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Bank examiners worked in teams that traveled to the banks being examined. New team members were selected for each examination, with one member being designated as the lead for the duration of the exam. The examination process created conflicts with bank officers who often tried to use political connections to get their way. As a result, the examiners were under constant scrutiny, and felt they got little protection from the agency. Interact worked with the agency to build conflict management skills and procedures. Interact courses became the most sought-after training within the agency, and more than 500 people were trained. Morale and retention improved, and discrimination and harassment complaints dropped. These changes were attributed to the Interact training.
State Agency
A state agency was behind schedule in implementing an enterprise-wide software system. The implementation required changes on nearly everyone’s part, but the employees in the field had “given up” on the system. Interact helped the organization create and train teams that analyzed and fixed system problems as they occurred. This involvement and skill building put the implementation back on schedule within six months.
Federal Agency
A federal regulatory agency was trying to improve its customer service without undercutting its essential watchdog functions. This change was complicated by divisions between the appointed and the career employees and between the headquarters and the field employees. In addition, about half of the workforce was made up of attorneys. The work environment was contentious and political. Interact worked with the OD group to find common ground among the various constituencies, and to deliver training in resolving disagreements and disputes. The training was extended to non-supervisory employees-with a focus on handling irate customers. The secretary of the agency said, “Interact gives us a common language and a professional way to work with the public and with each other.”