Based on an article originally published in Training Scene, newsletter of the Massachusetts chapter of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD)

A New Team Member
The news came quietly from the medical personnel: a case of the measles was breaking up the team. Only days before launch, the crew of Apollo 13 had a new member. Not surprisingly, the original crew reacted to the change with resistance and resentment. Their doubts about the newcomer quickly affected his belief in himself and his abilities; anxiety increased, confidence eroded and performance eroded.

A New Set of Co-Workers
Having recently acquired their largest competitor, a major scientific products company finds that the solution to their market share problem has provided them with another: What were formerly rival salespeople must now become team mates. But calling themselves one company doesnt erase the "us and them" mentality. "Turf" issues are aggressively pursued and water cooler conversations abruptly end when one of "them" appears. Inefficiency and covert conflict abound.

A New Way of Working
In a major telecommunications company, the new CEO is committed to restructuring a traditional, hierarchical organization to adopt a team-based approach. Some managers buy into the idea, while others offer little commitment to the new alignment beyond the semantics of calling themselves a team. Frustration eventually leads some to call for a return to the old system, causing yet another form of conflict.

The Hump of Resistance
Are these natural, yet counterproductive reactions to change avoidable? Can companies take proactive steps to address them before they negatively impact productivity?

Yes they can. The key is establishing an attitude of openness throughout the workforce, a culture of receptivity. Once a receptive orientation is established, workers get over the hump of resistance much more quickly to become open to new people, new ideas and new ways of working. The result: a more flexible, responsive and productive organization.

A Receptive Culture
When implemented on an ongoing basis, large-scale teambuilding programs and focused experiential learning simulations can be a highly effective way to help participants drop their defenses, lower resistance levels and build relationships. Properly designed and implemented, these program build camaraderie and trust, and help employees to view each other as valuable assets instead of rivals. They create a willingness to learn new skills and methods and to do things differently. And when participants enjoy the process, they are that much more likely to retain the learning and be receptive to the next stage of development. The president of a major restaurant chain uses his companys quarterly meetings as ongoing opportunities to build a network among his managers. Following morning meetings, he contracts for interactive, energetic teambuilding experiences to allow managers the opportunity to interact and build relationships. The result of this ongoing commitment: a corporate culture with a network that encourages informal mentoring, joint problem- solving, communication and sharing of best practices. In essence, each store builds on the successes and shared knowledge of the others, instead of constantly reinventing the wheel by going it alone. Additionally, managers feel strongly about their company, their peers, and their value -- resulting in high morale and low turnover.

On Time Interventions
But what about situations that require immediate attention? Lets examine the intervention we designed for the scientific products company who acquired their competitor. Through a series of email interactions spurred by a regional contest, participants interacted with their new team members on a personal, non-professional level. Requiring only minutes each week, the benefits of these "interviews" were two-fold: they served as the initial, non- threatening medium by which communication could begin, and initiated the process of breaking down barriers that existed between former rivals. Having completed Phase 1 of the process, sales reps arrived at the annual sales meeting with a foundation for openness toward their new colleagues. Phase 2 was comprised of a customized, fun, construction-based team building simulation for all 600 members of the newly created organization. Requiring input of all participants, and structured so that each team was a mix of "us" and "them," this program was designed to promote interaction, group problem solving, innovation, and laughter, and to demonstrate that everyone had skills to offer. Following the program, participants were able to view their new colleagues not as rivals, but as assets from whom they could learn and benefit -- and perhaps even enjoy!

The challenge before the new telecommunications CEO was to overcome resistance to a new way of working. Seminars provided the mechanics of the new system, but resistance remained. Focus groups and individual interviews revealed that managers didnt understand how to work effectively as a team and they they accepted inefficiency and conflict as unavoidable. As a solution, we developed a workshop utilizing interactive custom video scenarios, participatory exercises, a team-based simulation and a practical application -- developing common operating guidelines -- to provide a set of behavioral tools enabling successful team behavior.

Receptivity Yields Innovation and Adaptability
It is vital that organizations work to establish a culture of receptivity as an ongoing part of their training and development process. Receptive employees will more readily adopt new ideas, new people and new ways of doing things, thus allowing companies to innovate and adapt to change more quickly. And when crises and competitive pressures arise, companies with receptive cultures will be that much better equipped to respond.