Primary Areas of Organizational Consulting

Together with associates, I provide a range of organizational consulting solutions that are appropriate for large organizations and/or small businesses. These are the primary areas:

Loyalty: Talent Retention, Client Loyalty, and Member Retention

Loyalty motivates and ennobles people. By contrast, turnover of staff and customers can be costly and demoralizing. We find out the real reasons why people are leaving your organization and what would make them stay. We then advise you on implementing changes that increase loyalty and employee engagement and that can help retention of talented staff and desirable customers. We also consult on retaining members of non-profits and increasing alumni involvement.

Case Study.  We developed a comprehensive approach to retention of junior military officers and identified the range of reasons for early departure. We also proposed and implemented an array of interventions to improve officer retention. I led production of a compelling video in which former officers discuss their regrets and ambivalence about leaving the Army prematurely and advise current officers to make more informed decisions. This video has been widely distributed throughout the U.S. Army and is being used to influence retention decisions. 

Organizational Culture

A poor organizational culture can erode trust and hurt productivity, and can lead to attrition, employee disengagement, poor morale, and even hostile behavior. We assess your organizational culture, evaluate your capacity for making changes, and advise you on the changes that are needed and how to implement them.

Case Study.   We surveyed the staff at a R&D laboratory to determine if the organizational culture supported its physicists and astronomers as they transitioned into managerial roles. Based on these findings, we developed and implemented  a curriculum of management training courses.

Performance Management

For employees to work effectively, they have to be clear about their job responsibilities and about what defines successful work. We work with you to clarify job roles and responsibilities, measure proficiency and goal accomplishment, and structure constructive feedback for your staff.

Case Study.  On behalf of the National Institutes for Drug Abuse, I led a team that developed a model of performance for substance abuse treatment (SAT) professionals.  We also developed measures of quality of care and group performance that could be widely implemented in a variety of SAT facilities for performance management.

Case Study.  I guided evaluation of the processes of an organization providing mentoring services to three distinct groups: at-risk youth, their parents, and their teachers. I then directed the client in producing  policy and procedure manuals for each of the three areas. I also guided development of outcome measures for each program area so that they could demonstrate the effectiveness of the programs.

Benchmarking/Best Practices Studies 

When you are considering changes or new programs for your organization, it helps to know if these programs have worked for others and what pitfalls to avoid when putting them in place. We benchmark your planned changes with comparable organizations and provide you with better tools for implementing your plans.

Case Study.  An urban transportation organization had our team determine why there were few women or minorities in some positions.  We conducted a root cause analysis, an in-depth evaluation of all parts of the recruiting, selection and promotion process and any aspects of working conditions that might dissuade minority participation.  We also interviewed their competitors to study their best practices in addressing   specific problems.   We proposed ways to remove barriers to retaining and promoting women and minorities.