Since 2014, we have been collaborating with Inkmason on their organizational and people development. We are very grateful for the opportunity to work with such a talented architecture and design team, led by committed leadership who are determined to invest in their team's development. Throughout the years, we have experienced various stages of team development processes - new members arriving, some members departing, some returning, offices moving, new clients being engaged, and new marketing and business strategies being employed. What hasn't changed is the passion for design, the belief in their work, and the value placed on their own people.
After overcoming the challenges of 2020, we reflected on what we needed for the future. We decided to start anew this year - to learn about ourselves and our team members, and to rebuild relationships. We designed a new learning series to Inkmason, with the first module covering Team Collaboration. We conducted our first virtual workshop with participants located in Beijing, Shanghai, Macau, and Melbourne!
The focus of this workshop was to understand their current stage in the organizational development journey, to recognize the importance of communication, to identify their own strengths and challenges in a team communication environment, and to take further steps to synergize their efforts.
We understand that running or participating a virtual workshop is very different from a face-to-face one, especially when it comes to keeping participants engaged and creating an interactive online environment. However, this also provides opportunities for us to be creative. One of our favourite activities was drawing a picture representing the team's status. This was an important part of the process because each team member shared their understanding of the team and their feelings of being part of it to grow together.
Another beloved activity was called the 'Golden 10 seconds' (a name chosen by the team). Each team member had 10 seconds to input strengths (as many as they knew) about one team member in the chat box. Then, after 10 seconds, they moved on to the next team member, and so on. We compiled a list of strengths for the whole team, and it was truly enjoyable! Everyone was fully engaged and thoroughly enjoyed the game.
Thank you to our energetic group of Inkmason staff and our amazing co-facilitator, Karen. You all worked beautifully today. Our second module will be in June, focusing on how to present confidently.