Team Cohesion Workshops Case Study
KidGlov Embraces the Working Genius Model: A Transformative Journey
The Ask: Cultivating a Culture of Joy and Collaboration
KidGlov had a clear and resonating objective: they sought a vibrant organizational culture where every member could experience joy and fulfillment in their work. This meant helping to find meaning and passion in every project, every challenge, and every accomplishment.
Given the nature of agency work and the specific team members already in place, collaboration would be crucial to achieving this culture. Team members would need to rely on one another for support while capitalizing on the joy already felt when the team had chances to collaborate and get to know each other.
Challenges
The advertising industry is notorious for stereotypes like a dominant creative director, a compelling strategic client liaison, and a smooth account director. These norms can stifle voices and creativity in an inherently creative field. KidGlov aimed to break these molds by introducing the "Working Genius" model and shaking up how an agency can operate through increased collaboration, transparency, and deliberate pursuit of joy at work. This model focuses on what brings joy or frustration to individuals based on who they are rather than what job title they hold and what responsibilities they believe they “should” have.
Our Approach
The Working Genius Model: A Game-Changer
The Table Group’s Working Genius model is not just about identifying what tasks you excel at; it’s about understanding oneself, the energy derived from certain types of work, and the potential frustrations in other types of work. When used for the full team, it also creates understanding for other teammates and gives a chance to safely express how teams can work best without excess guilt or shame about what each member “should” do.
We chose this model to extract its key benefits:
Personal Insight: Team members grasp what they thrive in and what might be a potential source of frustration.
Joy & Fulfillment: Recognizing and then focusing on tasks that bring joy, naturally uplifts the team’s spirit.
Simplicity: An easy-to-understand model for the lifecycle of work/projects that offers profound changes when applied correctly.
Productivity Boost: Aligned teams with members in their zone of genius are invariably more productive (not to mention fulfilled).
Empathy: By understanding individual strengths and pain points, empathy among team members is enhanced.
Phase 1: Individual Assessments
Before diving into group activities, each member took the individual assessment to determine their unique geniuses and frustrations within the Working Genius framework (a 10-15 minute process).
Phase 2: Team Mapping
The results of the individual assessments were then compiled into a comprehensive team map—a visual representation that highlighted the KidGlov team's collective strengths and potential gaps.
Phase 3: Reflective Workshop
A 2-hour workshop offered a platform for everyone to reflect on their results. Members shared how their identified geniuses and frustrations resonated with their personal experiences and how these manifested in their work. Through the facilitated activities, participants delved deep into their results and sought opportunities to understand themselves and each other better, then use this knowledge to change how they work to maximize joy, flow, and productivity at work. By understanding what they enjoy and are drained by at work, plus the joy their teammates found in areas they needed help with, they began reconfiguring the way meetings and projects look.
Phase 4: Action Plan Development
Post-reflection, the team came together to chart out an action plan. Drawing from the insights of the workshop, they strategized on:
How to enhance teamwork for future projects.
Running more effective meetings by leveraging individual strengths.
Optimizing team member involvement in projects based on their identified geniuses.
Preemptively seeking help from others as well as offering it to others with their newfound knowledge of each other’s geniuses and frustrations
Transformative Feedback & Forward Motion
The team expressed a desire to experience more joy and find their fit within the organization. Marketing, at its core, is about understanding people. With the Working Genius model, KidGlov found a simplified yet profound framework to discuss and address their team dynamics. As they ventured into newer strategies, like re-evaluating core values and increasing vulnerability, they remained committed to continuous improvement.
Conclusion
For KidGlov, the adoption of the Working Genius model was not merely a theoretical exercise; it was a hands-on, reflective, and strategic journey toward joy, understanding, and collaboration. The systematic approach of individual assessments, team mapping, and action planning ensured that the team understood their individual and collective strengths and had a clear roadmap to operationalize this understanding. This set KidGlov on a promising trajectory of success, unity, and collaborative fulfillment.
Quotes
"I LOVED our session with you on Friday. The whole team left feeling inspired, optimistic, and excited to put our learnings into practice! We've continued to have "Aha" moments since then. Thank you for doing what you do!"
"The KidGlov team gained so much insight from our workshop with Siamo. Our team left feeling understood as individuals and excited to grow as a team by putting our learnings into practice. Since our workshop, we are confident that we can optimize the team members we bring to each meeting and each project based off strengths. The Siamo Team is personable, creative, and a joy to work with!"
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