What is PCSG doing?

In June 2017, PCSG was engaged by TUV SUD’s subsidiary company Nuclear Technologies to jointly fulfil the role of Project Facilitation Team (PFT) for Sellafield Ltd’s Transformation Programme pilot project in the Remediation workstream.

The pilot demolition project had been identified to trial a new contracting approach which aligns to Sellafield’s key business drivers and transformation objectives. The PFT’s role is to work with the Sellafield Intelligent Customer (SLIC) team and the Contractor to ensure the pilot project is a success by proving that the new approach delivers works faster, better and cheaper than before.

Developing a Toolkit for use by SLIC teams on future projects

Working closely with the Project Director and interviewing leaders at all levels, PCSG’s facilitators held briefing meetings with the Board. Using this information and feedback we designed and co-facilitated a workshop with leaders in the project representing all parties – client, designers, contractor and manufacturer.

Increased appreciation of the different drivers within the JV, plus the introduction of joint leadership on key milestones, led to significant improvements in performance and relationships. We stayed in close contact over the following four months and the milestones (which were agreed during the workshop) were achieved on time, to cost and quality standards.

The success was seen to be based on improved collaboration between the JV partners at all levels. The JV has recently completed the project with much public accolade.

“I have worked with Julie Bullen (PCSG’s lead facilitator on this assignment) over a 4 year period and have found her to be highly skilled, reliable and efficient. She understands construction and the project’s environment and ethos and is able to bring together people from various backgrounds and cultures.”
Project Director

The leader of this major transformation programme requested assistance from us in helping the newly formed team, made up of staff from across the business, as well as PCSG team members, to make best use of their different skills and styles of working.

The transformation programme affected all staff and therefore the team needed to engage and influence a variety of groups including technical people, managers and frontline workers. We employed a range of challenges and models that led to a better understanding of and an increased respect for the contribution of different styles of working.

In addition, the success of this initiative led to requests for other help from PCSG including: training workshops and coaching with the senior leadership team.

One year on, the feedback was: “We have developed a ‘One Team’ approach…we work well as a team…there is cross team interaction and sharing of knowledge…we get the job done and we deliver business benefits.”

We ran a series of workshops with the pool of people who would be forming and reforming teams for different tenders. In the workshops the team:

• Created a shared view of what a High Performance Team looks like
• Agreed how to build teams rapidly and a plan of action for this time period
• Agreed a best practice approach to the bidding process
• Explored ways to use each other’s experience, skills and styles of working to best effect
• Clarified and agreed what was needed from those leading the different bid teams

The team went on to achieve an excellent ‘hit rate’ on the tenders submitted and the Head of the department was promoted to a Managing Director position.

Example 1 - We worked with the Executive Director of a major UK infrastructure company providing support in the development of the strategic board, its ways of working and building the relationships between board members. This was done through a series of workshops and one to one coaching sessions focused on key business issues. Tools used included the Gallup StrengthsFinder ® tool as well as the interactive use of MBTI (Myers Briggs Type Indicator). Our specialist use of these tools enables people to understand themselves and each other better, leading to improved performance both of individuals and teams, leading to better outcomes for all.

Example 2 - Another example is a Partner in a global law firm specialising in patents who was aiming for Senior Partnership. He was provided with feedback on the issues that needed to be resolved in order to be successful. Some of the issues were around communicating with the other Partners whose focus and style of communication were very different to his own. MBTI was useful in identifying communication strategies and practical ways forward. Positive feedback quickly followed, and the client was able to influence changes in marketing and the company image that have been essential in achieving an increased global reach. He also worked on further developing his leadership presence and management style. The firm brought the vote forward and he was successful in achieving senior Partnership.

Example 3 – We were engaged to coach the Project Director of a change project in a major Government division, which has a net present value of £1.8bn. The purpose of the Project was to deliver major efficiencies in an organisation employing 100,000 people through automation, channel shift, process re-engineering and cultural change. The Project Director described this as the most significant leadership challenge he had ever faced. His feedback was that having coaching throughout the process sustained him through the challenges of leading change in a resistant organization, a boss who was frustrated with the pace and resistors who wanted the project stopped. He also confirmed that coaching with Julie Bullen helped him become more aware of his own motivations and he became increasingly capable of seeing things from other people’s perspective. And to conclude he said it had been hugely beneficial to him.

Example 4 - A gifted leader was headhunted to work in a Private Health company that was undergoing large scale organisational change. Usually a confident, gregarious and positive leader, she found herself feeling anxious and uncertain and overly focused on bureaucracy. After 3 months without improvement she requested coaching. During the coaching, she identified that the source of her difficulties was a clash in culture and values between herself, the new CEO and the original company. Consequently, she and the CEO spoke openly about the challenges this entailed and set out future plans to move the culture towards explicitly positive values. She quickly found herself energised and began working with her team in her natural open and collegiate style. After 3 sessions she felt restored and able to lead again with confidence. “It is now a year almost since I started and things are more settled - absolutely full on still, but I just feel amazingly busy rather than stressed and uncertain.”