The 10-member IT Department of Centennial School District in Welches, OR, is fully committed to the teachers and students who work and learn there, not just the machines they oversee and administer. We met them at The Resort at the Mountain for an exciting training and workshop program focused on problem-solving and customer service.

A High-Pressure Workplace in Welches, OR

Working for a school district and supporting the IT needs of teachers, educators, and students is pretty stressful. Classrooms count on their Internet access and other connectivity more and more, every year. For this reason, the IT team takes time out to refresh and reconnect every so often. This year’s program was a little different. It was a highly customized 2-day Anything Everything™ event that combines team building with a charity Wagon Builders program.

The great thing about Magnovo’s Anything Everything™ program is that we can truly cover just about any facet of workplace improvement. We help clients envision the end goal, and then build a program that works toward accomplishment.

A Customized Workshop

In this case, we explored the ways in which dysfunction may be exhibited in a team setting. We illustrated strategies for identifying and minimizing it. Our activities and discussions resolved some underlying tension that had been plaguing the group, and developed stronger communication strategies in response. And finally, we practiced enhanced customer service skills, to better meet the needs of those the department serves.

The IT Department has a highly specialized role in the school district, and as such, has highly specific needs. The themes in Patrick Lencioni’s book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team was the center of our sessions on Day One. The charity team building program Wagon Builders™ was the center of our Day Two Activities.

Centennial’s IT Department Becomes Wagon Builders™

We divided the group into two teams. Each team received a set of tools. Then we played games, activities, and challenges so that teams could compete for wagon parts. Once teams earned enough wagon parts, it was a race to complete the wagons. Our popular games included Necessary Nine, and Up in the Air. More than just fun, these games encourage morale, creativity, and communication!

Upon completion of the wagons, teams filled each wagon with school supplies. These would be donated to families in need within the school district. Having a tangible sign of the hard work everyone did that day make a big difference in the take-aways for the group. In our debriefing session at the end, many of the participants talked of how much they learned. They also talked about how little changes in the workplace would have a big impact, and how much stronger the IT department worked as a team now.