Diagnosis

First we work with you to fully understand the nature of the challenge you face. We may interview key players inside or outside your organization; use surveys or focus groups; observe meetings and other work being done; review documents, service descriptions and products. You will help us choose the best methods to make sure we have the full picture. We'll provide you with our analysis of this diagnosis -- a more complete view of your situation with models to make sense of it, as we move towards the next phase, designing the tools to get to the solutions.

Design

Using the diagnostic outcomes as our guide, we design tools for you to explore options, make decisions and get ready to implement solutions. Who should be involved? What are the components of the work? What can you do and what do we need to do? Together, we'll weigh all the options and then choose among the best.

Implementation

Perhaps the solution involves strategic planning, organizational redesign, diversity management, leadership development, team building, conflict management or individual coaching. Sometimes we work with a very large group -- getting all parties together in a very big room. Other times we coach individuals or work with small teams. Again, it is a custom solution based on what we learn in the first two phases.

Organization Development Case Studies

Organizational assessment renews leadership vigor

Client was an aggressive start-up biotech company. Rapid growth and marketplace pressures required a lot of the CEO’s focus and that of his senior leaders. Performance issues were not being identified and addressed in a timely and constructive manner. HR systems were lacking or poorly administered. Employee morale was suffering. Shirley designed an organizational assessment process which was endorsed and launched by the CEO. She conducted assessment sessions with the executive group and interviewed key stakeholders to gain an overall perspective of core values and critical issues. She conducted an audit of HR systems, processes and practices. Her findings and recommendations were presented in a comprehensive report which resulted in an organizational re-design, new policies and practices and renewed enthusiasm by senior management for their leadership roles.

Core competency modeling and 360-degree feedback

Client was a global organization with leaders scattered around the world. Though its organizational structure was traditional in nature, senior leadership was progressive in its thinking and encouraged innovative approaches to achieving organizational objectives and strategies. Shirley worked with the senior leadership team to develop a competency model for the organization. She provided a customized, 360-degree multi-rated assessment and feedback process for their top 50 leaders. She delivered the feedback reports to the leaders in one-on-one meetings, enabling them to share their reports with their respective managers. Over the course of several months, she worked with the leaders to create individual development plans, which addressed any gaps between perceived leadership practices and core competencies critical for success.

Culture Re-design

Client was a financial services organization which had been in the marketplace for many years but was recently acquired. The new owners were eager to make a mark in the community. Senior leaders aggressively changed the look and image of the organization through its advertising and its space allocation. Customers were noticing the positive changes and new customers were being attracted. Shirley was hired by the new CEO to conduct an organizational assessment. Through surveys, focus groups and interviews, Shirley identified what needed to be done in order for the employees to understand and embrace the changes required of them to meet new customer expectations. Some of the work involved were coaching the senior leadership team to develop a more empowering environment, providing training to managers and employees to enhance communication skills, teamwork and organizational effectiveness, and implementing a performance management process that incites positive change and results-based accountability.

Enhancing team skills

Client was an IT team within a large department of state government. The team was respected by its clients for its knowledge and experience, but clients complained profusely about the lack of interpersonal skills and customer-orientation among the team members. The department head hired Shirley to work with the team to enhance their communication and customer relationship skills. Shirley conducted an organizational assessment through one-on-one interviews to uncover the key issues needing to be addressed. She provided the feedback to the team and helped them understand the depth of their customers’ dissatisfaction. The team came to accept the feedback, and most importantly, to determine to change their customers’ perceptions. Shirley worked with them to develop a team mission, vision and values. She helped them develop goals and prioritize strategies. Within six months, the feedback from customers was significantly improved and the team continued to identify methods for ongoing improvement.