Case Study 1: Large Scale Multi-year Change Initiative
Description
Four-year large scale organizational change initiative with a Department of Defense agency. Deborah Reidy was a team member with four other consultants, all affiliated with the Society for Organizational Learning (SoL). They were the primary team for this program delivered through Booz Allen Hamilton.
Purposes
- To develop leaders to enable transition to higher levels of leadership
- To support a high visibility change initiative
- To promote a culture of accountability, inspiration and respect
- To strengthen a culture of collaboration, support, and teamwork
- To enhance communication throughout the organization
So that the organization would:
- Perform at high levels with full accountability
- Effectively address conflict, and take advantage of its benefits, and
- Meet significant challenges of change.
Methods
Leadership Coaching: Worked with 150 individual leaders to prepare them to lead at the next level, focusing on collaboration, teamwork, communication, problem solving and decision-making.
Leader as Coach Program: Delivered 5-day workshop for carefully selected leaders to create a culture of accountability, responsibility, inspiration and collaboration. Ms Reidy co-facilitated all 6 programs, in which nearly 200 mid and senior leaders and technical directors participated.
Team Alignment: Worked with key teams to achieve greater business results through alignment on mission, strategies, initiatives, roles and goals. 15 team alignment sessions held.
Integration: The team integrated learning from each program component (while respecting the confidentiality of the coaching relationships). Success was evaluated on several levels: individual, team and organization.
Community of Practice: Periodic meetings to review emerging themes, challenges, maintain a consistency of practice, learn from each other, and apply what we learned going forward.
Impact
- Enhanced ability to lead effectively
- Strengthened capacity to supervise and develop subordinates
- Creation of network of support within the organization
Case Study 2: Long Term Leadership Development Institute
Description
In 1997, one region of the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services engaged Deborah Reidy to design a long-term leadership development program for them. Intended audience: State employees, provider employees, people with developmental disabilities and family members. With input from regional leaders, Deborah helped to design an application and selection process, a 14-day curriculum taking place over eight months, a series of evaluative visits to programs in the region, and a graduation/capstone experience. The program continues to date.
Methods
Design of custom, long-term leadership program following in-depth assessment of the leadership qualities needed to succeed in the DDS Northeast Region System.
Development of numerous one or two day workshops addressing such content as Leadership Theory, Systems Thinking, Leading through Conflict, Leading in a Multicultural World, Best Practices in the Disabilities Field, Communication, Change and other topics tailored to the audience.
Delivery, over 15 years, of these workshops by Deborah Reidy, lead facilitator, in partnership with the region’s Director of Training.
Impact
- 233 graduates of the program.
- Consistently positive feedback.
- Creation and maintenance of a leadership development pipeline in the region (many graduates promoted to positions of increasing responsibility, then sent subordinates to subsequent years);
- Core group of like-minded colleagues who shared the same experience and were exposed to a common set of tools and skills.