Coordination under pressure

The business problem

Coordination problems are expensive and hard to see. Information gets stuck between departments, handovers lose details, teams optimise their own part and create problems for the next one, and nobody has the whole picture. Telling people to "communicate more" does not help; they need to experience the pattern and agree concrete changes.

How we run it

Diagnose. We ask where coordination breaks down in your organisation: between which teams, at which handovers and under what pressure. Design. We pick a challenge that mirrors that pattern, for example a supply-chain simulation for silo problems or a restaurant-service challenge for time-critical handovers. Run. Teams take on clear roles with incomplete information and a time limit; professional instructors look after safety in outdoor formats. Debrief. The facilitator maps what happened: where information was lost, where people waited, and what helped. Follow-up. Teams agree two or three coordination rules for real work (a handover checklist, a daily check-in, a shared dashboard) and we review them after 30 days.

Formats

• Half day: an indoor challenge such as a supply-chain simulation or a production-line game, with a full debrief.
• Full day: an outdoor challenge, such as a regatta or a mountain-rescue exercise, with briefing and debrief.
• 2–3 day offsite: coordination as a theme across the programme, from a challenge on day one to agreed working rules on the last day.

How we measure impact, honestly

During the challenge we observe concrete signals: how long handovers took, how often information was repeated or lost, and how teams responded to surprises. Before and after, a short pulse survey asks how well people think coordination works between teams. After 30 days we review the agreed rules with the team and record which ones stuck.