To Get Ahead, Don't Look Back

As the narrative begins, Steve Donahue says goodbye to the life he knows in Paris before he heads for the Sahara. Facilitator Tim Dixon breaks in and asks, "What are people willing to give up as their old company evolves into something entirely new?" Someone in the room jokes that daily showers have already been sacrificed -- too much to do, too little time to do it.

Then the mood turns serious, and Martin Coe, VP of finance and operations, suggests that the team members need to leave behind their egos. In a desert full of surprises, they can't always be right.

Dixon challenges the group with another question, How do you say goodbye to names? Though Optus is really a collection of smaller companies, it wants to create a single brand identity. How can Optus liquidate the name of an acquired company without piercing the loyalties of that company's former employees?

A brainstorming session ensues, and the team suggests that Optus should create a Hall of Fame, where the names of acquired companies are "retired" in an effort to honor their past. "That's a good idea," says Hantho, jotting it down. It becomes the day's first action item.

Hit Neutral before Shifting into High Gear

As the group returns to the story, they see a slide that shows a two-track road that ends abruptly. Beyond the road, as far as the eye can see, are the vast, undulating dunes of the Sahara.

The slide resonates deeply with Team Optus: The company is careering into an unknown world, where there are no signs or even roads to warn of danger and show them the way. Common sense dictates that they should slow down and get their bearings, but how can they hit cruise control when they're competing in such a fast-forward marketplace?

"We're moving way too fast," says Janie Kiezerwaard, head of the Information DesignWorks unit. "We're just going to have to be realistic with customers: We need to be clear and up front with them about what we can take on now, and what we'll have to do later."

Martin Coe, sitting at the opposite table, counters that if Optus eases up, it's roadkill. "We can't put the brakes on getting business," he says. "Now's the time when we knuckle in and get creative."

"But is that realistic?" Kiezerwaard wants to know. "We're always late."

At this point, Optus seems stuck in the sand, furiously spinning its wheels but going nowhere. To get some traction, they need to home in on a specific problem that they can solve.

After more back and forth, they find it. The team decides to rein in the sales reps and keep them from making unrealistic promises to clients, so Optus can deliver on the promises that it has already committed to. Only then will the company be able to kick into overdrive.

Every Caravan Needs an Oasis

The group turns back to the screen, which shows the mud-lined walls and palm trees of a Sahara oasis. In the desert, an oasis is one of the few places where nomadic people can reconnect with fellow travelers. And that's exactly what "Shifting Sands" has done for the members of Team Optus: It's given them an opportunity to reconnect with one another -- and to recalibrate their compasses before they head into the next leg of the journey.

After the simulation, Hantho signed off on a slew of new hires. But he's also thinking about holding more small-group discussions with both new and veteran employees, so that no one is left behind by the rapid pace of change. And he realizes that he'll have to deal with some new obstacles that he can't yet identify: "If it's difficult now," he says, "it's going to get a lot harder when we add more leaders from all the companies we're acquiring."

Coordinates: InCourage, www.incourage.com; Optus, www.optuscorp.com

Rekha Balu (rbalu@fastcompany.com) is a senior writer at Fast Company. John R. Quain (jquain@fastcompany.com) contributed to the sidebars.

Action Item: Test Site

A custom-designed simulation can easily exceed $10,000. If you want to see how computer simulations work without investing such a hefty sum, you can test generic simulation programs on the Web.

The Web site of the Association for Business Simulation and Experiential Learning showcases many simulations. Some are models for specific industries (such as airline companies), whereas others let you run fictional businesses for several years. You can download these Mac- and PC-based sims for free.

Coordinates: ABSEL, www.towson.edu/~absel/Simpack/package.html