Univ. of Amsterdam, IT-Department: Cooperation & Communication Programme

Performative Interventions at different levels.

The University of Amsterdam's central ICT services provider, asked Troje to submit a proposal for improving its internal and external communications. Staffing levels at the UvA-IC had jumped from 60 to 120 in three years, and the old culture, with its own brand of collaboration and communication, no longer worked. Clearly, during a period of rapid growth, insufficient attention had been given to the human dimensions of this change.

Goals
a) improving customer satisfaction by providing clear, unambiguous communications on expectations and agreements;
b) more job satisfaction for employees through better, more agreeable internal and external communications, and cooperation and pro-active knowledge sharing (one of the stated aims was improving the degree of peer learning within the organisation).

Design
Mission statement
To begin with, Troje supervised a number of workshops in which the UvA-IC's Management Team (MT) formulated a mission statement on Cooperation and Communication (C&C).

To get the ball rolling the MT described the possible roles that every ICT employee might have to fulfil while at work. During the workshops, Troje used its TOP model to give this initiative more concrete form, by looking at behaviour and its underlying motivations. Discussion points were immediately turned into concrete examples, and this 'mirror' of events enabled the MT to clarify and develop its vision. In between workshops Troje translated its findings into notes which served as the starting point for the next workshop.

The workshops culminated in three central values and four roles for all ICT employees. Now the challenge would be how to have employees apply their own interpretation to the results.

At this point the project plan was finalised in consultation with the MT. At the same time it was becoming clear that the IC was also planning both an organisational restructuring and a geographical relocation. Implementation of the project plan was going to take longer than had been anticipated... and indeed, the project ran through autumn 2003. A number of activities have since been completed:

I. Introductory act
At an employee party, a short piece was performed in which the actors made it all too clear that they much to learn about cooperation and communication. They referred directly to the coming plan, thereby introducing it to the employees in an entertaining and thought-provoking way. This was followed up by an article in the in-house magazine.

II. Kick-off: the mission statement is performed by the MT and Troje
The vision formulated by the MT was set out in a theatre performance held in the university theatre for all IC staff. After a morning's rehearsals, members of the MT convincingly played a variety of supporting roles. The performance illustrated the difficulties encountered by the growing organisation using a metaphor: that of a young person becoming an adult. This person, an IC employee, set out on a quest within the organisation, supported by an older mentor. In the course of her travels she discovered how people within the IC worked and, more importantly, why: the three core values and the four principal roles. At each discovery her mentor challenged her to interpret these concepts for herself. Audience members were given a 'theatre programme' which included a succinct description of the mission statement.

III.Training day 1: C&C is introduced in mixed groups
The first whole-organisation training day focused on Cooperation & Communication in general and on the the three formulated values in particular. After an improvisation workshop, two TOP-model scenes and a simulation exercise, we finished with an assignment in which individual C&C actions and resolutions were formulated. The didactic techniques chosen stimulated the peer-learning process. Groups were expressly formed so as to be cross-departmental. Colleagues who had not yet met found themselves working intensively together, a process which indirectly contributed towards one of the central aims: cross-organisational Cooperation and Communication.

IV. Presentation blueprint support
In a parallel session, Troje was asked by the Management Team to support the design of sessions in which employees would be informed of, and could give their reactions to, the new organisational structure. Since it considered communications to be of crucial importance to this stage too, the MT wanted to be certain that the right form and tone would be used. Troje contributed to the development of the design and content of these sessions and coached the MT in the preparation of their presentations.

V. Working conferences
Per-department working conferences were organised to enable employees to look more closely at the work areas of each of the new departments. Besides covering these substantive issues, the aim of the conferences was also to contribute towards strengthening 'departmental identity' and thereby fostering team spirit. This was team-building, in other words, not for its own sake but as part of a substantive framework. Troje provided support in the design of these discussions / brainstorms and acted as process supervisor on the day, effectively uniting both aims.

Result
The programme is still under way, so no final conclusions on its effectiveness can yet be drawn. However, reactions to the activities have so far ranged from positive to extremely positive. An evaluation of the first training day yielded the following comments from participants:

· "The day itself was an enjoyable one: good, enthusiastic trainers, and a nice group, whose members joined in well. I got to know several colleagues better - and in some unexpected ways."

· "I learned a lot that day, particularly thanks to the insight that there are different ways to look at communication. It was an eye-opener to see how you can play with non-verbal communications, and how it really matters how you perceive something, how you interpret it, and how you react to it."

· "It was very useful - and an interesting change - to see things from the customer's point of view."

The client:

Tineke Nieuwenhuis, UvA/IC Head of Human Resources Management:
"Hey, when are we going to do more stuff with Troje?" If this is what employees are asking, then you know that the first phase of the Cooperation and Communication programme, at least, was a success! The playful form given to both the MT's performance and the first training day had wide appeal. Being 'at work' together in groups gave immediate insight into the effect of behaviour and attitude. Long after these meetings, you could hear the words “Yes, and” instead of “Yes, but...” and “Could I talk to you about something?” at work. The use of mixed groups on the training day helped many people to get to know each other better. In combination with the relocation - three departments are now under one roof - it had a positive influence of the atmosphere at work, and on the redistribution of staff from five departments across three new ones.”