With the Project Services teams within their organisation underperforming, our client embarked on a major and – as it transpired – disruptive restructuring program, merging three ailing project support teams into a single 60-strong group.

At the same time, new leadership personnel were brought in, with new managers for each of the previously independent units, as well as a new head for the consolidated department.

Morale was already low, as many projects within the business were engaging outsourced support services. And with a series of redundancies compounding a lack of trust in the new leadership team, the consolidated Project Services group was mired in negativity. The restructuring program was in danger of exacerbating underperformance, rather than rectifying it.

We worked with the new leadership team to develop their understanding of wellbeing and its role in improving performance, both personally and within their teams. We designed a program of one-on-one coaching and workshops to build their wellbeing capability, enabling them to create and implement personal wellbeing plans, while also equipping them with the language, tools and skills to establish and nurture a culture of trust and enhanced physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

Simultaneously, we used a number of wellbeing tools, including our Wellbeing Indicator and Organisational Wellbeing Audit to assess the Project Services group's strengths and weaknesses. We then developed and facilitated a tailored wellbeing program for the entire team, building wellbeing capability, resilience and, ultimately, the new team's ability to work productively.

Not surprisingly, given the negativity of the situation at the beginning of our 12 month intervention, there was a high degree of scepticism among the group initially. To many, the notion that improving wellbeing could solve what were seen as structural issues seemed fanciful.

Before long though, as the team came to see and feel the benefits of personal wellbeing and a wellbeing culture, cynicism was replaced with optimism. This positive change in mood and, subsequently, performance was reflected in the company's employee perception survey, with vastly improved scores across the board.

Crucially, the new Project Services group – which is once again growing – is now acknowledged as a high-performing support function by other areas of the business.