[Case Study] Marico India | Team Bonding Workshop - FocusU Engage

Marico India | Team Bonding Workshop

Program

Marico India | Team Bonding Workshop

Objective

To bond the members of an intact team (the FCM team) in Marico.

Solution

The FCM (Factory Commercial Management) team in Marico comprised 9 members. These were people who had been working together for over a year. There were no stated issues per se with the team. However, while they worked well with each other – the relationships were very transactional. This meant that team members would do what was necessary – but would rarely go beyond the remit to help each other or collaborate with each other. The team had a new leader, who wanted to bridge this divide between team members by bringing them closer together as one team through a workshop intervention.

Like in all such interventions, we had a very open discussion with the leader in terms of setting up expectations on the expected outcomes from an intervention like this. Becoming a well oiled performing team is always a journey – and it is important that the leader and the team members see it as such. Hence this intervention was positioned as the kick-off intervention.

The workshop was set up at the company guesthouse, so as to create a very informal atmosphere between the participants. We started with a few energizers to break the ice and get everyone into a more relaxed frame of mind, with easy laugher ringing across the room. We built it up through a few Experiential activities which engaged the minds of the participants. “What are we glad about?” “What are we mad about?” “What do we wish we had in this team?” People gradually opened up and many issues were surfaced and talked through – some known ones, some came as surprises.

We broke for lunch. When we came back, it was time to move from the mind to the hearts. Using the Johari construct, we introduced an activity called The Iceberg. Like icebergs, all of us have an outer visible self and a hidden self. The hidden self is made of different facets – our deepest beliefs, our values, our perceived strengths & weaknesses, our prejudices, our many stories and our dreams. We generally reveal these vulnerable facets only to the closest of our friends. But when it is done in a team context – the effect it has on the team is magical.

This team came as 9 different individuals – and went back as one team.

Impact:

This is what one of the participants, Aman Gangadharbhatia had to say about the intervention:

“A big thanks from the entire FCM team of Marico for conducting such a memorable workshop! The FocusU Team did a great job in creating an informal and casual atmosphere which was perfect for the kind of sessions that were conducted. Though the team has been working together for over a year, the team has obtained a greater understanding and has developed a renewed sense of bonding.

The program was simple in design, energetic and stimulating with exercises that were both fun and informative. The highlight of the program was the sharing of life experiences which was conducted with remarkable ease and affability. Just while we thought the program had come to an end, we were pleasantly surprised with the recap video and photographs.

It is safe to say that we have now been upgraded from colleagues to friends. This one-day workshop will not only go a long way in enhancing effectiveness at the workplace but has also created a strong human connect amongst the team. We look forward to have many such workshops in the future.”

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