Organisational Development

July 6, 2023

Boosting team productivity: strategies for effective collaboration in the workplace

In the modern workplace, team productivity plays a crucial role in achieving organisational success. According to a survey conducted by McKinsey, highly collaborative teams are 20-25% more productive than their less collaborative counterparts. Effective collaboration and streamlined teamwork are vital components that contribute to a team’s overall productivity. In this blog, we’ll explore key strategies to enhance your team’s productivity both on and offline. Cascading team objectives Clear and well-defined team objectives serve as a compass for focused and aligned effort. Ensure that team objectives are communicated and cascaded effectively, […]

March 2, 2023

Prioritising your workload for personal effectiveness

With our fast-paced lives, prioritising your workload can help you be more efficient and achieve your goals faster. We often find ourselves juggling multiple tasks and wasting precious time on meetings that could have been an email. So how do you make more time for creativity and ultimately become more productive? Understanding the urgency and importance of tasks coming your way is the first step. Stephen Covey’s ‘Four Quadrants’ is a useful time management tool to help prioritise work tasks and identify those pesky timewasters. A matrix to prioritise tasks […]

December 8, 2022

Understanding change

Understanding how we react to change Cutting costs. Efficiency gains. New technologies. Restructuring. New leadership. Whatever form it might take, change is a given in most organisations as we navigate challenges and grasp opportunities in front of us. But no matter how well we’ve planned organisational change, understanding and effectively dealing with how people respond is key to effective implementation. In fact, research from McKinsey & Company found 70% of change programmes fail, pointing out common pitfalls are largely due to “employee resistance and lack of management support”. Here, we […]

April 18, 2022

Conflict is Good

Conflict: how can it be a good thing? In May 2021, workplace expert Acas published a report which showed nearly half a million employees resign every year as a result of workplace conflict. It also revealed the potential for increased conflict as organisations try to adapt to changes after COVID-19. There’s a clear benefit to handling conflict early. Not least avoiding stress and impact on team morale. But unpick the problem, and you might find it’s productive and leads to positive change. Here’s why. How can conflict be a positive thing? Many […]

March 18, 2022

Difficult Conversations

How to handle difficult conversations Throughout our careers, we all experience those moments when we’re not happy with someone’s behaviour or performance. It’s easy to put off a difficult conversation. You could be worried about the other person’s reaction and how you might handle it. Or worse, you might convince yourself that ignoring it will mean the matter goes away. But if they aren’t nipped in the bud, issues can escalate, impacting others in the team or customers. How you have a difficult conversation can affect the outcome. So how […]

February 19, 2022

Feeding Back Effectively: tips to help keep feedback helpful and constructive

In the last blog, we discussed how facilitating good feedback should be a priority for leaders. It’s critical for improving the performance of your team. But what is best practice when it comes to delivering that feedback? To be truly effective, feedback needs to fulfil these criteria: Timely If you had to pick one vital component to make feedback effective, it’s timing. Feedback conversations – whether positive or negative in nature – are most effective when they’re held as soon as possible after the event. Relevance wanes after a while – […]

November 24, 2021

Reflective Questioning – what leaders should be asking themselves now

The pandemic has changed our working practices – perhaps forever. While some people have returned to the office full-time, many are continuing to work entirely from home, with others developing a hybrid arrangement of home and workplace. It’s a period of flux, but it’s also the perfect opportunity to reflect – not least about what we want from leadership. Sharing expectations Your organisation’s situation may be different now – the world around it has changed immeasurably. Objectives and goals may have shifted – and it’s also possible that your team […]

September 11, 2021

Workplace habits – adapting after the pandemic

If you have worked in an office during any part of your career, there are some things that are just comfortingly familiar, regardless of who you work for. Having someone else make you a brew as part of a round. Catching up with a colleague hogging the photocopier to pass the time until your printing is done. Shaking hands with your visitors as you welcome them to your site. But what happens when these corporate comforts are no longer appropriate? Alongside vaccination, social distancing and enhanced hygiene measures are still […]

Blog