My organizational development consulting focuses on change and overcoming resistance to change. I think that there are usually creative and practical answers for how to unlock trapped energy, leadership and progress in an organizational system. I’m good at helping leaders find those answers.
I look across strategy, structure, systems, power, relationships and organizational habits to understand why things work the way they do and what might need to change. I clarify why and how a group should move forward. I build out the organizational spine, creating internal architecture that’s sturdy and practical.
I love working on:
- Clarifying strategic direction and crafting flexible frameworks for the way forward.
- Facilitating the group through hard conversations to make brave choices for the future.
- Designing value-based organizational systems that actually work, like organizational structures, performance systems or decision-making processes.
- Embedding equity into strategic frameworks and organizational practices.
The goal is not a perfectly designed organization. It is one better able to see what is happening, make decisions, learn from experience and adapt without needing an outside consultant every time something changes.
After working together, your organization can expect:
- A shared understanding of the challenges you are actually facing. People develop a common picture of what is happening and why.
- Clarity about your strategy. You’ll have a flexible but clear strategic framework to guide you forward.
- Clearer structures, roles and decision-making. People know who is responsible for what, how decisions get made and how work moves forward.
- Equity, accountability and performance built into how the organization operates. These become part of the organization’s everyday systems rather than separate initiatives.
- An organization better able to learn and adapt. You’ll leave with practical structures, frameworks and habits that continue supporting your work long after the engagement has ended.
Barbary Cook 