Building a Community of Leaders at Bakken & Bæck
The Context
Bakken & Bæck is a technology-driven design studio. Founded in Oslo and working across offices in Oslo, Amsterdam, Bonn, and London. Their playful and experimental approach to design and new technology has earned them respect far beyond the borders of Norway:
Fast Company put them on their list of ‘World's Most Innovative Companies 2020, and Financial Times ranked them on their list of 1’000: Europe's Fastest Growing Companies.’
A steady increase in the number of employees, client teams, and geographical locations led to a need for rethinking the organisation and assigning management and leadership responsibilities to some of the more experienced specialists and project managers. The goal became to increase leadership capacities across the agency and support the company in building a community and a practice for developing its leaders.
The Journey
Over a period of six months, we worked with the founders and a newly nominated group of leaders across the agency. We conducted leadership training days, built a community of practice around leadership, and offered individual coaching sessions. We combined physical workshop formats with virtual platforms for meeting and collaborating with the aim of building a leadership community across offices.
The Results
The group of leaders reported:
A greater understanding of leadership in general, as well as practical tools for working with team development and leadership development.
A greater understanding of their own role as leaders and what leadership should mean for Bakken & Bæck.
A growing confidence in themselves as leaders and a desire to grow as leaders.
Increased openness and trust among the group of leaders.
Several initiatives called ‘bright spots’ were tested and implemented in various teams to support team development and performance.
“The process we started with Thomas Reibke has been really valuable in the work to strengthen our leaders and make them clear role models and culture bearers. Our managers have been given tools and a better understanding of how they can maintain our culture and values- which is essential for us when we grow and develop as quickly as we do.”