Management Consulting: Improving Organizational Performance and Delivery of Quality Service

Transcription

1 Leveraging People, Processes, and Technology Management Consulting: Improving Organizational Performance and Delivery of Quality Service A White Paper Authors: Dr. Greg Mandrake Alan, Executive Coach Asmahan Limansky, Program Manager 11 Canal Center Plaza, Floor 2 Alexandria, VA

2 Introduction The Catapult Technology Management Consulting paradigm is built upon the integration of people, processes, technology, and knowledge. Management Consulting services analyze, customize, and revitalize an organization, thereby optimizing organizational performance and effectiveness. Catapult s methodologies emphasize quality in service delivery by continuous process improvement. Catapult s consulting team is comprised of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in organizational development, Federal HR processing, and executive coaching. Catapult applies repeatable principles customized to an organization s specific needs that will improve operations across the board. Improving Organizational Performance and Effectiveness Management Consulting helps organizations develop strategically to improve organizational performance, increase the quality of delivered services, and maximize the use of financial and human resources. Human Resource (HR) processing services focus on an organization s workforce and the organizational systems and processes to support employee benefits, payroll, and career development. Organizational development begins with a viable Corporate Strategic Plan that represents the organization s vision, mission, and goals. Progress toward strategic goals involves examination of how work is performed and how resources and organizational assets are managed. Business Process Improvement and Reengineering (BPI/BPR), coupled with Change Management, ensures organizations evolve in support of the Corporate Strategic Plan. Leadership development activities equip an organization s leadership with the knowledge, experience, and support to effectively improve organizational performance. Executive Coaching offers leads opportunities to reflect on organizational decisions and select strategic and tactical solutions that align the leadership s individual professional objectives with broader organizational goals. Effective leaders communicate the Corporate Strategic Plan as it develops to create an organizational culture that values employee involvement. Human Resource Development offers training, support, and Leadership development activities equip an organization s leadership with the knowledge, experience, and support to effectively improve organizational performance. Page 2

3 rewards at every level of an organization to cultivate a collaborative work environment. To ensure the consistent availability of intellectual capital, Catapult consultants and SMEs also establish a method for the knowledge management to implement organizational routines that support fluid knowledge sharing within and across divisions or departments. This mitigates the interruption or loss of intellectual capital due to attrition. Strategic Planning A strategic plan is an organization s most important management tool. Strategic planning can be a daunting task for many organizations. Effective strategic planning begins with an assessment of the current organizational status and a defined vision of the future status. The strategic plan is the roadmap to guide an organization s leaders to realize that vision. A strategic plan helps an organization s leadership articulate the strategic and tactical decisions required to move the organization forward. A viable strategic plan is practical, actionable, and measurable. It aims to increase the organization s efficiency and effectiveness by focusing resources on key objectives. For the development and implementation of a successful strategic plan, Catapult enables leaders of the organization to:» Identify organization and stakeholders and decision-makers for strategic planning» Facilitate corporate strategic planning retreats» Provide a customized approach to conduct a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis» Define the organization s vision and mission» Establish actionable goals and objectives aligned with the vision and mission» Create policies, plans, and programs to meet goals and objectives» Communicate and promote vision, mission, and goals to all levels of the organization» Provide guidance and support required to implement the tactical and operational goals Catapult s consultants support organizations with product and service innovation by rapidly injecting new ideas and building the right culture and organization that are required. Page 3

4 » Solicit and respond to employee feedback on the operational aspects of the strategic plan» Develop measures to assess the success of strategic goals» Track progress of the implementation through a Corporate Balance Scorecard Catapult helps organizations define the direction that best fits their needs, creates the products or services that fit those needs, and assists in organizing the necessary changes to assure complete and rapid implementation. Catapult s consultants support organizations with product and service innovation by rapidly injecting new ideas and building the right culture and organization that are required. Catapult provides integrated business, technical, and innovation services. Case In Point: Catapult developed the Information Technology Strategic Plan (ITSP) for the Small Business Administration s (SBA) Office of Chief Information Officer (OCIO). The ITSP focused on strengthening SBA s Enterprise Architecture (EA) and linked the OCIO s plans to the organization s framework of vision, mission, and goals. Catapult s consultants conducted one-on-one meetings and cross-functional group sessions to facilitate the strategic planning process. The final product included a strategic plan and a roadmap detailing the steps required to achieve the OCIO goals. The strategic plan and roadmap provided SBA s OCIO with a comprehensive approach to align IT goals with the overall agency, measure implementation and progress, and justify the allocation of resources. Business Process Improvement/Reengineering (BPI/ BPR) Often the only way to enhance organizational performance is to closely examine how work is actually done. How work is performed is mostly shaped by shifting priorities and availability of resources, rather than by determining the most effective processes for achieving organizational goals. Business Process Improvement/Reengineering (BPI/BPR) helps organizations improve performance by redesigning how work is managed and performed to eliminate bottlenecks and redundancies and maximize automation when applicable. BPI/BPR provides organizations with comprehensive As-Is and To-Be business process models to illustrate the necessary changes in man- BPI/BPR allows leaders to select the most cost-effective solutions that can improve the organization s effectiveness and show measureable results, while reducing direct and indirect costs. Page 4

5 ageable terms. BPI/BPR allows leaders to select the most cost-effective solutions that can improve the organization s effectiveness and show measureable results, while reducing direct and indirect costs. Catapult delivers customized BPI/BPR services and conducts surveys, interviews, and focus groups based on established methodologies. Catapult s experienced consultants work to minimize interruptions to the organization s functions and outputs throughout the BPR effort. In order to build commitment throughout the organization, Catapult works closely with stakeholders and SMEs across the enterprise to:» Establish a project baseline plan» Systemically realign processes with organization s mission and goals» Facilitate stakeholder buy-in through involvement and preparation» Develop process models that present a detailed graphical depiction of the As-Is business processes, as well as, the agreed-upon To-Be processes. The process flows represent a comprehensive assessment of business functions and supporting systems» Analyze the gaps between As-Is and To-Be business processes» Recommend long and short-term solutions to maximize the efficacy and efficiency of the organization» Implement the approved cost effective solutions» Define measurable indicators of organizational performance and effectiveness» Track performance measures to clearly identify and evaluate business process improvements Case In Point: Catapult conducted a BPR project for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) Budget Division. The BPR effort resulted with a detailed mapping and a thorough analysis of all the Budget Division processes. This study engaged all the Budget Division staff and resulted in the identification of all the issues related to staffing, management, technology, training, and process flows. Catapult s consultants then conducted benchmarking research and brainstorming sessions with the Budget Division SMEs to indentify and prioritize the most cost-effective short-term and long-term solutions to streamline the Catapult s experienced consultants work to minimize interruptions to the organization s functions and outputs throughout the BPR effort. Page 5

6 Budget Division processes. This enabled the RD leadership to defend the approval, funding, and implementation of these solutions. Catapult implemented the majority of the recommended solutions. The Budget Division is currently benefiting from a 50 to 70 percent reduction in the labor hours needed for most processes due to automation, standard operation procedures, and enterprise content management. Change Management Change defines our times. Government agencies are continually adapting to changes in leadership, budgets, workforce, technology, and legislation. Catapult helps organizations respond to current change and adopt a proactive approach to plan for and manage future change. Effective change management reduces costs, minimizes resistance at all levels in the organization, and leads to a continually revitalized organization. Catapult applies a holistic approach to identify and manage the impact of internal and external influences of how an organization conducts business. Catapult s experts plan for change by analyzing the current organizational landscape and developing effective strategies that assist you in developing clear goals and performance measures to guide and support change within and across the enterprise. Catapult partners with an organization s internal resources to:» Create a clear vision with a thorough and careful organizational assessment» Clearly communicate strategic direction, expectations, and responsibilities throughout the organization» Reward and showcase success stories or efforts to change» Assess organizational culture and climate to develop strategies for coping with the stress of change and effectively minimize resistance in the work environment» Design strategies for organizations to anticipate and successfully navigate through transition» Identify existing and imminent changes in business processes, organizational structures, and resources (e.g., funding, leadership, personnel, and technology)» Evaluate planned initiatives to eliminate unnecessary, counter- Catapult helps organizations respond to current change and adopt a proactive approach to plan for and manage future change. Page 6

7 productive, and potentially damaging change» Design and implement flexible strategies while improving business outcomes and maintaining daily operations» Analyze the systemic impact of strategies to anticipate and plan for change throughout the organization» Develop quantifiable performance measures with clear goals, outcomes, and accountability Case in Point: General Service Administration s (GSA) OCIO introduced a new and innovative information technology (IT) infrastructure for IT support services. Catapult provided change management support to ensure successful implementation of the new service delivery model. For example, Catapult consultants developed a communication plan to ensure buy-in from GSA leadership, as well as the user communities. This approach to change management required several campaigns to advertise the new service model, instruct users how to access services, and promote the benefits. To ensure effective change management, Catapult also developed and conducted a customer satisfaction survey to collect user feedback. GSA and Catapult incorporate the feedback to continually align the service model with customer needs and expectations. Leadership development activities aim to create opportunities for leaders to assess, understand, and develop their leadership styles. Leadership Development An organization s leadership defines the future direction of an organization. Effective leadership is critical for an organization to thrive and strategically progress toward the vision and mission. Leadership development enhances leadership skills through evaluation, education, and guided experience. Leadership development activities aim to create opportunities for leaders to assess, understand, and develop their leadership styles to enable them to achieve individual and organizational goals. Leadership Assessment Leadership development begins with an assessment of the leadership team. Assessments provide a solid foundation and common language to effectively discuss their professional development. The results of a comprehensive competency analysis identify behaviors important for Page 7

8 job success and serves to assist an organization s leaders to set individual leadership development goals. Qualified Catapult consultants offer a battery of assessments, analyze individual responses, and interpret results to evaluate individual knowledge, skills, abilities and personal traits and patterns of behavior and thinking. Catapult applies assessment results to tailor leadership training programs and executive coaching experiences to optimize leaders learning and development in several areas:» Leadership skills inventories are 360-degree evaluations that provide leaders with a view of both their current and expected leadership skills from a self, manager, peer, and direct report perspective. This provides leaders with insight into the characteristics and skills that team members value or expect in supervisors.» Personality assessments, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) identify personality traits and interpersonal communication skills to provide a thorough understanding of personal perceptions and assumptions about people and their environments. For example, the MBTI increases a leader s sensitivity to individual personalities and enables them to tailor their guidance accordingly. Insight into personalities facilitates the leader s ability to better align performance appraisals, motivation techniques, and individual expectations.» Learning styles assessments provide insight into leaders strengths and patterns of critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. Understanding learning styles helps to customize learning opportunities for leaders, as well as assist leaders in developing learning opportunities for other team members. Assessing problem-solving strategies promotes innovation and personal value among team members.» Team building- and group dynamics-related assessments identify the roles and behaviors of leaders and other team members in groups. The results help an organization s leadership anticipate and manage its behaviors and expectations, appreciate others unique contributions, and engage fellow team members. Goals developed from this type of assessment help create innovative and proactive solutions to group stagnation, conflict, and miscommunication. Team building activities encourage clear and Catapult applies assessment results to tailor leadership training programs and executive coaching experiences to optimize leaders learning and development in several areas. Page 8

9 open communication within and across work units to increase group and cross-functional performance. Case In Point: Catapult conducted leadership assessments, internally with employees and externally with customers, to manage the company s fast growth in size and magnitude of services. The focus on leadership assessment helped Catapult s executive management identify gaps in leadership talent to strategically recruit and develop a strong leadership team. This transparency and responsiveness to the employee and customer feedback allowed for a stable and proactive approach in managing organizational growth. Leadership Training Leadership training programs provide learning experiences to enhance the performance of experienced and novice leaders and offer aspiring leaders the opportunity to become part of the organization s succession planning. Leadership development training focuses on daily business operations, which fosters a corporate learning culture that ensures recruitment and retention of the right people. Catapult also designs innovative training programs that align organizational and individual objectives to develop, enhance, and reinforce effective executive management skills. Through Leadership Training programs leaders can:» Understand personal leadership and management styles» Design innovative training solutions to help leaders align organizational and individuals objectives» Develop, enhance, and reinforce effective executive leadership and management skills» Develop crisis management skills to navigate and succeed throughout organizational change» Foster a corporate learning culture to ensure leaders recruit, retain, and manage talent» Integration of performance management with your agency s strategic planning, rewards, and succession planning» Design strategies to build teams and a collaborative decisionmaking organizational culture Catapult applies assessment results to tailor leadership training programs and executive coaching experiences to optimize leaders learning and development in several areas. Page 9

10 » Set objectives, review performance, and deliver feedback to guide and support employee effectiveness and performance» Quickly respond to complaints, disputes, or grievances with fair resolutions Executive Coaching As a method of enhancing organizational performance, executive coaching is a critical leadership development tool. Coaching demonstrates an organization s commitment to employees by investing in, and nurturing, experienced as well as novice leaders. Catapult s Executive Coaches guide leaders to discover individual leadership potential; provide the tools to apply lessons learned into daily activities, and, when necessary, help leaders to evolve to other positions within the organization. Catapult s Executive Coaches design opportunities for an organization s leaders to exercise new and enhanced knowledge skills throughout the coaching process. Practice exercises facilitate the growth and development of the skills in a non-judgmental, strictly confidential environment. The coaching environment creates a unique opportunity for initiating an action plan in a safe environment as a precursor to applying new skills to the work environment. Catapult s Executive Coaches cultivate a professional development and improve organizational performance and job satisfaction. Executive Coaching aims to:» Customize leadership development activities to enhance leadership knowledge and skills» Improve organizational performance and effectiveness through strong leadership» Develop a results-oriented organizational culture through leadership» Align individual leadership objective with organizational goals» Retain leadership talent and reduce costs of senior level turnover Executive Coaching creates opportunities for leaders to:» Develop personal leadership strategies to perform at a more optimal level Coaching demonstrates an organization s commitment to employees by investing in, and nurturing, experienced as well as novice leaders. Page 10

11 » Create a mutually beneficial learning environment to increase performance» Model professional behaviors to all levels in the organization to create a positive and productive work climate and culture» Effectively communicate the organization s goals and objectives» Manage individual performance of team members» Solicit employee feedback with a voice in team objectives Case In Point: Through Executive Coaching, Catapult helped the USDA s Budget Division adapt to new leadership and bridge between varying leadership styles. As a result, the unified leadership team successfully navigated through conflicts, clarified expectations, provided guidance, and successfully met the division and agency fiscal year-end deadlines. Communication and Knowledge Management As workforce attrition becomes a reality, government agencies continually struggle to capture and retain knowledge so that employees can access and utilize it. Organizations maintain a competitive advantage through effective knowledge management. Knowledge Management (KM) comprises a range of practices used in an organization to identify, create, represent and communicate knowledge throughout the organization. KM focuses on both explicit knowledge (that which is easily transferable) and tacit knowledge (that which is not easily transferable). KM is based on developmental processes, lessons learned and the general development of collaborative practices. The success of a KM initiative is dependent on constant and consistent communication at all levels of an organization. Communication supports and promotes effective knowledge sharing to decrease confusion, redundancy, and errors. Catapult consultants design guidelines to efficiently analyze, synthesize, and access knowledge. Catapult follows standard methodologies, processes, and tools to identify, capture, categorize and share knowledge. Through a collaborative approach to develop KM strategies and practices, Catapult helps leaders to:» Establish systematic management of intellectual capital» Create organizational routines to support fluid knowledge shar- Agencies continually struggle to capture and retain knowledge. They maintain a competitive advantage through effective knowledge management. Page 11

12 ing within and across business units» Make informed decisions to improve business outcomes» Provide guidelines to efficiently analyze and synthesize knowledge» Put the procedures in place to make institutional knowledge easy for employees to access» Cultivate a knowledge sharing business culture to minimize errors resulting from duplications, contradictions, and misinformation» Develop and document Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for identification, capture, and distribution of organizational knowledge» Communicate organizational objectives and expectations» Develop, implement, and support knowledge sharing tools to meet the organization s KM needs Case In Point: At the Department of Veterans A high-performing organization Affairs (VA), Catapult led a KM working group in aligns performance expectations developing a KM Strategy to support the entire with organizational goals. VA enterprise. Steps included analyzing opportunities around content requirements, collaborative processes, and KM architectural components (content, processes, roles, etc.). Catapult worked closely with the VA leadership to define a KM governance model, validate the value for VA business community, and refine the final strategy. Finally, Catapult developed an implementation plan to execute the KM Strategy to improve knowledge sharing, leverage communities of practices, and ultimately increase customer satisfaction. Human Resource Development and Training Human Resource (HR) Management is a cornerstone in the foundation of a high-performing organization. In a climate of diminishing resources, it is critical for an organization to invest in programs that help develop the talents, attributes, and competencies of its human resources. Individuals strengths and talents are highly shaped by the extent to which organizational culture supports innovation, creativity, and career development. A high-performing organization aligns performance expectations with organizational goals, communicates expectations continuously to its entire workforce, measures performance Page 12

13 at all levels, and rewards results appropriately. Catapult offers extensive experience in federal, state, and local government HR assessment, development, and training. The customized survey and focus groups services that Catapult provides enable an in-depth HR organizational assessment that covers the various aspects of HR management. Catapult analyzes the assessment results to formulate a business strategy that supports cost-effective and resultsoriented services and products that help to recruit, develop, and retain the best workforce and leadership talent. Catapult consultants work in partnership with an organization s HR Management to:» Conduct an organizational HR assessment» Develop policy and procedure manuals and employee handbooks» Develop and implement HR Information Systems (HRIS)» Develop and implement compensation system and policy» Develop records management capabilities: Recruitment, retention, and separation» Evaluate and select a full range of employee benefits» Develop and implement plans for restructuring, downsizing, outsourcing, position classification, recruitment, and succession planning» Train workforce on new IT systems and To-Be business processes resulting from BPR/BPI efforts» Develop an organizational culture, processes, and programs for employee retention, promotion, and talent management. Catapult s HR SMEs provide the required guidance and tools to:» Conduct training needs assessments using surveys, focus groups, and document analysis» Recommend training programs for employees to acquire new knowledge and skills» Conduct training workshops on teambuilding, conflict resolution, and time management» Develop a performance appraisal process to deliver effective performance feedback Page 13

14 » Develop a rewards system for the recognition of individual and group contributions» Develop performance measures to asses individual and group performance gaps and ensure accountability The above-mentioned programs and services are critical for an organization to achieve transparency and objectivity in the relationship between employees and their supervisors. Investing in employee training programs, setting up clear expectations for individual achievements, using well designed measures to assess performance, and implementing a clearly defined rewards system, enable supervisors to earn the respect and commitment of their staff and ensure a high retention and growth of the organization s HR talent. Catapult s Federal HR Processing SMEs apply experience to provide an array of services to:» Ensure compliance with the Federal HR regulations and guidelines in classification, staffing, recruitment, compensation, employee and labor relations, benefits, retirement, record keeping, personnel actions, and reporting» Establish and manage the processes for large scale recruitment and temporary surge support Federal workforce» Provide expert guidance on Federal HR policy matters» Build Federal HR records management back office system» Design and implement technology solutions to support the Federal HR processes» Provide Federal HR operations and internal customer service support Case In Point: For the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Catapult provided an array of services including: HR policy and procedures for establishing a 58,000 plus workforce of security screeners; guidance to contractor teams on Federal HR policy matters; and provisioning a temporary, surge support workforce of 200 plus personnel to successfully transform, process, and build TSA s HR records management back office system. Catapult supported the initial hiring of the TSA workforce by providing legacy application support and Federal HR subject matter experts during the initial staffing up phase. For five years after TSA was fully operating at the nation s 429 commercial airports, Catapult provided over 250 qualified personnel to complete the process of bringing TSA into full compliance with Office of Management & Budget (OMB) requirements. Page 14

15 Conclusion Catapult s Management Consulting services emphasize quality in service delivery by continuous process improvement. Our consultants implement strategies that integrate people, processes, technology, and knowledge; improve organizational performance; and maximize the use of financial and human resources. Catapult s Management Consulting services can revitalize your organization s performance and effectiveness in delivering its goods and services to your constituents. For more information about Catapult s Management Consulting practice: Call info@catapulttechnology.com Visit Page 15

16 11 Canal Center Plaza, Floor 2 Alexandria, VA info@catapulttechnology.com QP