What I do

Why is it some groups struggle to achieve their goals and reach their potential? Most often, it’s because something has occurred that damaged their context, those tacit understandings that groups, communities and organizations, hold about how people are supposed to think and act In short—"the way we do things around here.” When these unspoken rules break down, organizations and communities become fragmented. People can find themselves working at cross purposes, becoming less efficient or effective.  In an environment such as this, miscommunication frequently occurs. Even mistrust and conflict.

When these issues are persistent, similar problems keep showing up–sometimes in different ways. You feel like you're playing whack-a-mole as you keep trying to correct each instance of the problem. If these symptoms are allowed to persist, the behaviors they create will slowly become the default “way we do things around here.” Trust becomes eroded, poor communication and siloing replace targeted, unified efforts for getting things done in organizations. In communities, a fragmented social fabric disrupts people's commitment to the good of the whole. The good of the group.

Changing these patterns –restoring that fabric – can be a tough challenge. Even tougher, the challenge of making new “ways of doing things” that replace those old understood agreements for how a group gets things done. As an organization development consultant, I work with groups to meet those challenges—and solve the really tough issues they face. The process that I implement is inclusive and facilitates working together efficiently and effectively.