HR Team at a leading company in the international automotive sector, which is constantly evolving in terms of its structure, composition, and development projects. The team’s goal: to look beyond simple team cohesion and actively become part of the brand’s epic history, connecting the past to future successes. Since the typical reaction to complexity is often to further complicate processes, we sought to break this pattern: we challenged the team to take a step back and practice the art of simplification, demonstrating that removing elements does not mean losing value.
Back to Basics and Storyboarding To provide a fresh starting point, we engaged 70 participants (divided into 6 groups) in an immersive cinematic team-building format inspired by the origins of cinema and the Lumière brothers. Replacing modern technology with pure ingenuity, the teams had to conceive and develop storyboards for their short films, projecting the company’s guiding principles into the future (up to 2050). The goal: to train them to make a radical choice, learning to simplify without trivializing.
Filming, Direction, and Interdependence During filming on set, participants were involved in all phases of production, taking on specific and interdependent roles: directors, actors, screenwriters, and costume designers. Starting with basic tools (“if something isn’t there, I’ll make it”), they gained hands-on experience with the fundamentals of leadership and collaboration. The directors honed their ability to set the stage without having to control everything, while the various departments experienced firsthand the risks of working in silos, realizing that a single performance disconnected from the group is useless: “even a perfect scene, if it isn’t consistent with the story, ruins the film.”
1. New Organizational Behaviors and Simplification
As mentioned in the event flyer, the experience inspired a “storyboard” of effective organizational behaviors aligned with the company’s guiding principles. Participants gained a deep understanding of the value of concise, focused language, learning that to manage complexity and tell a compelling story, it’s not necessary to show everything—but rather “only what helps convey the rest.”
2. Connection and Team Identity
Assigning different roles within a single film cast has greatly strengthened mutual understanding among colleagues, deepening the sense of teamwork and linking it to the company’s many core values. The team has moved from its past history to a shared vision, one that is literally projected into the future.
3. Motivation and Shared Success
The event culminated in a celebratory plenary session: from the screening of short films subtitled with motivational quotes (“Iconiquotes”) to the actual Oscar awards ceremony. During this memorable moment, all participants celebrated their collective success and rediscovered the wonder of an extraordinary experience, strengthening the pride and motivation of the entire HR department.
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