Internal conflicts between very senior personnel where employees have taken sides and protracted issues are present require thorough and independent investigation.
Client
UK Public Sector Organisation
The Situation
A breakdown in relationships between two very senior personnel in a UK public sector service delivery organisation was impairing the work of the organisation, impacting on the governance role of board members, and as such it presented a major problem for the board.
Previous attempts to resolve the issues by a form of mediation had failed. It reached the stage where one of the officials made allegations amounting to bullying and harassment against the other.
What We Did
We were commissioned by the acting chair of the board to investigate the relationship and the allegations made by the two senior personnel against each other. They each had a high public profile with the organisation’s stakeholders and customers.
Their seniority made the investigation more complex as we needed to interview staff reporting to and loyal to the principal parties in order to reach an objective view about the factors in the breakdown of relationships.
We met the two individuals, interviewed senior colleagues of theirs and board members, including a previous chairperson who had moved to head up another company.
Outcome
We reported to the acting chair with a detailed factual analysis of the key events in the relationship, the attitudes shown by each individual to the other and their individual responses to previous mediation efforts.
We were able to demonstrate from our interviews with their senior staffs how their behaviours had a destructive influence on the organisation as a whole.
It became clear that while there was some fault on both sides, the behaviour of one of the parties was the most significant cause of the breakdown.
We reported to the board with the facts, with my assessment of the behaviour of each party, and a recommendation for a course of action to challenge the two leaders to modify their own behaviour and make a fresh commitment to collaborative working.
After the appointment of a permanent chair of the board, action was taken leading to the departure of one of the parties, under a settlement agreement.
"This was a delicate situation with some degree of complexity which required an understanding of how human foibles play out at work. Axis presented an unbiased and impartial presence which helped to reach the true facts of the matter." JF - Manager
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