How our coaches support our teams during restructuring
15. Sep 2026
During organizational change processes, it is not uncommon for teams to be disbanded and reorganized. This is often an exciting but also challenging time. For many, this means stepping out of their comfort zone and adapting to new colleagues and ways of working. Especially at first, this can feel unfamiliar.
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At empiriecom, our coaches support employees and give them the space to shape the transition together. We use a variety of methods for this, depending on the team and the situation.
The adjourning phase: Bringing the old team to a close
Before a team undergoes a restructuring, it’s important to consciously bring the time spent together in the old team to a close. A retrospective helps to document shared experiences, highlight successes, and say goodbye to one another.
A visual roadmap is one way to look back on the journey you’ve taken together. Who joined the team and when? What has changed? What milestones were reached?
In addition, personal dialogue plays an important role. Change often brings uncertainty - that’s normal. That’s why the coaches deliberately set aside time for conversations, listen, and address questions and concerns. Depending on the team, mutual feedback is a good idea at the end. Team members share which strengths and qualities they value in their colleagues and what they should definitely take away from their collaboration so far.
The kick-off: Getting to know the new team
Once the previous team collaboration has concluded, there will be a separate kick-off meeting for the newly formed team. The focus will be on getting to know one another, discovering common ground, and generating initial ideas for future collaboration.
To get started, the team can, for example, come up with a shared team name and a fitting slogan, such as “build to move – build to last.” This fosters a sense of identity and reinforces the feeling of building something together right from the start. At the same time, this exercise offers a lighthearted way to discuss values, strengths, and shared goals.
Roles and working agreements can also be discussed together. This helps clarify expectations for collaboration early on and establish initial agreements for day-to-day work.
In addition to discussions, interactive methods are also used, depending on the situation, to bring collaboration to life. One example of this is the marble game “Flume” by Michael Cramer.
The simulation not only makes communication and collaboration visible but also highlights existing patterns within the team. The abstracted situation allows team members to reflect on their own behavior and how they work together without focusing directly on specific everyday situations.
These shared experiences help team members get to know one another better in the new team dynamic and gain initial experience working together. It quickly becomes clear what strengths and perspectives each team member brings to the table and how they can leverage these for their collaborative work. Our coaches guide this process with great sensitivity and create the space in which a new sense of togetherness can emerge.
