Zoe's Sample Consulting Projects

Strategic Planning

Client: A multisite national clinical research organization.
Project Service: Human resources development and planning.
Problem: In its start-up phase, the organization was growing without a strategic plan and the necessary infrastructure to support business growth.
Actions: A Zoe consultant facilitated a strategic plan and vision statement; recruited, selected and trained employees; and implemented personnel policies and procedures including performance management.
Results: According to the director of projects, the outcome was a significant contribution to the company's 400% staff expansion, multimillion dollar increase in revenues and growth to a nationwide business.

Team Development, Strategic Planning

Client: County government department of human services.
Project Service: Assisted the leadership group in defining a client-focused strategic plan and coalesce as a team.
Problem: The department of this county entity was struggling with a poor reputation of responsiveness to the needs of county citizens. The directors lacked direction as well as communication skills for working with each other and with the community effectively and productively; they did not adapt well to changing requirements.
Actions: A Zoe consultant provided mission, vision and values definition; goals, objectives and expectations identification for the team and each team member; strategic planning; program development; team development; facilitation; and coaching.
Results: This organization is nationally cited as the number one government-based human service provider in terms of customer satisfaction and client-focused programs. The group competes successfully with private human service providers in the region.

Organizational Alignment

Client: Rapidly expanding aerospace engineering firm.
Project Service: Assisted leadership in reversing a trend of lowering morale through multilevel processes, including but not limited to, assessments, leadership coaching, team building and the development of infrastructure to support employee efficiency and cooperation.
Problem: Projects were not being completed in agreed-upon time frames. Employees were complaining about workloads, lack of supervision and difficulty getting resources they needed to do their jobs.
Actions: A Zoe consultant assessed marketing strategy, culture and leadership; provided 360-degree leadership feedback and leadership coaching; facilitated strategy meetings; collaborated to align strategy, leadership and culture; facilitated team building at all levels; restructured leadership team; and created systems to support identified necessary changes.
Results: The company has doubled its revenue. The CEO and leadership team are focusing on the strategic picture and marketing efforts rather than micromanagement. Employee surveys and feedback reveal high morale; there is now a negligible turnover of staff.

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Senior Leader Development

Client: Global communications company with 130,000 employees
Project Service: Identified critical leadership competencies and clarified related organizational issues.
Problem: The company was suffering natural attrition among 500 organizational leaders and needed to identify competencies for current and future leader development and establish an effective recruitment/retention to ease transition effects.
Actions: A Zoe consultant designed and conducted a worldwide field study to isolate critical organizational issues impinging on appropriate selection, development and retention of top leaders and made acted upon recommendations.
Results: The company adopted plans for eight new pathways in senior leader development for current and future candidates; held global and regional conferences to address organizational horizon issues discovered by the research; committed senior-level scorecard goals for critical horizon issues. The study was cross-validated through meta-analysis with other global studies.

Reorganization: Career Development and Retention

Client: Global computer hardware corporation.
Project Service: Assisted employees and managers in making career changes in accordance with the company reorganization/transition by creating and providing transition programs and strategies.
Problem: The company was losing market share and responded by shifting its mission from a hardware emphasis to software, requiring major organizational changes and reassignment of employees. Many employees were ill equipped to respond to the new demands and experienced a loss of control and uncertainty about their career futures. Morale was low and many valued individuals went to competing companies.
Actions: With senior management, the consultant group designed and delivered an extensive career transition program and presented strategies to support employees and managers through the transition; consultants assisted individuals in managing career growth, change and stress, and to communicate with internal and external customers, and work teams more effectively.
Results: After three years, over 5,000 employees and 800 managers participated in the program. The program received the top organizational development award in the United States from President George Bush. The company became more strategic and effective in their hiring and team building practices, more creative with product development and better at communicating with internal and external customers.

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Organizational Development: Diversity

Client: Government agency of 1200 employees.
Project Service: Assisted leadership in addressing issues of low morale and racial conflict through assessment, analysis, coaching, feedback, and recommendations and support regarding the development of appropriate diversity strategies and initiatives.
Problem: The agency was experiencing an increase in both internal and external discrimination complaints; a sense of segregation among employees based on race; conflict between employee network groups; lack of diversity competency among managers; low employee morale; and lack of confidence in the human resources department and the executive staff.
Actions: A Zoe consultant assessed employee morale and analyzed key organizational issues; conducted a cultural audit; designed and facilitated focus groups; conducted leadership coaching on the diversity program, strategy, initiatives and competency; and made recommendations.
Results: The agency has seen reduced internal discrimination complaints; greater competency exhibited by the director, executive staff and managers in diversity and conflict management; increased employee morale; renewed enthusiasm and shared ownership of diversity initiatives; renewed sense of trust by employees of upper management and human resources; increased productivity and employee satisfaction from programs; improved relationships; and less separation among racial groups. The agency has also seen cross-functional partnerships established and employee networks partner around mutual goals.

Increasing Revenues

Client: Telecommunications company
Project Service: Assisted the sales team and company president in meeting annual revenue goals.
Problem: The company was experiencing poor sales results, and the sales team was overtly fighting with each other and operations.
Actions: A Zoe consultant conducted needs assessments and evaluations, with actual sources of concerns identified via an organizational culture survey; and provided team facilitation and development, leadership coaching and process consulting. Strategy and culture sessions were conducted, as well as 360-degree leadership feedback with the president.
Results: Sales increased 15% the quarter following this project, with a continued rise over the next six months. Processes were simplified to increase efficiencies. For the first time, sales and operations were coordinating all efforts with an increase in customer satisfaction.

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