From vertical to horizontal: changing ways of working
“WOW!” That was the reaction from the client, and above all from their team, at the end of this training-through-work project designed with disruptive approaches and methods for the environment in which it was delivered.
And it was precisely that disruptive element that enabled us to achieve the result the client was looking for.
Their goal was clear: a transformation in working practices that would shift the company from a heavily vertical model towards a more horizontal one.
At the core was the desire to develop more collaborative dynamics designed to create significant synergy across the system.
It was an exciting challenge: both the sector and the internal company culture were defined by strong personalities, with some initial resistance to questioning practices that were, after all, already working.
An experimental environment that dismantles day-to-day logic
The architecture of this training-through-work project involved creating an experimental environment.
Formal roles and official hierarchies were temporarily set aside, stepping outside the ordinary way of operating.
We engaged multiple organisational levels in a new way to deeply connect them to cooperative ways of working.
What we saw happen during this training-through-work project:
- Everyone took on completely different roles, playing a different game and working on areas outside their professional remit
- The project initiatives themselves addressed topics entirely different from those they manage on a daily basis
- A range of previously unexpressed strengths and potential emerged, offering an opportunity to bring out the full capabilities of individuals beyond everyday preconceptions, and see them in action
- A 360-degree view of the company system expanded, and people developed new skills
- The language of “we” shifted significantly; people connected, understood what other roles entail, what colleagues do, and how they do it. They truly saw each other in a new light, while also delivering tangible results on projects that were strategic for the organisation
Encouraging people to step outside their comfort zone and operate beyond their usual remit delivered practical, direct experience of doing things differently.
It generated an outstanding outcome in reorienting the entire system towards a more collaborative, synergistic way of working—something we are truly proud of.
