Turku Energia’s management team wanted to start their organisational reform by looking for new ways and to build a new dynamic for cooperation. The need to develop the work of the management team was based on a total change in the operating environment that challenges and puts pressure on strategy work.

According to CEO Timo Honkanen, the goal was not to “repair a sick person, but to develop and further improve a healthy, already functional one”.

It was important for our management team to strengthen the team spirit and cooperation, and to find a joint direction for our operations across the entire team, says Honkanen.

THE STRATEGY WORK WAS BASED ON EXISTING GOOD PRACTICES

There have been recent changes in the composition of the management team. Even though the team spirit was already good, according to Honkanen, the effects of the new composition and changes in the environment were also reflected in the need to do things differently.

In the midst of the changes, we need new ideas from the management team for developing the entire business and strategy work. Just knowing your own area of responsibility, and examining matters from this perspective alone is not sufficient. Our team had to start looking at Turku Energia from a bird’s-eye view, says Honkanen.

In order to understand the bigger picture and to develop the business, we need to cooperate and spar, and challenge others. This is the spirit we have adopted fairly well while developing our cooperation. Our discussion is now open, and we challenge and spar each other. Things are handled as things, and no one will take offence. You can challenge someone’s ideas and thoughts even if you agree with them.

FROM CONVERSATION TOPICS TO THE WAY OF SPEAKING

By using the Dialogue Team measurements, the management team’s dynamics and ways of speaking were analysed in Turku Energia. It showed the quality of the management team’s discussion and the most important strategic goals – how people talk about things together, and what impact talk has on moving things forward and implementing them.

Changing dynamics is important. Matters are not only handled for the sake of handling them. Instead, they are taken seriously and treated with emotion. Despite the tensions, even the most challenging issues should be discussed with mutual respect. Turku Energia’s management team realised that people really want to advance common causes, and that constructive discussion is vital for such a strategic team, says Matti Hirvanen from Humap.

Humap’s Pekka Pirhonen, who acted as the sparring partner of Turku Energia’s management team and its business development, is highly praised for his contributions by Honkanen.

An external partner brought added value to the process. Pekka did not offer us ready solutions. Instead, he challenged what we were doing and kept the process in line. The process was carried out perfectly, to say the least. Everyone got a lot out of it to introduce in their own actions. The best indicator of our satisfaction is surely the fact that we have already placed a new order. The cooperation will continue, summarises Honkanen.

According to Honkanen, the digital cooperation platform used to support the management team’s process was also an important factor in their success.

The everyday life of the management team is very busy, and we don’t have the time to see each other outside these meetings. The digital platform was convenient and easy to use. We were able to gather all feedback and ideas and comments coming to mind on the platform throughout the process.