Morrisons: High Performing Team wins Award

Morrisons Worsley site won the Best Site Award at the 2012 Manufacturing Conference

Simply Fresh Foods at Worsley, Greater Manchester, is a site that produced salad products and designed new products. A while ago, the site had been burnt to the ground and the staff had had to pull together in very difficult times to relocate their business, come to grips with many unexpected changes to their working lives and then move back into their new site once it had been re-built.

This experience meant that the Site Senior Team were a coherent and supportive group with a strong work ethic and a keen sense of identity.

When Simply Fresh was purchased by Morrisons, it brought a new General Manager to the site who worked closely with the existing team to integrate staff into the Morrisons ways of working and to create a new culture at the site. Despite the best efforts of the General Manager, the changes were either happening slowly or not at all. Having reviewed progress with his HR Manager, he decided to ask DevelopChange to help design and deliver two team days aimed at creating the sort of High Performing Team he had always envisaged.

The DevelopChange facilitator worked with the General Manager and each member of his senior team to draw out the issues that existed and to then design a programme aimed at creating a truly High Performing Team.

Solution

The solution was two separate Team Days, over a three week period, in which during the first day, the concept of creating such a team was explored and agreed upon as the correct way forward. Through experiential activities and honest dialogue, the team were able to express their issues and concerns as well as seeing each other in a different light as a result of the activities they undertook. The day ended with individuals taking ownership for actions that had to be carried out before the second Team Day.

The second Team Day looked at the collective team in more detail and asked them to discuss where they all wanted to be as a team. It was decided that it was time to leave behind the Simply Fresh mentality and move forwards towards being a High Performing 'Morrisons' team. The team look at the issues that would help them move forward and the things that might hold them back. They also provided each other with open and honest feedback before creating a series of Commitments to the Team and the Site, which they were held accountable for, thereafter.

Outcome

As a result, on the back of excellent operational performance, the Worsley site won the Best Site Award at the 2012 Manufacturing Conference, which was a great result for all those concerned and a true reflection of all the hard work they had undertaken.