Relationship Intelligence
Clarion Insight’s use of SDI (Strength Deployment Inventory) within skilfully facilitated Team Development Workshops resulted in our government client sustaining significant improvements in team performance, communication, and collaboration.
Problem
The problem the client faced related to low levels of psychological safety, hindering effective communication and collaboration. This resulted in people noticing things being left unsaid, conflict being suppressed or avoided, the fear of speaking up, and a decreased likelihood of individuals taking risks. To tackle this, we facilitated the integration of SDI into the Client’s working relationships. This included training the client how to improve relationship skills like empathy and self-awareness, through learning about SDI during team development workshops.
Challenge
Our client operates in a sensitive and secure environment. Meeting our customer’s operational, information and personal security demands presented a challenge. It was important that the client had easy access to the Core Strengths digital platform whilst meeting their security standards. A new way of working was developed to ensure every security need was safely met. This remains our go-to solution when working with this client.
Another common challenge is situational change, such as when teams, evolve, grow, and dynamics shift or when ways of working change. An example of this was modifying our sessions during the pandemic, moving from face-to-face to virtual settings, again whilst adhering to security measures.
Solution
Clarion Insight’s Relationship Intelligence workshops pair prestigious frameworks like SDI (Strength Deployment Inventory) and Working Genius with qualified and talented facilitators. Unlike other workshops, where SDI is almost exclusively used as a self-assessment tool, Clarion uses the framework to foster team communication and encourage open conversation. This helps the team understand SDI in practice, resulting in better integration within teams, and more sustainable, long-term results.
“I found we were able to strengthen the psychological safety of the group in person. Allowing us to be quite open and share our personal experiences and thought processes.”
Outcome
We measure success through both feedback and the Client's ongoing engagement. There has been an evident rise in open and candid discussions among teams, and our client reported significant improvements in team performance, communication, and collaboration. Teams have started incorporating SDI's terminology, such as using colours to depict behaviour and interactions, demonstrating the lasting and practical application of the concepts.
Conclusion
The combination of our facilitators’ skills and qualifications empowered them to deliver highly effective workshops that aligned with our client’s goal of building strong relationships and successful teams. Our work with this client is on-going, and our focus remains on fostering psychological safety, trust, and emotional intelligence. Clarion Insight passionately believes that people make the biggest difference, and building positive relationships is essential for effective teamwork and organisational growth.