OPP business psychologists out and about in September 2015
OPP are out on the road every week delivering a range of business psychology services across Europe, so we thought we’d share a couple of examples with you
This week we've covered lots of bases, including an MBTI® group feedback event, assessor training, and a change management session with a leadership team
MBTI Group Feedback Event – Brussels
A division of a large pharmaceutical company was hosting a conference for 60 remote-working members of staff from 13 different language zones across the EMEA and APAC regions. As part of that conference, the client asked OPP to provide insight into the participants’ personal impact and leadership.
The client wanted a session that would not only offer participants a shared experience but would also enable them to be more effective in their communication and understanding of others. To achieve this OPP consultancy delivered a half day MBTI group feedback session.
Prior to the conference the participants completed the MBTI questionnaire, most of them doing so in their native tongue (owing to the instrument's wide language availability). They were then split into four groups to develop their understanding of preference pairs. For each of the four preference pairs they changed groups and facilitators. It may sound like a logistical nightmare, but it worked well and kept the sessions active and more fun.
By running the session in groups, those taking part were exposed to four different facilitators with different MBTI Types. This was of great benefit, as they were able to see the impact of Type on communication style as they learnt about it.
The final part of the session involved people coming back together to explore their best-fit Types and develop action plans about how to make the most of their new personal insight. We highlighted a key strand of the OPP approach to leadership development - as leaders grow their awareness, it’s what they do with that knowledge that makes the difference.
Summary of the conference’s aims and requirements:
- Improve awareness of the impact of being a leader working in a remote environment
- Improve communication within multi-location teams
- Improve effective working through understanding colleagues and yourself
- Provide personal development plan based on insights
OPP Facilitator: “There was a real sense that they enjoyed the interactive nature of the sessions, and one participant commented that it was great to work with facilitators that looked like they really enjoyed their jobs!”
Assessor training – UK
One of the challenges in recruitment is conducting consistent, fair and objective assessments – especially for large groups like graduates. OPP are often asked to advise in this area, and this week we helped a client design and implement a graduate assessment centre. We also delivered assessor training that equipped participants with the skills to continue their recruitment with confidence.
Each organisation has different recruitment needs, which is why OPP business psychologists provide varying levels of custom and off-the shelf support.
Managing change – UK
This week OPP are working with senior leaders from Macmillan Cancer Support to consider how to motivate, lead and coach others through change.