Performance Improvement Consulting

Behavioral Health & Leadership Dynamics (BHLD) has been providing management solutions for over two decades. Review our consulting, coaching and training testimonials to see what our satisfied clients are saying about BHLD. We are a results-oriented, integrity focused, management consulting group that provides consulting, coaching, and training services specializing in staff retention, resilience improvement, succession planning performance improvement and total wellbeing. BHLD identifies critical issues and develops tailored, actionable solutions. Our unique consulting and advisory experience, insights and tools help you recruit and retain innovative, high performing individuals as well as improve strategic, operational and financial performance.

What differentiates BHLD Consultants from other consulting groups is our unique blend of behavioral, managerial, human relations, and business skills, all of which are integrated into a comprehensive approach toward leadership.

Services:

• Resilience Consulting
• Climate/Culture Analysis
• Gap Analysis
• 360 Degree Feedback
• Restructuring Staffing or Service Delivery
• Strategic Planning

Background:  During the past twenty years BHLD has provided performance management consulting services to a variety of for-profit and not-for-profit organizations and government agencies. The dynamics prompting the need for these services have varied and include:

• Significant shift in market conditions triggering new strategic direction and/or priorities
• Emergence of new technology
• New board, new senior leaders, new executive director
• Reduction in revenue base
• Need for innovation — new products or services, new ways to reduce costs
• Underdeveloped or under investment in infrastructure
• New stakeholders with new needs and expectations
• Lack of alignment across organizational groups impeding overall capability and performance
• Culture change in support of new direction and performance goal

Principles:

• Complexity:  Organizations are complex systems — when change occurs in one place in an organization, other parts of the organization are naturally affected.
• Change dynamics:Resistance to change is common and can be addressed in a positive manner.  Surfacing, respecting, and working through resistance is a healthy and useful part of the change process. Addressing the emotions surrounding any organizational change ultimately enables the organization’s ability to become adaptive and optimize the success of the change objectives.
• Right People are Involved: Successful change requires alignment, commitment and participative leaders with the authority to influence action, and impact key stakeholders throughout the organization.
• Full Participation: All participants are encouraged to speak up and fully engage in the process in order to foster ownership and commitment to the change.
• Multiple Perceptions:There are often as many perspectives and opinions as there are people involved in the process. In order for change to successfully occur, participants need to understand and accept each other’s point of view.  This requires momentarily suspending positions, listening attentively, and balancing advocating for a point of view with inquiring about and honoring others’ perspectives.
• Jointly Designed Actions:Consultants and the client group work together to co-create a process which is tailored to the unique dynamics and constraints of the organization. This approach encourages innovation, commitment and ownership of solutions.
• Objectivity:  Consultants work from a stance of objectivity, without bias, and with a strict code of confidentiality so as to engender trust throughout the change process.

Processes:  In our highly collaborative approach, the following process will be followed (not necessarily in this order):

1. Identify the change imperative with leaders
2. Design success criteria
3. Develop change strategy to align work expectations with organizational goals and  competencies
4. Assess current state and readiness using multiple feedback sources and team evaluation
5. Engage key participants across the organization
6. Perform organizational culture analysis as indicated; determine perceptions of internal and external customers in regard to performance management systems
7. Define key stakeholders and determine roles and responsibilities
8. Develop the change plan
9. Implement and facilitate the change
10. Identify and integrate learning solutions
11. Monitor progress
12. Develop and implement corresponding communication

Customer Satisfaction:  In order to ensure that organizational leaders are satisfied in the process, we will:

• Seek their active involvement in co-designing and leading the process
• Develop project objectives, timelines and success criteria, which is monitored throughout the project
• Prepare regular status reports
• Conduct regular check-in meetings, solicit feedback and make changes accordingly
• Complete all deliverables as specified  in our agreements

Climate & Culture Assessment

Analysis of the Organization’s  Culture  is critical to strengthen alignment resulting in enhanced staff retention, improved performance and greater profit margins.

BHLD analyzes the Climate/Culture of the organization as it relates to performance. Each assessment is devised with input and approval from key leaders in the organization. Recommendations are tailored to address concerns identified during the assessment process.

Specifically, these recommendations enable the organization to more efficiently and effectively support core functions. BHLD will identify strengths, weaknesses, and potential opportunities to improve performance as well as the overall organizational health. Included in the final report will be a follow-up proposal outlining the support BHLD will provide to the client while recommendations from this assessment are being implemented.

Climate/Culture and Gap Analysis will minimally address the following areas:

• Employee perception and level of satisfaction with the organization
• Clarity of role/responsibilities in performing duties
• Clarity of job expectations
• Sense of purpose as it relates to the organization’s values, mission and vision
• Challenges or obstacles encountered in task performance
• Organizational strengths and weaknesses
• Working conditions at team, group, branch, division, or office level(s)
• Accountability of management and staff in resolving concerns
• Working relationships, both internal and external
• Communications across the organization
• Managing and dealing with change successfully and appropriately
• Training opportunities
• Evaluation of ability to progress towards improving the culture and becoming a high-performance organization
• Specific actions that would improve the health of the organization and help achieve strategic goals

Strategic Planning

For over twenty years BHLD has provided strategic planning consulting services. The dynamics prompting the need to develop or revise a strategic plan have varied and include:

• Significant shift in market conditions thus threatening an organization’s viability
• Emergence of new technology
• New board, new senior leaders, new executive director
• Regularly scheduled update to stay current
• Lack of a strategic plan-lots of disconnected tactical plans
• Reduction in revenue base
• Need for innovation-new products or services or new ways to reduce costs
• Underdeveloped or under investment in infrastructure
• New stakeholders with new needs and expectations
• Lack of organizational alignment-various groups within an organization working separately rather than in a unified manner focused on the good of the whole

Guidelines – We adhere to the following guidelines to achieve a strategic plan which anchors an organization and mobilizes people to act in alignment with the plan:

• Data: The organization has relevant data about itself including current performance (i.e., strengths, weakness, opportunities, threats), future trends (i.e., shifting demographics), and internal and external stakeholders’ (i.e., employees, leadership) needs and interests.
• Full Participation: All participants are encouraged to fully engage which fosters ownership and commitment to the outcomes of each planning meeting as well as the overall strategic planning process.
• Compelling Issue: All participants have the relevant information about the situation and are ready to engage around the topic(s). Relevant information includes facts, opinions, feelings, and interests. All participants understand the purpose and scope of the planning process and are developing a shared picture as a means to understand the issue(s) and opportunities and help the organization move toward a desired future.
• Right People are Involved: Those who participate in the process are committed and have the authority to take action.
• Multiple Realities: There are often as many perspectives and opinions as there are people involved in the process. In order for the strategic planning group to reach sustainable agreements, participants need to understand and accept each other’s point of view. This requires momentarily suspending positions, listening attentively, and balancing advocating for a point of view with inquiring about and honoring others’ perspectives.
• Jointly Designed Actions: Consultants and the client group work together to co-create a process which is tailored to the unique dynamics and constraints of the agency thus fostering an approach with solutions which have a greater chance of implementation due to the commitment and ownership that is engendered in jointly designed solutions.

Processes – In our highly collaborative approach, the following process steps will be followed:

1. Plan and Launch Strategic Planning Effort by Engaging Leaders and Key Staff in the Planning Process
2. Gather Data
3. Set Direction
4. Perform an Overall Needs Assessment (Gap Analysis)
5. Summarize Results of Needs Assessment to Key Leaders and Staff
6. Facilitate Strategic Planning Retreat with Leaders and Key Staff
7. Document the Plan
8. Partner with Leaders to communicate the Plan to the Organization as a whole

Customer Satisfaction – In order to ensure that organizational leaders are satisfied in the process, we will:

• Seek their active involvement in co-designing and leading the process
• Develop project objectives, timelines and success criteria, which is monitored throughout the project
• Prepare regular status reports
• Conduct regular check-in meetings, solicit feedback and make changes accordingly

Gap Analysis

Gap Analysis is a formal study of what an organization is doing currently and where it wants to go in the future. It involves the comparison of actual performance with potential or desired performance. Gap Analysis is also called a needs assessment or needs analysis.

A Gap Analysis consists of listing what is needed in the present situation (“what is”) and comparing this list to the needs to achieve future objectives (“what is required”) and then identifying the gaps that exist.

It can be conducted, from different angles, as follows:

• Organization (e.g., Human Resources, Materials/Equipment, etc.)
• Strategic direction
• Business processes
• Information technology

BHLD’s Gap Analysis process is tailored to meet the needs of the organization and may include:

• Human Resource needs assessment to detect gaps
• Meeting facilitation with key leaders and stake holders to identify gaps
• Collaboration with key leaders and stakeholders to close gaps and determine best solutions to achieve future objectives
• Organizational action plan