Case study
How a government agency turned cross-functional friction into a shared way of working
Capable people across functions whose differences in pace and decision-making were being read as attitude.
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Background
A large UK government agency relied on its functions working together on major programs. Each function brought different priorities, a different approach to decisions and a different sense of pace.
The challenge
Friction between teams was increasingly being read as personality or attitude, rather than as different ways of working.
“We had good people working in the same organization who weren't always working well together.” — Client sponsor
The challenge wasn't capability; it was how people were interacting. What the agency needed was a neutral way to talk about how people work — one that didn't begin with who was at fault.
The Discflow approach
Core 2.0 for each participant.
Group 2.0 to map how styles interacted across the team.
A team workshop focused on communication, decision-making and conflict.
The real moment of change
The team brought a real project that had stalled into the session. Working through it, they recognized that one group had been pushing for speed while another was trying to create structure and certainty before committing.
The conversation moved from “they are difficult” to “we are approaching this differently” — and the project could finally be discussed on its merits.
What changed
Greater willingness to adapt communication across functions.
More focused meetings.
More comfort challenging each other without it becoming personal.
A shared language across teams for pace, structure and decision-making.
In their words
“We stopped asking who was right and started asking what the situation needed from us.” — Senior Manager
It gave people permission to talk about things they had previously found difficult to talk about.
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