Team Building - FISH! Fun Day

BACKGROUND:

Mars Information Services (Mars IS) is a division of Mars supplying Information Technology (IT) services to the Mars business. As a global supplier of confectionary, pet food and drinks, Mars has significant information technology requirements. IS offers a global service that 'follows the sun'; therefore, each of the IS teams are split over three regions, Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific (AsiaPac). The requirements for leaders within the IS business is to be able to:

• interface with the rest of the Mars business,
• understand key internal client requirements,
• develop and lead a global and multi-cultural team,
• lead and manage significant and on-going business change,
• find more efficient ways of delivering IT services across the business.

Teams often operate in a remote context so the desire in Mars IS was to create strong and cohesive teams. VBL have facilitated a number of team development events for Mars IS. On this occasion the need was for team building with a specific group.

SOLUTION:

The team leader made the decision to run an away day but instead of the more traditional approach often used by teams to re-energise and motivate teams, such as outdoor pursuits, Mars IS decided to go for a FISH! Fun Day. Mars Inc. has adopted an approach for learning and development based around 70, 20, 10: a well recognised learning and development approach that creates sustainable learning by ensuring that 70% of development happens in on-the-job stretch goals.

The objectives of the FISH! Fun day were:

• to have a clear understanding of the principles and ways of working that are underpinned by the FISH! Philosophy,
• to have some FUN,
• to have the opportunity to work as a team and better understand each others’ strengths within the team,
• to review current progress and have a set of agreed ways of working together in the future,
• to be able to share the learning with future team members.

OUTCOME:

The Employee Survey ahead of introducing the FISH! philosophy recorded a 41.75% engagement score for this particular team. The following year with FISH! being fully embraced, the score for engagement rose to 61.75%. Following the success of this workshop other teams in Mars IS requested VBL to work with them to develop their team spirit and create a sustainable positive environment.