Levine Consulting

My Approach

In organizations and communities, people with diverse perspectives need to work together to create plans of action, address challenging issues, and design more effective ways of working. To guide and facilitate that collaboration, I use a variety of methods that enable people to build agreements. My approach is to design a process with each client organization that is tailored to address its needs and fits with its culture. The principles I use as guidance are:

People implement what they create. Involvement of people who have a stake in the situation is crucial for successful implementation.

There is no single “right” method, process, or outcome. A key part of my role, I believe, is to work with clients to design a process specifically tailored to produce what they want to accomplish, in the context of their organization or community culture.

Organizational change is more art than science. It is about making conscious choices with the information available at the time. The combined wisdom of the people in and around the organization is typically the best source of that information.

Any organizational change process needs to be congruent with the mission and culture you want to create or reinforce. Always consider the potential impact of the process and the results on people.

Keep it as simple as possible.

I believe it is important for the leadership of an organizational change process to come from the organization, in terms of articulating and demonstrating the commitment, maintaining the momentum, and providing vision and ideas. I see my role as providing process guidance and facilitation along with frameworks, tools, perspective, and experiences that add value. I collaborate with each client to create a working relationship that meets the needs of the project.

Consulting Services

Design and facilitation of collaborative change processes to plan for the future (e.g. vision, strategic planning, action planning), address complex issues, or reconcile differences. Use of whole systems methods such as Appreciative Inquiry, Future Search, Open Space Technology, and World Café.

Coaching of leaders and teams to work together effectively for optimal results.

Design and facilitation of conferences, meetings, retreats, crafted to meet the specific needs of each group and situation.

Creation of workshops and materials to develop skills for effective collaboration.

Board Development – work with boards of directors to identify and address needs for developing skills, capabilities, practices.

Executive Search – help boards of directors with leadership transition, including search for next executive director to fit the needs of the organization.

Some Sample Projects

Leaders of a new national nonprofit organization wanted to chart its direction and boost membership participation. Through a collaborative planning process they involved all stakeholders, articulated a mission and vision, and built agreement on the organization’s direction. Members and external resource people were surveyed to collect input on the organization’s mission, programs, and activities. A representative group met in an intensive session to develop a draft plan. After a round of input and changes to the plan, members from around the country met at the annual conference to develop and commit to actions for implementing the plan in the coming year.

Fifteen years of antagonism left two major departments in a large teaching hospital with serious, costly service problems. An 18-month collaborative planning, problem solving, and conflict resolution effort led to significant, measurable, and sustained improvement in service outcomes and in staff satisfaction. Through working in interdepartmental problem solving teams, analyzing and redesigning the work flow between departments, and developing communication skills, people came to understand each others’ issues, motivations and roles. As new problems arose, they no longer blamed each other, but worked together to find solutions.

A mid-sized professional services business needed a breakthrough to move to the next stage in its growth. A series of senior team planning meetings spanning a year led to a key meeting where executives were able to speak openly and fully about the company and disclose their personal visions for the future. Going beyond what anyone had expected at the outset, they produced a bold strategy and actions to move the organization forward.

A city issued a new downtown plan that drew fire from community members. A collaborative process was designed to bring together the diverse viewpoints, including those of the most ardent opponents. In a meeting of a hundred and fifty people representing key constituencies, participants worked in small groups guided by community members who had been trained as facilitators. As dialogue continued, the group as a whole agreed to revise the downtown plan, based on their newly-developed common vision. Positive results were achieved and the damage done to relationships among residents, businesses and government was mended.