Challenge

A zoological institution that had three distinct departments that were not aligned or cooperating with each other. While all shared a passion for the mission of the zoo and for conservation, there was an inordinate amount of time spent on employees in conflict. This affected internal efficiency, employee satisfaction and, ultimately, the quality of the customer experience.

Solution

To address the situation, we did the following:

• Conducted an assessment which revealed that while the organization’s mission was shared, the three departments had very distinct goals and professional standards.
• Determined that given those constraints, the essential structure really couldn’t be changed.
• Initiated a strategic partnering project for teams to identify the key cross-functional processes and develop synergies for partnering at essential decision points.
• Conducted work sessions among the departments for teams to develop solutions for improved cooperation and decide on standards to guide their interactions with one another.

Result

Employees responded quickly to the leaders decision to initiate dialogue and engage them in the resolution process. Conflicts between departments dramatically decreased, which had the positive effect of increasing efficiency. As conflicts diminished, employees discovered new ways to cooperate and, together, they developed new programs to greatly enhance the customer experience. Beyond the scope of the original goals, this initiative dramatically improved overall customer satisfaction and increased the customers’ intention to return to the zoo.