Solving Cultural Issues in a Large Public Agency

Challenge

A large public agency on the West Coast was experiencing a significant disconnect within the senior team between the senior team and the Executive Director, and especially between the senior team and their immediate reports. CLA was engaged to help them develop the capacity for addressing difficult issues and to foster more effective working relationships.

Interventions

Over the course of two years, one-on-one coaching meetings, diagnostic phone calls, and three off-sites (one with each team and one combined) were conducted. The teams were exposed to the Adaptive Leadership tools and frameworks and took on initiatives designed to change norms and behaviors within each team, across teams, and with the employees as a whole.

Impact

The agency developed clearer and increased communication across boundaries which led to collaboration that had not previously existed. A clearing of the air in the top team enabled them to make progress on several daunting issues.