, managers and executives often need support to share their experiences and receive peer advice. An excellent tool for this is team coaching. In big companies, it is possible to set up in-house teams. In medium-sized companies teams with mangers from other companies will have to be formed.

Team coaching is a particularly effective form of management development. In highly interactive sessions a group of up to 12 participants meets several times for half a day with a facilitator to share experiences, issues or conflict situations in order to see new pathways and receive support.