Why Lack of Alignment Is Silently Destroying Your Workplace

How much damage can a lack of alignment do to a workplace without anyone even realising it?In this episode of Sparks, Milly, Jonna, and Emily get under the surface of a hidden saboteur that’s holding back countless teams — and it’s not what you think. Alignment isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a key ingredient for collaboration, creativity, and productivity.We explore what alignment really means, who’s responsible for creating it, and how team size, roles, and responsibilities all affect it. From surprising lessons at BMW to discovering the difference between healthy and harmful challenge, we lift the lid on a workplace issue that’s often ignored.Whether you lead a team or you’re a team member experiencing confusion first-hand, this episode is a must-listen if you want to spot, resolve, and avoid the hidden saboteur that’s slowing you down.--See what we do best:https://www.cegos.co.uk/Want to spark something with [email protected] with us on LinkedIn:Milly Gladstone: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milly-gladstone/Jonna Sercombe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonnasercombe/Emily Larson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larson-emily/00:00 Welcome to Sparks00:37 Who’s on the podcast today?02:38 What is alignment?08:52 How do we get alignment?12:20 Who’s responsible for creating alignment?14:09 When is challenge good and for how long?18:26 How does team size affect alignment?20:38 Does alignment have a place amongst creative teams?23:18 Jonna’s drawing again!26:26 Lessons from BMW30:23 How to handle misalignment34:18 What causes misalignment39:50 Is it ever ok not to be aligned?46:00 Why is L&D like a midwife?47:30 Is there a better word for alignment?