Core Logic: Teams Glued for 50 managers

Context

Core Logic (recently rebranded as Cotality) is an information technology business serving the property market globally.

Core Logic UK holds a regular training event for its mid-level managers. These events were conventionally built around training or learning and development, alongside a social element to encourage team development.

When Jim Driver, Managing Director of Cotality UK (Core Logic as was), came across the innovative Unconventional Convention, his interest was triggered by its novel approach to personnel development using VR, personality and behavioural preferences.

Jim Driver and Alison Lester, Human Resources Principal for the UK, met Rob Harrison of Glued to find out more about its innovation, Teams Glued. In their discussions it became apparent that Teams Glued could offer a far more purposeful and attractive solution for the Core Logic training event.

Teams Glued blends competitive teamwork around a VR escape room scenario with personality and behavioural preferences, meaning participants reflect on their actions and behaviour in relation to other team members and the challenge at hand.

The requirement

Up to this point, Teams Glued had only ever been delivered from a single site at Coventry University. By the time the Core Logic event came round, they had 50 mid-level managers.

So the challenge for Glued was how to deliver the event remotely, and how to scale it up from 20 to 50 participants.

In consultation with Core Logic, Glued planned the day across a morning and an afternoon session to accommodate around 25 participants in each.

• With the support of Coventry University, Glued gathered a team of facilitators with technical knowledge of the VR equipment and scenarios.
• Equipment for 6 teams of up to 5 participants was loaded with the VR scenarios for testing off site.
• A presentation and interactive exercise were prepared to help judge participant traits.
• Briefings were held to familiarise the facilitators with Core Logic, the venue, the running order of the day, how to encourage participation and how to deal with technical issues.

Glued and Coventry University ran a shortened dress rehearsal, by which point the team was fully prepared for its first remote delivery at scale.

The outcome

Part of the Teams Glued delivery is to encourage reflection and feedback during the event. The feedback left Glued and the team in no doubt that participants had wholeheartedly engaged with the exercises, and that they had been able to reflect on the behavioural choices available to them alongside their own behavioural preferences. Many participants noticed how the teams quickly formed and became jointly purposeful.

The facilitators of each team noticed how initially hesitant participants found a place in the team, and that some participants were able to negotiate swapping their roles to achieve better outcomes. The facilitators also saw how, as the exercise progressed, members of the team became more fluid in their communications and actions, which was reflected in the speed at which they were able to ‘escape’ the VR scenarios.

The results

From a survey of Core Logic participants:

• 80%had a positive impression of the event
• 80%said their team performed well
• 73%said their team was able to form quickly
• 60%felt the event would lead them to reflect on their behaviours at work
• 53%said they were able to trial alternative ways of responding

Across Teams Glued events, respondents to post-event surveys conducted within a week have shown that 86% found it engaging, 88% felt they picked up learning for themselves and 80% for the business, and 96% said it was well organised.

What participants of previous Teams Glued events have said

• ‘Would like to use the session as a good fun team building exercise in general, showing how important communication and team involvement are.’
• ‘Learning about my own reaction.’
• ‘Very fascinating use of tech. Getting something right / people finding answers was very satisfying!’
• ‘Seeing how the technology could be used in team building exercises.’
• ‘Creating a new team and getting along.’
• ‘The engagement of technology and group communication lessons.’