MiL Walkabout is suitable for

• Team development for management teams, project groups, work groups.

Or

• All staff within a company or department who wish to focus on a theme of communication and cooperation, e.g. an introduction to strategic work, preparation for a development process or change process.

Purpose

To gain insight into group dynamics within a limited time and in an inspiring way.

Benefits of MiL Walkabout:

• the importance of having a common vision, a common goal, and a strategy that is understood and accepted by all in a group.
• realize the connection between meaningfulness, responsibility, participation, and engagement.
• further deepen understanding of how own behavior affects the group and, individual group members.

Examples of issues that previous participants in the Cake Factory® have worked with

• There are sharp dividing lines within our organization
• We need to improve our coordination in order to work better together as a whole
• We want to be better at managing continuous change responding to new demands of the market
• Going from words in the strategy documents to action of everyday work
• How can all communicate better with each other

How The Cake Factory® works - the process

➀ Formulating a focus and design of the workshop

The organization formulates a specific problem, with support from the process leader it wishes
to work with. MiL designs a game of action and a work process.

➁ Purpose and goals

The management of the organization presents the purpose of this workshop. The topic is put in relation to the present situation and the vision.

➂ The Cake Factory® - an organization game

The Cake Factory® is an experience-based organization game in which the participants are challenged to start, run and develop a cake factory with the aim of making it efficient and creative. It all takes place in demanding surroundings, with realistic pressure from competitors, suppliers, customers and owners.

The basic concept of the factory is a complex drama driven by the actions of the participants and by the interventions of the persons in charge of the game. Restructuring, such as merging organizations, developing products and the response of the market. Lack of time, result requirements and work for change also have an affect.

➃ Reflection and learning

We deepen our understanding of a number of previously selected concepts that are important for the problem presented by the organization, such as communication, leadership, and motivation. We do this by introducing concrete examples and by reflecting on the ones we have just experienced in The Cake Factory®. The participants have the opportunity both to receive and to give feedback. We connect these experiences to theories.

➄ From words to action

On the basis of reflected experiences and the identification of the most important key problems, a plan of action will now be formulated for all levels, in large groups, subgroups, as well as individually. We also examine parallels and patterns between what we experienced in The Cake Factory® and how we work and cooperate on an everyday basis.

Depending on the specific needs of the organization, a number of work methods are used, for instance:

• “Walk the talk”, shadowing the work group’s ordinary meeting and feed- back from it.
• Work sheets with the aim of formulat- ing problems and drafting plans in a large group.
• Appreciative Inquiry – building on the good example in order to find new ways.
• Scenario technique.
• Communication training.