Client Feedback

Massmart

Massmart has sent two teams on The Bridge Programme. This is what the participants said in their feedback:

• ‘Feedback and reflection process is insightful’
• ‘Gets you out of comfort zone and allows true actions under pressure to come forward’
• ‘The tone of approach of the instructors and the environment were both excellent’
• 'Excellent from team work point of view’
• ‘Got a good understanding of how the other members of my team operate under different situations’
• ‘Allows us the opportunity to evaluate team performance under pressure’
• ‘Linking our evaluation with the 5 step process is very useful’
• ‘Very experiential, gets you out your head and into action’
• ‘Fantastic idea bringing team into a situation where no-one is an “expert”, and then challenging the team’
• ‘Good personal learning, especially with use of video feedback’
• ‘Innovative way of exploring and learning’
• ‘Great use of appropriate technology’
• ‘Innovative angle on leadership and group dynamics’
• ‘Fun and engaging method of learning’
• ‘The experience was fantastic with many insights unpacked’

Metropolitan Life

Wessel van Reede van Oudtshoorn, Senior Manager of Retail People Development at Metropolitan Life found practical benefit from his team’s experience on The Bridge: “I would encourage anyone at anytime to try it.”

Wessel aimed at effectively integrating new members of his team; he was looking for a performance focus and, at the same time, wanted the members to enjoy the element of team building.

Wessel was no stranger to the Achievement Process (AP) “It is one of the most useful processes I’ve seen and used in my 18 years of experience. It’s practical, people can relate to it and the tools that come with it make it easy to use. Whenever we make use of it, it adds great value to our operation.”

“For example, one of our development teams was temporarily without a manager. Their preferences spanned all 5 Achievement Process Stages leading to misunderstanding and frustration. Communication suffered. The AP provided them with a common language and a common understanding as to what was going on and why. The self-knowledge and insights gained were remarkable – they achieved and sustained a level of working where they managed themselves effectively as a team and delivered.

“The overlaying of The Bridge simulator with the Achievement Process was the secret. It accelerated our learning and consolidated our initial insights.

“It was also a lot of fun. Team members were really in charge of navigating the ship through some treacherous conditions – the practical element was a completely unique experience – the team loved it.

“For example one team member picked up the fact that we were being trailed by a pirate vessel. Being a ‘lone voice’ she only raised the alarm once. The rest of us ignored her. Our ship was boarded and we battled to reach our destination. It was only at the videoed debriefing session that we realized the real value in taking time out to listen to colleagues and to respond appropriately.

“The benefits that we gained have been lasting. We’ve often watched and used the video clips since. They continue to provide insight and assist in development, and the accompanying tools provide an excellent personal development process”

Wessels and his team achieved what they had set out to achieve… the integration of the team and further performance improvement. They continue to apply what they learnt on The Bridge.

MTN Service Provider

MTN Service Provider (MTN SP) went on to The Bridge as part of a corporate team building event for 16 of their senior managers.

MTN’s internal facilitator said that it had been a significant experience for the senior executives who had ventured onto it, and one that they raved and talked about for a long time afterwards.

Much self-insight was gained. “We each took different valuable lessons from it. Over time, the learning from the Bridge was assimilated, as all good learning is. As much as we learned, we had lots of laughs and lots of fun – much more so than in other team building exercises.

“In our team, most members had a high preference for Driving Onward, in the sense that we had a surfeit of ideas, concepts and intuitive decision-making contributions coming through strongly. This was understandable, considering it was an executive team and generally they had other people to do the implementing of their ideas. Yet we established that, if too much attention was paid to the tasks related to this preference, this tendency could sometimes take preference over a more considered, thoughtful and planned approach, which is as important. It quickly became clear that we needed to find a means of using all five-contribution dimensions in order to get the best from our team. By establishing exactly where the gaps lay, and by making more practical and better use of the enabling contribution, we were able to sail into calmer waters. It was interesting to note that this last contribution was often made by team members at a less senior level. Yet as the Achievement Model demanded a disciplined mindset we were able to begin operating along the lines of a team of equals”.

She also said that it was interesting to observe how their team profile mirrored aspects of the company culture and preferred ways of working. “For example, I and one other team member both have a strong preference for assessing quality, and this links closely to our job objectives.”

She felt that the video debriefings were very interesting, insightful and informative. “For our team, one of the challenges was to allow for shifting leadership. One of our executives noted the fact that he didn’t opt to take the captain’s position he just took the wheel! So in the second exercise (on the trip to Singapore) we were told which positions we could not take. It was fascinating to see how some of our executives felt much less comfortable taking on the less prominent but equally important roles”.

Wits Business School

For a young and dynamic group from a leading investment bank, The Bridge formed a part of an Executive Leadership Development Programme (ELDP) at the Wits Business School.

Natalie Witthuhn, Head of the Wits Business School Management Development Unit (MDU), describes The Bridge as a “novel experience”. It was used as the introductory component of the ELDP for this group.

“We had many Generation X delegates - age 30 - 35. Theory shows that they learn from experiences. They are also sceptical, jaded and often resistant to training .The Bridge facilitated learning that the traditional class room would not have done.”

As the group was made up of individuals from different teams Natalie and her co-facilitator (Steve Woods, CEO of the Achievement Network) planned the simulator exercises and activities in a way that took this ‘mix’ into account.

“In practice” says Natalie, “this meant that we needed to increase self-insight regarding individual behaviour in a team and the leadership implications of such behaviour. One on one coaching then followed, building on the insights gained and the lessons learnt.

With customer service as the theme the delegates were required to sail a large passenger liner from Calais to Dover. Before lifting anchor, a SAMTRA instructor provided the team with a comprehensive briefing on the uses and importance of the bridge instruments they would most need.

“With the support and guidance of the instructor, (who played various roles, including that of Bridge Master), Steve and I facilitated a series of ‘events’ that would push the group to focus on people and task issues simultaneously. Depending on the team’s reaction to these events we introduced different challenges in different ways. For example, we introduced a yachting regatta that required good navigation skills while at the same time having a seriously injured passenger requiring urgent medical care.

“In the debriefing session that followed selected video clips were viewed, analysed and discussed. Team dynamics were specifically highlighted, as were instances of problem solving and decision-making under high pressure.

“After lunch a similar exercise followed. This time the team was required to navigate a container ship through the Singapore Straits. They had the opportunity to apply some of the insights they gained from the morning exercise. Again we watched selected clips and again the delegates gained valuable insights.

“A critical learning point for all was to see how personal team working preferences so frequently dominated proceedings to the extent that more important group objectives were readily sacrificed. One team, heavy with
Driving Onward contribution preferences simply wanted to get to the harbour first and fastest. In the process they destroyed Cowes Week and lost 3 passengers overboard. The owner of the shipping line fired them all!

“There is no question that all participants gained an understanding of the important balance between task and people and their own individual contributions to helping and/or hindering both”

Rand Water

Vicky Mkhize, founder of Umvoti Wellness and past Director of the Economic and Management Sciences Training and Development Unit (ETDU) at the University of the Western Cape, incorporated The Bridge Programme into a wellness workshop for internal consultants at Rand Water.

Vicky had three desired outcomes…

“Firstly I wanted the team to apply a logical process to their work. Often clinical expertise can be cumbersome without the use of a process. The team needed to look beyond clinical measures alone.

Secondly, awareness of different working preferences is important when counseling. We wanted to improve the effectiveness of the clinical approach by providing an easily accessible means of interacting with clients.

“Thirdly I wanted them have an opportunity to see how their contribution preferences played a major role in their effectiveness as a team. We needed to give them the means to improve team performance.

“The Bridge Programme provided the means to achieve all three of these aims.

“The simulator exercises and video debriefs reinforced the learning of the AP through practical application and through the facility of being able to watch behaviour while making decisions.

“During these debriefing sessions it quickly became apparent that team members behaved on the bridge as they do in their working environment.

“For example one team member constantly referred to the ship’s manual for answers and guidance. In her working environment the first thing she does when faced with any decision is to refer to the rules and procedures!

“Another example was provided by a new team member with a strong preference for Coordinating Effort. His prominent display of this preference on the bridge alerted the team to the benefits this contribution brings, and just how much the team will benefit from using it more consciously and actively.

“Contradictory preferences often lead to conflict yet, through this programme, the team developed a deeper understanding and appreciation of the different ways in which their colleagues contribute to goal achievement”.

“Finally. Because this experience is so unique and enjoyable team members were able to bond with each other. Thus was added a team-building element. The team was able to engage with and learn the AP in a fun way”.

Vicky continues to work closely with the Rand Water Wellness team. “They now consciously apply the AP. It has become part of their lives. They have discovered that no problem is bigger than the Achievement Process”.

Rotolabel

The top management team at Rotolabel gave the following feedback after their day on The Bridge:

• Nice and interactive and very different.
• You get to see people’s real life actions which in the work place you do not particularly see or notice.
• Very professional outfit and staff.
• Knowledgeable, experienced and credible.
• Good learning points from simulation for workplace.
• A lot of fun and good for team building and relationships amongst team members.
• The event was good fun, allowing everyone to get involved in situations not typical to our environment.
• The video feedback proved to be very valuable in terms of discussions around individual preferences.
• The facilities are top notch and reflect a professional organization.
• Informative and allows one to really take a good look at how you can cope under pressure.
• Gives one a good snap shot of who is the real team leader.
• Can actually relate to how each member operates and works.
• Facilities for the training excellent.
• The consultants doing the training are excellent.
• Learned about how to steer a ship in a team and can put it in practice at work.
• Simulation exercise was outstanding.
• Lots of fun but also useful learning.
• Facilities good.
• Food very good.
• Video feedback was good and provided useful insight into our role in the simulator.
• Excellent facility and simulation equipment really world class.
• Very knowledgeable and experienced trainers – know the system inside out.
• Refreshments were great – on time, plentiful and lunch was very satisfying.
• Very professional and knowledgeable simulation “operator”.
• Course was productive and fun in an interesting way.
• Staff at all levels are very knowledgeable and helpful.
• Facilities are pleasant and clean.
• Explanation at the Bridge excellent.
• Enjoyed the “Tug” experience – thanks.