These six case examples of TTA off-sites illustrate the effectiveness
of working simultaneously on both the business issues and the relationship
dynamics of the top team. (All meetings designed and facilitated by Tom
Curren.)
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Example 1
U.S./Swiss Financial Institution
| Overall Objective |
| Create a global marketing and service capability |
|
| Meeting Context |
- 3 CEO/COOs plus 11 people
- 2.5 days
|
|
| Business Needs |
- Shared performance goals
- Move forward on key priorities
- Process for coordination
|
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| Relationship Dynamics |
- New leadership
- 3 organizations and cultures (U.S., Swiss, German companies)
|
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| Outcomes |
- Emerging sense of "global partnership"
- Pledge to double the business
- Teams launched to address 5 business priorities
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| Follow-up |
- Telephone support of Team Leaders
- Reconvene for 2 month progress review on priorities (2.5 days)
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Example 2
U.S. Medical Services
| Overall Objective |
| Actively involve the MDs in the future strategy of the company |
|
| Meeting Context |
- CEO plus 16 people
- 1.5 days
|
|
| Business Needs |
- Growth strategy
- Capitalization of the company
|
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| Relationship Dynamics |
- MDs focused on individual practices,not the group
- New role for CEO, to work on the business vs. in the business
|
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| Outcomes |
- Formation of active planning team, including MDs
- All MDs involved in a positive way
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| Follow-up |
- Weekly coaching with CEO
- Small planning team meets weekly
- Quarterly offsites with all MDs
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Example 3
U.S. Media Company
(View a detailed meeting agenda for this example.)
| Overall Objective |
| Form a larger, more representative team to run the company in
the wake of a senior executive departure. |
|
| Meeting Context |
- CEO plus 8 people
- 1.5 days
|
|
| Business Needs |
- Team purpose and goals
- Priorities and agenda management
|
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| Relationship Dynamics |
- Two cultures (journalists and businessmen).
- Unacknowledged hierarchy within the team
|
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| Outcomes |
- Establish norms for weekly operational meetings
- Better communication, improved trust
|
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| Follow-up |
- Agreement among group to follow-up offsite
- Weekly coaching of 2 SVPs
|
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Example 4
U.S. Financial Institution
| Overall Objective |
| To achieve a breakthrough in the way critical strategy issues
are identified and resolved |
|
| Meeting Context |
- CEO plus 17 people
- 2 days
|
|
| Business Needs |
- Goal setting
- Focus on key business issues
|
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| Relationship Dynamics |
- Two cultures (old school and young turks)
- Functional silos
- Mistrust
|
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| Outcomes |
- A clear business goal established
- Honest discussion of issues and conflicts
- Priorities and accountabilities set
|
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| Follow-up |
| Group self-facilitated follow-on meetings |
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Example 5
U.S. Subsidiary Of French Financial Institution
| Overall Objective |
| Focus on a market-oriented, service-culture by developing a growth
strategy and team-based results |
|
| Meeting Context |
- Managing Director plus 11 people
- 2.5 days
|
|
| Business Needs |
- Increase and maintain quality of performance
- Focus on team approach
- Decrease high turnover
|
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| Relationship Dynamics |
- Two cultures (French bureaucrats and Wall Street gunslingers)
- No collaboration
- Lack of delegation
- Individual arrogance resulting in turf-conscious attitudes
|
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| Outcomes |
- Initiated process of Alignment around overall strategy and
priorities
- Group dysfunction more visible
- Improvement of interpersonal skills
|
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| Follow-up |
- High-involvement, all-employee meeting held within 30 days
- CEO coaching
- Termination of executive unwilling to adopt new behaviors
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Example 6
U.S. Industrial Products
| Overall Objective |
| Develop overall business strategy and operational alignment around
its implementation |
|
| Meeting Context |
- CEO plus 24 people
- 3 days
|
|
| Business Need |
| Transition from surviving a near-bankruptcy to creating a winning
growth strategy |
|
| Relationship Dynamics |
- Operating as separate departments
- No group focus
|
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| Outcomes |
- Formation of "Team 25"
- Cooperative development of growth strategy by new team
|
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| Follow-up |
- Implementation of plan over six months
- Several more multi-day meetings
- Consulting and project management support of small planning
team
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