A pioneer in the design and manufacture of medical equipment, our client had grown from a university laboratory project into one of the most respected and profitable players in their field. But as is so often the case with successful enterprises that grow quickly, some of the pieces of the organism had not kept pace with the development and demands of the others.

 

The management structure had always relied upon the total commitment and trust of each section leader, manager and director for its success. Everybody knew who was in charge, where they fitted in, what their job was, who to talk to, where the problems and bottlenecks were, where the whole wagon was rolling. As the organisation grew (and changed in nature), inevitably, some of the founding members of the enterprise went their own ways, including its founding leader. Promotions from within meant that stability was largely maintained and yet, the cracks were starting to show. Suspicion and voids in the communication chain started to appear. The different groups, albeit over a period of many months, stopped talking as openly as they once had. The introduction of a new senior manager from outside sent shockwaves of resentment through many camps. The time had come to surface some important issues that for years had been kept at bay by the pressures of the workload and by the special mix of personalities that had once pulled together.

 

PEC were engaged to help the various groups to start talking again so that they might iron out their differences and join together to handle the events and challenges that were accompanying the organisation's growth - a constant need for the sale of quality projects and a need to respond to a wider, less forgiving group of shareholders.

 

We spent time listening to all of the key people involved and then, having set up a working social contract between them to make it clear to all involved that bad news or negative feedback would not be 'punished', we held a series of short, safe forums to give people the opportunity to speak and to give their peers and directors the opporunity to hear.

 

Resentment, suspicion, frustration and disatisfaction breed when kept in dark, secretive conditions of non-communication. On the introduction of safe, full communication, trust began to re-emerge quickly. Old problems were tackled and diminished to their real size. To date, despite many changes and pressures, this rather special organisation continues to thrive.