pcl case study
Conflict resolution learning to value diversity the issue
A small Birmingham based insurance company was concerned about one of the customer service teams because of poor performance, low morale, lack of communication and staff attrition.
the solution
To learn more about the group dynamic we asked the team to complete the Motives Values Preferences Inventory (MVPI). The MVPI assesses values and priorities that we feel strongly about; the degree to which values are shared between team members will impact on their ability to work together effectively. The most notable feature of this team’s MVPI profile is the relative lack of convergence, so shared values are minimal. Only on the MVPI Security and Tradition scales did most of the team members achieve a similar score. This suggests that these individuals may be somewhat formal, fairly conservative in their views, and may prefer to follow established procedures. The MVPI group profile provided important information about the culture or climate within the group as well as highlighting potential conflict. The areas of greatest diversity were found on the Power and Business scales of the MVPI. Therefore attitudes towards status, authority and the commercial side of life varied widely, making it difficult to achieve any consensus on these issues. Having identified the key differences between the individuals we then used this to increase awareness and respect for each other’s values and sensitivities in order to rebuild the team.
the results
The MVPI enabled the group to appreciate their differences, and fuelled with this understanding they were able to reach consensus on a wide variety of work issues that had caused obstacles in the past. The session also helped them learn about their colleagues’ priorities and to appreciate the benefits of diversity. Two months after the team development session feedback from the HR department indicated that the team was performing significantly better and communication had vastly improved.
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The team’s MVPI profile