Smart skill development trainings (smart or soft skills) are no longer a rarity in Russia, but an effective tool for growth, both in private life and in business. Uncertainty encourages flexible thinking and rapid adaptation, so new concepts, models, and tools come to the rescue.
Spiral dynamics model by Clare Graves has become such a model for CSC-IT. Irina Borovaskaya, expert and manager, Information systems and solutions development and support, and Lyubov Skаmai, Ph.D. in economics, mentor of Spiral Dynamics Institute talk about the model and how the Company works with it.
Irina, all companies go through different stages and levels throughout their development. Various tools are used for that purpose: training courses for leadership, communication, and change management - is one of them. When did you understand that CSC needed such a tool? How did you come to this decision?
In 2019 I started giving workshops on development of leadership skills for my subordinates. At the same time, I couldn’t help but think about interesting and developmental training for all IT team leaders. A training course that would unite managers, create a common platform of knowledge and tools, common terms, and therefore a unified “linguistics”, and at the same time it would be unique and created specifically for CSC.
Evolution of Consciousness Conference held by Russian Spiral Dynamics Institute (RSDI) where the Spiral Dynamics (SD) levels and the model in the whole were being discussed encouraged me. That was followed by training at RSDI and later I took a part in a training course for one of the Russian companies as a moderator. I proposed to CSC management to arrange a training course that would base on that model in our Company.
Why did you choose the Spiral Dynamics Institute to cooperate with? What attracted you to this model?
The Russian Spiral Dynamics Institute was created with the participation of Christopher Cowan, a student of C. Graves, creator of the concept. He taught Lyubov Skamai on SD. The so-called direct transmission method means using tools developed by the author rather than interpreting them.
The Spiral Dynamics model was developed in the 1960s and explains how people and communities develop through ways of thinking and values. This is an elegant model that describes the process of development through a spiral metaphor and a colour code. Generally, each of us has certain abilities and needs, and, of course, there are external conditions of existence. Each turn of the spiral is a correlation between these two factors, which determines the type of thinking. And therefore it determines a type of leadership and an algorithm for solving professional challenges. Knowing the model and markers manifested in a specific situation at a certain level of thinking allows you to better know yourself, understand subordinates and colleagues, solve problems efficiently, and much more.
It should also be noted that SD is an open model; turns of the spiral can and will be added taking into account the changing world and external conditions (unlike Maslow’s famous pyramid, which is a closed one). Now the SD model has 10 turns of the spiral; during the trainings we studied 5, i.e. 5 types of thinking, 5 types of leadership.
Lyubov, how did you get acquainted with and start your cooperation with CSC?
As Irina told, she got interested with practical application of the Spiral Dynamics model in business area after she has underwent training in the Russian Spiral Dynamics Institute. She also initiated a meeting with Elena Demyanova, CEO of CSC-IT, where the objectives of the training course were raised. Our cooperation started in March 2021. The Company’s management were looking for a solution to the issue of inadequacy of top managers training to work in conditions of uncertainty and rapid growth. We developed a complex programme “Effective Leader” for them which included:
Soft skills development: TOP-managers were trained to skills for communication, leadership, motivation, and conflict resolution;
Training to problem solving skills amid uncertainty: they learned to think strategically, take well-founded decisions and manage risks;
Development of teamwork skills.
What were the difficulties you were facing in the process of “planting” new values and tools?
Lyubov: The first module of the programme is a fundamental and conceptual one. It is full of new terms and we dove into types of leadership according to the SD model, and that module was the most difficult for students to perceive. Initially, it was difficult to abstract from already known leadership typologies and explored the new model. There was no open resistance, but difficulties arose in understanding the material and the training format. Already on the second day of the first module, when the students began applying the model to cases, there was a recognition of the new concept and its usefulness in solving practical issues.
Irina: Difficulties that usually arise when introducing something new are to convince someone, to further explain to someone, to tell about the advantages using an example. Teaching an adult is a special “art”: to talk about a new topic through advantages of an application using the words that will become an inspiring engine, that will penetrate inside. And they will stir into action.
Employee training is about the choice of the students themselves, and I mean the choice to act first and foremost. Just listening to a seminar, even if this seminar is a very interesting one, is not enough. For changes to take place, it is necessary to independently apply and pass incoming new information through practical experience. This is the only way to turn the information into Your Knowledge.
What tools have become key ones? What were the first tangible results immediately after the training?
Irina: The training course for employees consists of 2 modules: “Effective Leader” and “Effective Team”. I highlight two basic tools within the 1st module:
Analysis of individual structure of leadership which every student form for him-/herself during getting acquainted with the model and during the analysis of video clips from films. This stage helps in defining dominant type of thinking.
Defining the structure of roles in professional area and highlighting key characteristics and functions for each of them. The exercise helps to highlight strengths and identify areas of development in each role. The key result of its use by managers is focused attention in the area of expertise of subordinates, and the opportunity to align their expectations with those of the subordinate.
In the 2nd module “Effective Team” I would highlight knowledge of cognitive distortions (systematic errors in thinking that arise against dysfunctional beliefs, their key causes are stress, excessive multitasking and “jumping” attention). By understanding the levels of leadership in SD and seeing how cognitive distortions affect decision-taking and interactions in teams, you determine the efficiency of your actions in completing tasks.
I noticed the first tangible results after the training course was over primarily among the members of my Division team. We discussed with subordinates, using general terms and concepts, how to more effectively complete a task taking into account the level of thinking and type of leadership. We determined how to build communication at a meeting so that all parties reach the best result in the interests of the company.
Lyubov: A Spiral Navigator was developed to practice using the leadership model based on the Spiral Dynamics. It became a useful tool to master the model which was new to the students.
A leader structure (manager, subordinate, business partner, expert) became key in the training course as it allowed to take a comprehensive look at different aspects of a professional area and identify weak points that required working through for each training participant.
Lyubov, what is the uniqueness of the CSC project for the Spiral Dynamics Institute? What do you remember most about working with the team?
The Institute does not have template training programmes; each programme is customized for customer’s goals. The individuality of the CSC project related to the need to include practical cases in the training programme taken directly from the practice of the CSC activities. It was necessary to take into account the opportunity for students to explore existing challenges in the company and find solutions using the tools received during the training.
Every project is unique for me. I try to consider the level of willingness and openness of the audience. I can adjust the programme right during the training course as it is an author project. Often the programme has to be simplified. In case of CSC team, there was no need to do that. Students were open to new concepts and actively participated in all practices proposed to them. They were digging deeper with interest. During the breaks between sessions we did exercises and shared the results. Activity made it possible to immediately translate the information received during the training into practical knowledge. This is an important and motivating result for a coach.
Irina, you are a SD follower in CSC (if I can say like that) and you have already conducted and are conducting leadership training on your own. How often does it happen? Do you do this outside or only within CSC? What is the feedback from employees? What is the purpose/target of these trainings now?
I have been conducting training courses in the Company since 2021. On average - 1-2 times a year as the group is formed (it is important to have a break of 2/3 weeks between modules to accumulate differences, leaders can apply tools during meetings, to conduct additional independent researches in terms of professional roles and team interactions). So far, I have conducted trainings for groups only in CSC. But, if friends or my daughter ask for a piece of advice in some business situation, I will definitely help them, using, among other things, SD arguments.
The goal is to distinguish between types of Leadership in order to pass through oneself how thinking in different situations and different types of leaders manifest themselves. And, although we analyse the professional zone during the training, this is applicable in all aspects of life. In general, when you understand yourself better, you understand the other person better, and therefore interact more effectively. You develop those competencies that are strong in you, and then those competencies that are areas of development are strengthened. This is how our thinking works. Magic beyond Hogwarts is in each of us.
Irina, what has changed radically in the company since the trainings started?
More than 60 people were trained: managers from the Head of Department to the Head of Group, as well as some Experts. Leaders got acquainted with new tools and looked at interactions in their teams from a new angle. Active participants in the IS and Infrastructure, Organizational Changes and SAP HCM support blocks (this is what I know) gathered together in the evenings after completing all work tasks, studied roles in the professional area as an example to plot a plan for moving to a new level of Leadership. Some managers developed rules for interaction in teams. Imagine how inspired they were, and how their colleagues redistributed their attention in order to practically transform information into Knowledge!
Irina, are there any interesting developments for the future on the topic of leadership and management in CSC: events, projects?
I am developing new training topics in CSC-IT for 2024/2025: we will explore and develop Creative Thinking, study (and, of course, practice) Collaboration more deeply, and get acquainted with the types of attention at a small seminar. That is the plan. I will share the result with you in Q1 2025.
Lyubov, what are the prospects the Company has in your expert opinion? What would you wish CSC in conclusion?
In my opinion, CSC has an opportunity to take a leading position in the information technology market.
I would like to wish you further growth and prosperity achieving new heights in your field of activity. Become the number one company in rendering services in demand by the market in terms of unified services. It is important not to stop there, constantly introduce innovations and use a creative approach to solving problems.
I am confident that CSC will keep on developing successfully and will achieve its goals.
Irina, Lyubov, thank you so much!