Wirepas is leading the way in 5G technology to enable IoT solutions, and we are growing fast. A key value we have is diversity and we have hired a very diverse workforce: our 70-person organisation includes 16 nationalities. We like to have the best talent at work and we operate remotely in many countries. We have developed our culture, leadership and teamwork with determination.
The old and the new must learn what we are like
Before the SmoothTeam simulations, we had recruited around 20% new people and wanted the team to get to know each other and integrate. When you have experts and new faces together and on the other hand some meet daily while others are mainly remote, some get to know each other easier and faster than others. Daily communication is very much about talking about the content of the work, so there is less getting to know each other. Now we wanted to focus on who we each are and what our working styles are.
Being part of the work community is important
We've talked, especially at the height of the era, about the importance of belonging to and being part of a work community. This kind of team building helps with that: it gives me a sense of being heard and visible as a member of the team.
Cooperation is key
People working together is important to us. Our work requires us to work together, for example, to test our software products and take into account customer requirements - these alone require many different people to work together. So we work effectively as a team and people know each other. We used simulation for most of our teams at the same time.
SmoothTeam's clear concept works especially for experts
We are a fact-based expert organisation. SmoothTeam's clear concept and proven clear methodology worked for us. SmoothTeam and its representatives were also uncomplicated in style, like-minded and had good expertise.
I also liked the fact that you can do both local and remote implementation in this concept, because you never know if you'll get everyone there or not. We did the simulations remotely, but if necessary, there was someone on one of the teams remotely.
SmoothTeam was a compact concept and as such also time-efficient.
Our goals were met: we learned new things about others and the team
It was an excellent experience and we learned new things. After the simulation, we had a joint discussion about the lessons learned, where the teams opened up to the other teams. Each team first looked at their own team, what we are like and how we work on a day-to-day basis. Then the findings were shared with the other teams.
I recommend that the same team development concept be used for many teams in a company. This creates a common vocabulary and makes it easier to share what we are like across team boundaries.
In general, such lessons came to many:
- It is important to work within each other's areas of strength and share responsibilities.
- Certain types of behaviour can be a burden for a colleague and when identified, can be improved.
- Getting to know each other helps to create cooperation models and roles so that each person can play to his or her strengths.
- Agree on the team's modus operandi. That way you don't have to guess or get overloaded and you understand the expectations on yourself.
In addition, the teams came up with, for example, more specific observations and lessons learned:
- For teams where some work in the same office and some work remotely, even from different countries and time zones, special attention must be paid to making sure everyone feels like they belong to the same team.
- Developing the review process.
- By listening, conflicts can be dealt with in time - hence the common vision.
- Identifying your own empowerment and thus improving your decision-making capacity within the team.
- Clarifying bilateral and team-wide communication.
- In addition, the simulation left a lasting and fun memory when we each updated our profile picture after the evening.
SmoothTeam helps you understand the behaviour of others in a practical way
It is essential that we know each other and our styles. Let's understand each other. There are an awful lot of ways to contribute to that, and there are many concepts and categorisations, some of which come from personality, some from behaviour. SmoothTeam focuses more on behaviour, which is a good practical level. Not everyone wants to start with personality traits, but let's start with team practice, what kind of roles each person wants to take on and what each person's strengths are.
Our culture is uncomplicated
At Wirepas, we have a catchphrase: Get shit done - this is on our website, in our marketing and on our wall. We are output-oriented: we work together and get things done as well as possible. Teamwork is a key part of our culture: we want to make others better and we work in a low hierarchy, so everyone's ideas are heard.
The best thing as a human resources manager was the connection found between team members
For me, as an HR manager, the best part was seeing the smiling faces that came out of the cages after the simulation and hearing the drone and seeing how empowered the guys were.
I can recommend SmoothTeam especially to organisations with new people. It is important to invest in team chemistry. SmoothTeam is a safe way to start, for example for technical experts: it doesn't dive too quickly into the deep end, for example personality analyses, but talks about everyone's working styles and strengths in a straightforward way.
Lea Kiiski
Head of People
Wirepas
