Organizational Development

When VISIONS engages with a client, we first work to assess and understand the organization’s culture and then to address the challenges unique to it. We build upon existing diversity efforts that a client already has in place. This accelerates the rate at which participants feel valued, included, and committed to the organization’s diversity and inclusion objectives.
Our consultations incorporate the following elements:

• Climate assessment, to establish the starting point and later milestones;
• Creating internal support groups or task forces, to generate commitment and involvement;
  
• Training, for experiential learning;
• Building internal capacity, to continue the work long term.
  

Josie Greene, Family Foundation Trustee talks about the impact of VISIONS coaching.

Consultation

The reasons are varied.
Clients ask for consultations with VISIONS for a lot of reasons, whether it’s due to a crisis, wanting to achieve an organizational diversity goal, or needing to adapt to changing customer or employee demographics. We are ready to meet clients wherever they are challenged.

Our results are consistent.

We give our clients:

• Skills to approach diversity-related challenges more effectively and comprehensively.
• Tools and confidence to communicate across differences, resulting in stronger collaborations between employees.
• Strategies to make employees feel valued and thus more likely to contribute to their full potential—resulting in higher productivity, stronger attendance and a more efficient use of personnel.
• The ability to better attract, grow, and retain talented people.
• Strategies to build “buy-in” from various constituencies for ongoing diversity and inclusion initiatives.
  

Angela Bryant, Consultant and Co-Founder

Assessment

We look at both where you are and where you want to be.
VISIONS consultants will:

• Meet onsite or by phone with key leaders to get a sense of the organizational climate.
• Determine the desired outcomes from a diversity and inclusion initiative.
• Review the strengths, resources, and assets already working to create cultural diversity in the organization.
• Identify areas of concern.
• Examine the existing or potential impact of any major organizational initiatives.

Susan Erlich, Director of Human Resources at Shawmut Design and Construction explains the benefit of an organizational assessment.

At times, a more formal, in-depth assessment is called for—particularly in order to get buy-in from governing boards, senior management, or staff for an organization’s diversity and inclusion goals.

In these cases, we:

• Use surveys, focus groups and individual interviews to hear directly from participants
• Review written and web materials to understand organizational practice
• Prepare a report containing recommendations and strategies for maintaining, enhancing, or creating an effective and diverse organization.

Internal Capacity Building

VISIONS “training of trainers” prepares participants to serve as internal resources to their organization.
This serves to build the organization’s capacity to continue its initiatives after the consultancy period. Internal Capacity Building usually involves a cross-functional group of employees who are interested in becoming internal resources and trainers. They are selected so that they themselves represent a cross-section of the organization.

After completing an intensive program, participants will be ready to deliver a one or two day version of a VISIONS workshop specially designed for their organization.

VISIONS Co-Founder Angela Bryant explains how VISIONS trains trainers within an organization to build internal capacity.

Coaching

Coaching supports leaders through the inevitable challenges, both personal and organizational, of implementing a change process.
VISIONS offers ongoing services for executives, senior managers, and organizational leaders to get coaching and feedback tailored to their unique situations. Coaching is particularly critical during periods of staff reductions, mergers, implementation of new work systems, rapid expansion and conflict. It leads to an effective use of power in managerial relationships where leaders can innovatively draw on differences among staff.

Crisis Intervention

In case of a crisis…
Whether it’s due to a particular incident or a pattern of behavior, sometimes the impact of a diversity-related crisis can have powerful, if unintended, consequences. Due to the depth of their experience and their clinical background, VISIONS’ consultants are exceptionally skilled at:

• Bringing all parties to the table.
• Clarifying the situation through open and honest discussion, by creating a safe and non-blaming atmosphere.
• Developing an intervention to directly address the issue and the concerns of all parties.
• Coaching individuals through the integration of new information and skills.

With many issues of this type, calling on VISIONS expertise can avoid an escalation of the problem and help avert possible legal action.

Technical Assistance

From a diversity and inclusion perspective, VISIONS works with an organization’s human resources and other key personnel to evaluate and make recommendations on:

• Diversity action plans;
• Diversity recruitment and retention;
• Training materials;
• Strategic plans and initiatives;
• Mission statements;
• Employee performance appraisal procedures.

“The work, empathy and professionalism that VISIONS demonstrated made a very difficult situation leading up to the February downsizing announcement effective/efficient for our leaders and the broader organization. Clearly this is not the end of the work to be done as we bring our new business model to life, but it is a significant point in the process.”

Maxine, Consultation client