These are examples of some of the engagements with a summary of each involvement.
COLLABORATIVE SOLUTIONS
Examples of Engagements
* Mote Marine Laboratory, Inc. is a high visibility, highly respected nonprofit organization in Sarasota, FL. I contracted to facilitate a three phase strategic plan, Research Division, Education Division, and an Integration of these and an internal Aquarium plan. The Board was laudatory of the plan and the individuals and divisions and Board approved it without amendment.
* Sarasota County Economic Development Plan used the cutting edge Michael Porter Cluster Initiative Technique. My contract was to be Coordinator/Facilitator of the Life and Environmental Sciences Cluster. My job was to facilitate business initiatives that would enhance the Sarasota Business landscape and bring value added businesses to the County economy. My clients were business leaders from a population of 80 corporations. I was then transitioned to conduct Strategic Plans for each Cluster.
* Project managing an advanced Leadership Training Series for Polk Community College Administrators. I recruited and oversaw presenters for 13 different leadship workshops for three levels of administration. In addition to two key presentations, my role was to insure quality, to grow the series and adjust it to changing needs, and to consult to the College President on Culture Change.
* Training and facilitating Dialogue sessions for OD professionals, trainers, therapists and others. This included planning, training, exercises and practice in this state-of-the-art full participation communications skill. The participants left with a greater sense of who they are and how important to a sense of community equal status in groups can be.
* Planning and facilitating a two-day retreat for the Novato, California Chamber of Commerce Leadership class. The group of community leaders experienced team building processes, used Dialogic techniques to learn about each other, and applied the learning to the formation of a course project team.
* Facilitating a focus group for a new hotel. The partners wanted to discover what products and amenities those who will refer clients think are important. The process used asked participants to generate ideas and post them on chart pads identifying eight different categories of interest. Ten participants identified close to two hundred suggestions. The participants themselves then clustered and prioritized the most salient factors. The partners gleaned important information and marketed their product. Participants felt vested in the planning for this hotel.
* Adjusting a yearly strategic plan. Part way into their fiscal year, Birkenstock Footprint Sandals was behind projected earnings. The previous facilitator was no longer employed. Previous groundrules were poorly adhered to. The task was to bring this espoused learning organization planning group to understand financial circumstances, and to adjust projections as well as improve ensuing performance. Dialogic process finally brought out the wisdom of some previously silent group members, and illustrated communications problems within the executive planning group. The planning group was then reconfigured. It was a bad year regardless of the adjustment.
* Facilitating partners in closing their failing healthcare information business. The business partners were married. Strategic questioning and dialogic responding by the partners opened each of them to opinions, beliefs, and deeply held assumptions they hadn't previously known about each other vis-a-vis the business. Commitments were made to honor each other’s idiosyncrasies, and to listen for equality of idea strengths. The partners successfully launched a new business within a year of the intervention.
* Facilitating a professional “process group”. A nonprofit social organization substitutes sleeping off drunkenness for jailing. First Chance peer counselors help the drunks and give brief counseling and referrals to the clients on departure. The organization is funded by police departments and government grants. The peer counselors, almost all recovering alcoholics and/or narcotics users, do heartfelt work which often brings their own struggles back to memory. The process group met regularly to uncover their feelings and support each other in the work and in their lives. Members wished there could be more frequent meetings, and highly valued the opportunity to share with one another.
* Facilitating a yearly retreat. Renaissance Business Associates (RBA), an organization of independent consultants and trainers, and small business owners hold retreat-like annual meetings. The design and facilitation has the goal of creating community and allowing the members to apply newly learned approaches to their work. The group also shares an historical affiliation to a spiritual tradition. The process chosen is called “Dialogue within Open Space.” Open Space provides a flexible and self-generating agenda. Continuing Dialogue groups meet within the Open Space format to explore shared meaning and build small communities within the larger community. The event is celebratory, includes music and play, outdoor activities, hikes, and meditation. The group seems to build continuing affection for each other which sustains them in their somewhat solitary business lives.
* Assessment and Intervention. Assisting the Institute for Global Connection (IGC), an e-mail and internet serving non-profit, deal with very difficult conflict among sub-groups in the organization. The company is made up of fiercely independent social activists aligned with three different movements. Gender issues were laid on top of values differences by project. The process was to do an Appreciative Inquiry assessment to shake the company of its conflict ridden problem-oriented culture, and to negotiate differences between individuals. Within an intervention retreat, notes were exchanged between all members of the group (N=15) asking to increase actions, cease actions, or keep doing some things the same. Notes were followed by requests for conflict resolutions with specific individuals. The conferences solved many issues, but not gender overlays. A whole group fishbowl allowed women who felt intimidated and emotionally abused to voice their issues in a supportive and protective atmosphere. Ultimately, though the day-to-day aggression was reduced, peace required the departure of certain individuals. Their strong culture sustained the organization.
* Assessment. A Graduate School Dean was unsure about whether to cut a marginal program. The process was to analyze the effectiveness of the program as well as its cost to the university. The process was to interview program leaders as well as current and past students. At issue was the workload of a member of the Dean's staff. While the program was marginal, the solution involved reassignment of personnel. The program is still in place.
* Assessment. The University Provost suggested that the unrest and unhappiness in the Mathematics Department could be reversed. The investigation of departmental leadership and a sample of faculty indicated that the department had no positive goals to direct them. The problem began when a Master's level program was dropped due to declining enrollments. Coaching was used with department leadership. The department engaged in a lengthy and sometimes frustrating process of identifying a new vision on which they could focus their energy. Age differences added to the difficulty, with older faculty deeply resistant and resentful toward management (administration). While the group could not agree on a new and supportable goal, the process gave the department something to work on until several older faculty retired. New faculty members were hired with understandings that they would be contributing to an undergraduate program and a program strong in teacher training.
* The President of the University needed an independent faculty member to lead a search for a Director of Minority Affairs who would report directly to the President. It was known that a current staff member would be a part of the pool. The task was to carefully design a process to facilitate a selection committee to be fair and fully objective in the selection process. Outside candidates did suspect unfair advantage to the internal candidate who was eventually hired and challenged the selection. The process was followed without flaw making the challenge weak and unfounded. The internal candidate was chosen and performed very satisfactorily in the position.