Achieving Organisational Unity in a Defence Alliance
Client: Air Warfare Destroyer Project
Challenge: Siloed teams and lack of unified collaboration
Solution: Custom leadership development program
To cultivate a high-performance culture and support teams transitioning between design and production phases, Kristy was embedded as a part-time contractor for two years. Her mission was to elevate leadership capabilities and enhance collaboration and trust within a complex, three-way Alliance-based contracting strategy, aligning all efforts towards a unified alliance vision.
Approach
In a large scale, male-dominated military alliance environment, Kristy crafted and delivered five iterations of a 6-month Peak Performance Alliancing Program for 120 high-potential leaders. Her approach combined facilitated group sessions with individual leadership coaching, focusing on unifying team dynamics and fostering a deep understanding of individual leadership styles. Over nine-month intervals, Kristy coached more than 20 leaders across Adelaide and Sydney, helping them align their personal leadership styles with the collective goals of the alliance.
Through these sessions, leaders gained a deeper understanding of their identities and how these influenced their interactions. They were equipped with practical strategies for resolving relationship-based challenges, ultimately reinforcing a unified approach to achieving the alliance’s objectives.
Outcomes
Leaders and teams transitioned from a mindset of "why that won’t work" to "how that could work," significantly improving problem-solving and innovation within the alliance.
Kristy also facilitated 'train the trainer' sessions, empowering participants to independently sustain and expand the program’s impact. Additionally, she developed organisational development recommendations to support ongoing culture change initiatives, ensuring the alliance's strategy and vision remained aligned across all levels of the organisation.
The program successfully united staff from three distinct organisations with their own unique sub-cultures, fostering high levels of cooperation, communication, teamwork, and dedication to a shared objective.
“Kristy is passionate about people and encouraging us to find our best selves. She has deep insight into what makes people and teams successful and she invested in sharing her knowledge and journeying together with us on our road to success. Kristy’s program has had a lasting change on our organisation. Over 5 years after Kristy delivered her program I still find myself employing the learnings from her program and sharing the insights with my team.”
— Dr Brad Ferguson, Technical Director, Raytheon Australia