What is “Ways of Working” and why does it work?

When my team and I were putting together the Ways of Working (WoW) program we wanted to create something really impactful, cost-effective and that worked around the busy schedules of teams who were spread all over the world. The result? We honestly think it’s the best program available which focuses on helping teams to:

• Build trust and psychological safety
• Connect and communicate more effectively
• Reduce burnout and increase resilience
• Drive a culture of performance with people at the centre

The WoW program looks like this:

1. A pre-program assessment and debrief
2. 3 x WoW training modules — Adopt, Accelerate, and Sustain
3. Ongoing self-paced learning & practice mechanisms for all participants built-in
4. 3 x Reflect and Learn sessions to reflect and integrate learning in shared groups
5. Coaching and mentoring for all program staff and also on offer to all participants
6. A post-program follow-up assessment and debrief.

We have designed each learning element of the program to be a standalone “recipe” that can be delivered in-person, or virtually, and in one-day modules or “chunked down” to 2–4-hour blocks, depending on your circumstances — although we do recommend giving your teams good chunks of time together to connect and communicate. The total investment of time for a team is just under 4 days over a 4–6 month period. For context that is 4 days out of 120–180 days.

Why is it effective?

We built the type of program we would want to attend. We made the core topics the ones that really NEED to be talked about. And we make the learning conversation not lecture-based and contextually customized to you.

We focus on situating all the conversations around business talk — not fluffy stuff — and making sure they are relevant to what’s happening in your business today and tomorrow.

Modules are designed around creating insights and letting teams explore and challenge their existing ideas based on their own context. We share frameworks and tools to explain concepts but it is less about content and more about conversations.

But there’s more….

After working in this field for nearly 20 years and developing learning programs for some of the largest and most successful companies in their industries, I have seen that doing workshops and then going back to work is great initially, but it doesn’t provide the maximum learning impact that can be achieved.

We wrap around the formal training element of the program with support and accountability mechanisms which provide the opportunity for participants to try and learn from what we discussed during sessions, back in their jobs.

The program is based on research that has identified the power of experiments in shifting performance. We create a culture of experimentation and curiosity (PEARL) that encourages participants to actually change.

We also create coaching capability amongst leaders of the program and sponsors to help them provide support to participants. We choose coaches from previous cohorts to help their “fellow participants” learn from the inside out.

Finally, we created a social community for participants in the same organizations where they get to share their learnings with each other which further accelerates the learning that’s happening.

We have some happy clients:

• 88% — Of participants said the program made a difference or significant difference to their performance at work.
• 94% — Of participants felt the program improved their engagement and well-being at work — reducing the risk of burnout.
• 3.6 hours — The productive time per week participants gained through applying what they learned in the program.
• 6.4hrs — Increase in manager/leader time regained to focus on higher priority tasks.

So next time you are thinking about what will really move the dial in terms of your team’s performance and trust, consider Ways of Working. Or, if you’re interested to learn more, reach out, and let’s have a chat.

Speak soon,

Jimmy

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