Designing GMB for Continuous Change and Growth | David Bolt, CEO & Rob Den Besten, COO, GMB

David Bolt (CEO) and Rob Den Besten (COO) of GMB joined us for a Deep Dive into their Team of Teams management system, which helps drive flexible and scalable change through all areas of the organization. Over the last three years, Team of Teams has changed the way GMB builds teams, connects disciplines, develops regional offices, grows empathy and trust within a multi-generational workforce, and structures the business itself. We also discussed the positive impact the Team of Teams system has had in helping GMB to navigate the coronavirus pandemic, manage knowledge, and prepare for an uncertain future. Watch the complete session with Q&A at https://www.knowledge-architecture.co... Speaker Bios David Bolt and Rob Den Besten have spent their entire careers working at GMB, both starting as architectural interns. Now as CEO, David is passionate about building GMB into a 'Team of Teams'. He believes that all people deserve to be the best they can be, to work in a place that cares about them as individuals with unique gifts and abilities, and to find the right place to grow their knowledge. His job is to inspire, lead, dream, and provide an environment for teams to learn, grow, and give. As COO, Rob's passion lies in connecting GMB's offices in a way that elevates a 'Team of Teams' approach, fosters an empowered culture, and leads to everyone's growth. His role is to keep teams focused on reaching their goals, delivering amazing service, integrating the major functions of the business, and growing in knowledge. He believes in getting the right people in the right seats and removing obstacles so that they can be successful. #knowledgemanagement #AECknowledgemanagement #knowledgemanagementconference #AECindustry #knowledgearchitecture #kaconnect == Learn More == 🚀 Synthesis, AEC’s Knowledge + Learning Management platform: https://www.knowledge-architecture.co... 📬 Subscribe to Chris’s free Newsletter “Smarter By Design”:   / smarter-by-design-7324926965214302208   🔔 Like and subscribe to get the latest on AEC Knowledge Management. == Related Videos == See Synthesis in action with Intranet Tours:    • INTRANET TOUR | Launching Synthesis @ Snøh...   Get Started with Synthesis:    • S6 101: Structure and Organize Your Synthe...   == Timestamps == 00:00 Take us through GMB's journey to a "team of teams" structure. 05:35 How did you change how you treat your people? 08:30 What is Team of Teams and why did GMB adopt the model? 10:24 What direction are you headed in? 11:00 How do these principles break into an organizational design? What does the structure look like? 13:10 What's an example of a team and what's one of their scopes and decisions? 18:25 Can you talk about how change and trust go together? 20:00 How did you knit together multiple offices with the pod system? 21:51 Do you have to be in a pod? 22:15 What were some of the objections early on? 23:30 Tell us about the 90-Day sprints. 24:30 What are some examples of a problem you have employees tackle as a group? 26:40 What happens next when the pods are all meeting on these topics in parallel? 29:14 What is GMB University and how does it interact with the pods structure? 31:20 How does GMB University relate to Coronavirus? 34:08 How do you address introverts who want to keep personal & work life separate? 36:22 What is diversity like at your firm and is sharing different for women or people of color? 38:26 What is the onboarding process for new employees in existing pods? 40:26 Are the people within a pod also working on projects together? 42:40 What does the process of moving people between pods look like? 45:11 How do pods share what they are learning with the rest of the firm? 46:33 How do you measure the success of the strategy? 48:50 If you were going to start again, what would you do differently for someone starting on this journey? 50:55 Could you share more about the thought process about building pods? 53:08 Is there influence from Lean / Agile / Scrum design? Collaborative Notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E...