TEKsystems Rolls Out Perspectives Program to Thousands to Bolster Company Team Dynamics
In the summer of 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, TEKsystems decided to address this challenging societal moment by leading a company-wide initiative called Conversations that Matter. To help the organization prepare for these challenging conversations, TEKsystems rolled out CDI's Perspectives program to more than 4,000 employees.
The Challenge
TEKsystems is an IT Services and Consulting company that invests significantly in leadership development to drive business outcomes. TEKsystems was interested in promoting team effectiveness and ensuring that they maintained an organizational culture where people felt comfortable engaging in healthy conflict to drive innovation and push each other to be the best that they can be. TEKsystems leaders believed this was an even greater imperative in the aftermath of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. While TEKsystems maintained a strong organizational culture, in watching the developments at companies across the country, they believed political polarization posed a risk to their team's ability to continue working together to achieve their shared objectives. In 2018, TEKsystems reached out to the Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) to integrate CDI's programming into their leadership development programs and help accelerate their key organizational values of "Relationships" and "Inclusivity."
What We Did
TEKsystems initially began by incorporating CDI's e-Learning program, Perspectives, into various leadership development programs to equip emerging leaders at the company with the skills to communicate effectively across differences. TEKsystem's leaders were impressed by the behavioral science research underlying the Perspectives program. They viewed Perspectives as an effective, research-driven way to foster understanding across different backgrounds, beliefs, and values, and help people find common ground.
In the summer of 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, TEKsystems decided to address this challenging societal moment by leading a company-wide initiative called Conversations that Matter. To help the organization prepare for these challenging conversations, TEKsystems rolled out Perspectives company-wide.
Since then, TEKsystems has continued to incorporate Perspectives into its leadership development programs, and it has also made it available to all employees on its Learning Management System.
Perspectives has helped us increase the skill and capability of our current and future leaders to know themselves better so they can lead others more effectively…I would without reservation encourage you to engage with CDI.
Outcomes
Enhanced Team Dynamics
The implementation of CDI's tools led to noticeable improvements in team dynamics at TEKsystems. Leaders reported that the tools helped foster understanding of different perspectives and encouraged a culture where healthy conflict is seen as a catalyst for excellence. Research conducted by CDI found that employees felt more comfortable expressing their views with colleagues and were less likely to avoid conversations with those who disagree with them. Surveys from training sessions showed a high level of confidence among employees in their ability to apply what they learned to enhance their effectiveness in their roles.
Skills for Difficult Conversations
The training also equipped employees with the skills necessary for difficult conversations, which was particularly valuable in navigating discussions around sensitive topics such as the political and social unrest observed in recent years. This was evident from the positive changes reported in employee interactions both within and outside the workplace, including more productive holiday dinners and mended personal relationships. As one employee noted, “I have learned a whole new set of ways to think and approach conversations.”
Looking Forward
Moving forward, TEKsystems plans to continue leveraging CDI's tools. TEKsystem leaders see these tools as integral to building a resilient and adaptable organizational culture capable of thriving amid ongoing social changes and technological advancements. The emphasis on cultivating a growth mindset and intellectual humility is expected to remain a priority at TEKsystems, helping the company maintain its competitive edge by fostering an environment where all ideas are heard and the best ones prevail.
Learn More About Perspectives
Perspectives can be easily incorporated into your employee onboarding and leadership training, or embed it into your LMS to make it available to all employees throughout the year.
