The Intervention
The intervention consisted of an external change agent's spending 13
days working with the employees of a particular branch. The bulk of
the time was spent with the managers (a branch manager and approximately
8 field managers who report to the branch manager and each of
whom supervises about 18 technicians), although the technicians also
had contact with the change agent on three occasions.
The change agent spent the 13 days as follows: 1 day with the branch
manager, 5 days with the management team, and 7 days with the various
field managers, including some time that each of them spent meeting
with his or her team of technicians.
The intervention began with the consultant's spending a day with the
branch manager, building trust, explaining the intervention, and listening
to the manager give his or her perceptions of the dynamics in the
branch. The assessment was then conducted with the field managers by
using the Problems at Work questionnaire; this was followed immediately
by an orientation to the intervention. Next, the field technicians
convened to complete the Work Climate Survey and to receive their
orientation. With the preliminary work done, the consultant conducted
a 2-day, off-site, team-building, management-development session for
the management team. At three other times in the ensuing weeks, the
management team reassembled with the consultant for follow-up development
sessions. During this period, the consultant spent time with
each field manager individually, during which he observed the manager
leading a team meeting, and provided the manager with feedback on
management style and group dynamics. Following the intervention itself,
the postreatment assessment was completed.