Abstract
A global telecom company overcame functional silos and misaligned objectives through a leadership retreat focused on agile at scale, business agility, and team emotional intelligence. This approach led to transparent prioritisation, fostering empathy and collaboration, and revitalising their strategic alignment.
Detailed Case Study
In a recent leadership retreat for a top global telecom company, the aim was to break down the functional silos that hindered collaboration and innovation. The leadership and strategy teams had long struggled with misaligned objectives, blame-shifting between business and technology departments, and prioritisation issues that delayed programs and stifled innovation.
During the retreat, we introduced the concept of collaborative quarterly planning, encouraging leaders to align their business objectives and break them down into manageable two-week sprints. This session functioned much like a PI planning session but was tailored to the business teams. Leaders identified and addressed conflicting objectives, unrealistic deadlines, and dependencies, fostering a new understanding of delivering the highest value rather than everything at once.
The retreat’s key outcomes were significant. Leaders, initially sceptical due to past incomplete attempts, found coherence in the new approach. They appreciated the transparency in prioritisation, which was now consistent across all teams, reducing the influence of internal lobbying. This transparent prioritisation allowed them to deliver value more effectively as a united front.
By visualising their work and integrating business agility, business psychology, and team emotional intelligence, leaders understood the importance of combining mindset and heart set. They realised solving complex problems required more than technical solutions—it required addressing human factors as well. This approach not only improved prioritisation but also fostered empathy and collaboration among leaders, ensuring that dependencies were logical and achievable. As a result, the leadership team left the retreat with a renewed sense of purpose and a clear, actionable strategy for achieving their business objectives together.