CONSULTING PROJECT EXAMPLES

Examples of Recent Consulting Projects

Visit the links below to learn more about the type of organization development projects the professionals of The Office of Corporate and Community Services recently completed.

 

The Office of Corporate and Community Services Facilitates Development of New Corporate Culture Through the Launch of a Comprehensive Six Sigma Business Improvement Campaign.


Mercy Medical Center wanted to strategically manage costs. Jeff Smith, then vice president of materials management and purchasing (now chief operating officer and senior vice president), was positioned to facilitate a business-improvement campaign. Smith contracted with The Office of Corporate and Community Services at Kent State Stark to provide support for effective implementation of Motorola’s Six Sigma® initiative.

Motorola conceived the Six Sigma process in 1986. The Six Sigma process provided a quality measure that could be used throughout the corporation — from manufacturing to support functions. Today, Six Sigma is widely used by many leading global organizations to drive customer satisfaction, continuous improvement and cost reduction initiatives. Through structured training, coaching/mentoring and on-the-job project work, Motorola has groomed literally thousands of “Black Belts” and “Green Belts” who implement Six Sigma methodologies within their organizations.

As the corporate change agent for Motorola, Motorola University is the most experienced organization in the world at implementing Six Sigma methodologies. The Office of Corporate and Community Services, as a business partner with Motorola University, provides local organizations the opportunity to tap into the resources, knowledge and expertise of Motorola and Motorola University as it relates to Six Sigma business improvement. The Office of Corporate and Community Services at Kent State Stark delivered a proven and cost-effective approach for supporting Mercy Medical Center’s Six Sigma implementation efforts.

Tom McCarty, vice president of consulting services at Motorola University and Motorola-certified Master Black Belt, facilitated the following sessions, which began in January 2004 and finished in April 2004.
Two days of consulting with Mercy Medical Center’s senior management team – “Leadership JumpStart”
One day of consulting with Mercy Medical Center’s mid-level management team – “Champion Training”
Four weeks of Black Belt training and certification for three candidates
One week of Green Belt training and certification for 12 candidates
After holding these sessions, the teams chose two projects to begin their Six Sigma initiative: 1) reducing turnaround time in diagnostic-related functions and 2) reducing throughput (patient processing) in the emergency department.

Since January 2004, the Black Belts and their teams have been diligently working on these projects. At the time this article was written, slightly less than five months have passed since the initial Six Sigma training session was held. As a result of critically reviewing the steps and processes in the emergency department — from patient arrival to discharge or admission into the hospital — the teams have implemented improvements to reduce waste. As of mid-July 2004, the emergency department throughput has improved 28 percent, equating to an average patient stay in the emergency department of 1.8 hours for less severe cases (compared to 2.5 hours in January). For more severe cases, throughput has improved 29 percent, down to 4 hours per patient visit (compared to 5.7 hours in January). This project alone – through five months – has put $145,278.60 to Mercy’s bottom line. A projected annual savings for this project in the emergency department is $358,784.00.

Mercy Medical Center was able to secure training grant monies through the State of Ohio Targeted Industries Training Grant — made available to Kent State Stark, an EnterpriseOhio Network campus. In addition to impacting the bottom line through savings as a result of these initial Six Sigma projects and future projects, Mercy Medical Center was able to manage the investment by receiving these grant funds.

Contact: Kelli Baxter, Director
The Office of Corporate and Community Services
330-244-3505

Return to top

 

Breining Mechanical Systems, Inc. Develops Strategic Plan with Support from Kent State University Stark Campus and Training Grant Program


Due to changing markets and a difficult economy, The Board of Directors of Breining Mechanical Systems, Inc. recognized a need to plan for the future growth of the business. They contacted the Program Manager of The Office of Corporate and Community Services at Kent State University Stark Campus to discuss ways to encourage all key stakeholders and employees to incorporate their new vision into Breining Mechanical Systems’ work environment.

In conjunction with Kent State Stark consultant, experienced in working with family businesses, Kent State Stark's program manager recommended a sixteen-hour Strategic Planning program designed to allow the owners to utilize the results in their day-to-day operations, while at the same time allowing the owners and directors to make the decisions necessary to drive future endeavors. Nine key stakeholders and owners participated in two, eight-hour sessions, which incorporated small group exercises to stimulate creativity, to clarify core values and the mission statement, to analyze the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and critical success factors and to create an action plan. The Program Manager at Kent State Stark utilized Targeted Industries Training Grant funding to subsidize this Strategic Planning program for Breining Mechanical Systems, Inc.

The organization’s initial reports indicate an increased energy level within the organization. The organization is committed to the goals, objectives and action plans outlined during the training, and have integrated accountability factors to check progress.

Contact: Kelli Baxter, Director
The Office of Corporate and Community Services
330-244-3505

Return to top

 

Kent State Stark Conducts Membership Survey and Facilitates Strategic Planning for Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce


Leaders of the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce decided to embark on a strategic planning initiative to consider questions of vision and mission upon which to base operating decisions. The chamber leaders met with professionals of The Office of Corporate and Community Services at Kent State University Stark Campus to explore an approach to such a project. Through consultation, the parties decided to consider conducting a research project and two strategic planning sessions.

Researchers of The Office of Corporate and Community Services reviewed comparable chamber surveys, and then designed and conducted a Web-based membership survey exploring members’ perceptions of, knowledge of and desired services from the Chamber.

Upon completion of the research, professionals of The Office of Corporate and Community Services provided a final written report, detailing the findings from the survey, and presented these findings to Chamber department heads and members of their Board of Directors.

In order to effectively shape the Chamber’s future, and equipped with the quantitative information from the research phase of the membership survey, professionals of The Office of Corporate and Community Services at Kent State Stark planned and facilitated two, half-day sessions of strategic planning with chamber staff members and the members of the Board of Directors. Participants reaffirmed the Chamber’s vision and mission and are developing action plans to reach identified strategic goals.

Contact: Kelli Baxter, Director
The Office of Corporate and Community Services
330-244-3505

Return to top

 

FedEx Custom Critical Focuses on Emotional Intelligence Competencies Awareness


FedEx Custom Critical contacted the professionals of The Office of Corporate and Community Services to discuss a need for consultation services. The FedEx professionals felt that The Office of Corporate and Community Services could offer objective consulting services to assist two associates with developing and enhancing competencies associated with emotional intelligence (EI).

Professionals in The Office of Corporate and Community Services identified a certified EI consultant with consultation and coaching experience for the eight hours of individual coaching. Each participant received consultation in the following areas:

  • an orientation and overview of EI
  • a 360° EI assessment
  • interpretation of the 360 assessment results
  • identification of competencies to target for improvement
  • individualized coaching for developmental action plans


Since going through the 360° assessment and coaching experience, the employees have demonstrated improvement in the targeted behaviors as evidenced and reported by their colleagues.

Contact: Kelli Baxter, Director
The Office of Corporate and Community Services
330-244-3505

Return to top

 

The Office of Corporate and Community Services Assesses Opinions Towards Working Environment at Stark County Department of Job and Family Services and Engages Employees in Long-Term Planning

With over 600 employees in three major divisions located at six separate locations, the Stark County Department of Job and Family Services leadership team recognized that a variety of attitudes and viewpoints existed among employees at all levels of the institution. An operational audit of one of the three main divisions included major recommendations for improvement. The director and assistant director contacted The Office of Corporate and Community Services for expertise about how to improve employees’ perceptions and attitudes towards their work.

The Office of Corporate and Community Services recommended that management gauge how employees in all divisions felt about how it is to work at the agency via an Organizational Cultural Assessment. Contracted to complete this research project, professionals in The Office of Corporate and Community Services conducted individual interviews with members of the executive team to identify the strategic direction of the agency and its key operational issues. Kent State Stark professionals integrated the information learned from the interviews to develop questions and facilitate focus groups to discover the general workplace issues on the minds of employees participating in the focus groups. After professionals of The Office if Corporate and Community Services summarized the anecdotal notes from the focus groups, they utilized the focus group findings to develop a written survey. The survey instrument contained 96 items addressing 10 key themes that surfaced during the focus group sessions. The Office of Corporate and Community Services compiled the results and made general recommendations for improving its organizational culture to the executive team.

One recommendation that emerged from the Organizational Cultural Assessment was to embark on a long-term planning process that embraced all employees of the agency.

The agency contacted professionals in The Office of Corporate and Community Services to design a strategic planning initiative with internal stakeholders only. To begin, Kent State Stark’s expert consultant developed and delivered a two-day strategic planning retreat for approximately 36 members of the management team. The team identified six strategic goals, which served as input to divisional operational retreats. The Office of Corporate and Community Services facilitated two, one-day retreats for the Human Services Division (45 people) and Child Support Division (15 people). Each division developed an action plan to reach strategic goals.

The Office of Corporate and Community Services continues to support the agency with implementing it strategic plan. Acting as project manager, The Office of Corporate and Community Services consults with the consultant/consultant and the client regarding the various facilitation, consultation and training initiatives that will assist the agency in reaching its strategic goals. Professionals at Kent State Stark began supporting the implementation of the strategic plan by designing and delivering a one-day seminar to introduce the approximately 135 non-bargaining unit employees to team concepts and to provide an update on the status of the strategic plan. Kent State Stark professionals continue to consult with executive management, provide training and facilitate committee meetings.

Contact: Kelli Baxter, Director
The Office of Corporate and Community Services
330-244-3505

Return to top

 

The Office of Corporate and Community Services Provides Coaching for Heinz Frozen Food Company Managers

As a result of the positive impact and success of the Emotional Intelligence and Myers Briggs® personality assessments and training provided by The Office of Corporate and Community Services for Heinz Frozen Food Company management employees, Heinz contacted the office for a second time to provide one-on-one coaching to further develop the management staff’s leadership skills.

The Kent State Stark professionals asked team members to select one or two Emotional Intelligence competencies that they would like to improve upon. Kent State Stark professionals then developed a customized, 30-hour program implementing a coaching-based mentorship approach, spanning a six-month period. The program manager at Kent State Stark incorporated flexibility into the Emotional Intelligence Consultation contract and Kent State Stark’s consultant provided face-to-face consultation, telephone coaching and consulting through E-mail dialog. Kent State Stark’s consultant helped managers develop their personalized development plans that highlight specific methods for developing the targeted competencies.

As a result of the coaching, each participant is able to enhance their leadership styles and skills, while also sharing successful techniques with team members.

Contact: Kelli Baxter, Director
The Office of Corporate and Community Services
330-244-3505

Return to top

 

Pilot Project Reduces Overtime and Call-Offs at Heartland Behavioral Healthcare in Massillon

The assistant CEO at Heartland Behavioral Healthcare, one of Ohio’s nine state mental hospitals, contacted professionals of The Office of Corporate and Community Services at Kent State Stark to design a plan to introduce the concept of “self-scheduling” within Heartland Behavioral Healthcare. At that time the hospital’s central nursing office determined work schedules for staff within all the units in the facility. The hospital was experiencing high levels of sick leave usage, call-offs and overtime that management believed could be greatly reduced by giving staff more control over their work schedules.

Kent State Stark’s program manager and consultant worked first with management to define the scope of the project. The program manager then worked with the labor-management committee to identify the project objectives and deliverables, and to select a pilot unit to begin the process with expert facilitation provided by Kent State Stark’s consultant, the pilot team initiated a successful self-scheduling process. Within seven months, most of the hospital’s units were utilizing self-scheduling.

This consulting project was quite a success. Initial results indicate that the key performance indicators mentioned above are improving. In fact, as a result of the positive impacts of this project, Heartland again contracted with The Office of Corporate and Community Services for a 37-hour continuation contract to assist with integrating the self-scheduling concept into additional units in the hospital.

What began as a typical consulting project provided by The Office of Corporate and Community Services has become an initiative with statewide impact. Again, as a result of the positive impact of Kent State Stark’s program, the labor relation’s administrator for the Ohio Department of Mental Health contacted The Office of Corporate and Community Services to develop a program and assist the remaining eight state mental hospitals to implement the self-scheduling concept.

Contact: Kelli Baxter, Director
The Office of Corporate and Community Services
330-244-3505

Return to top

 

The Office of Corporate and Community Services Consults with Stark County Department of Job and Family Services to Enhance Human Resource Management Practices

Created from the merger of the Bureau of Employment Services and the Department of Human Services, the Stark County Department of Job and Family Services (SCDJFS) leadership team felt a need to respond to changing attitudes and viewpoints of employees at all levels of the institution. An operational audit confirmed the need for improvement. The assistant director of SCDJFS contacted The Office of Corporate and Community Services to create a plan to address various organizational and employee concerns.

The Office of Corporate and Community Services recommended that management gauge how employees in all divisions felt about employment within the agency via an Organization Cultural Assessment. SCDJFS contracted The Office of Corporate and Community Services to compile such an assessment with methodologies including focus groups, interviews and written surveys.

One of the two recommendations that emerged from this organization cultural assessment conducted by The Office of Corporate and Community Services at Kent State Stark was to enhance human resource management practices, specifically the hiring process. The agency contacted professionals in The Office of Corporate and Community Services to coordinate consultation services and training on this topic. Based on dialogue from the planning meetings with key human resources staff, professionals in The Office of Corporate and Community Services suggested a project involving observation, interviewing, facilitation of competency identification and re-alignment of the human resources department to the agency’s strategic needs and objectives. Management and The Office of Corporate and Community Services professionals agreed that developing a plan to address human resource practices would require a commitment to an ongoing process of discovery, evaluation, planning, restructuring and training.

The Kent State Stark consultant interviewed the human resources staff and a diverse cross-section of employees to identify perceived strengths and weaknesses of HR practices and procedures. The Kent State Stark consultant observed key HR staff as they performed their daily duties.

Contact: Kelli Baxter, Director
The Office of Corporate and Community Services
330-244-3505

Return to top

 

Kent State Stark Launches Strategic Planning at Powell Electrical Manufacturing Company During Period of Rapid Growth

Responding to The Office of Corporate and Community Services’ corporate university catalog, the quality assurance manager of Powell Electrical Manufacturing Company contacted one of the program managers in The Office of Corporate and Community Services to meet with company representatives about the capabilities of the office. The general manager recognized that the organization’s management team needed to meet off site in order to plan for the future of the company. After identifying the critical issues and understanding the driving forces, the program manager recommended an approach to strategic planning that fit the company’s culture.

Professionals in The Office of Corporate and Community Services designed a one-day strategic planning workshop that capitalized on the management style of the general manager and the dynamics of the management team. Upon conclusion of the facilitated session, comments made by team members indicated that the Kent State Stark consultant made it easy to contribute to the process and that open dialogue occurred. Each member of the management team was assigned to a task force that will address plans to achieve identified strategic goals and objectives in the near future.

Contact: Kelli Baxter, Director
The Office of Corporate and Community Services
330-244-3505

Return to top

 

The Office of Corporate and Community Services Provides Team Facilitation Training, Consulting and Research Services to The Stark County District Library

Professionals of The Office of Corporate and Community Services at Kent State Stark met with the new director of the Stark County District Library to discuss plans to prepare the organization, community and employees for the library’s future. With cuts to its budget and changes needing to take place, the library director wanted to seek involvement and input from the library’s employees as the library prepared for strategic planning. As part of this process, he recognized a need to enhance the library’s managers’ facilitation and team building skills. He also sought assistance in gathering data and leading the board and employees through facilitated discussions for planning and strategizing the library’s future.

The Kent State Stark program manager developed a two-phase project, which began with Team Facilitation training. Kent State Stark professionals developed and delivered a 16-hour, Team Facilitation Training Program for 20 managers, board managers and union members. The Kent State Stark consultant introduced techniques the library team needed to facilitate discussion and gain valuable input from all employees.

In phase two of the project, Kent State Stark professionals led focus group discussions with four stakeholder groups in the community. Kent State Stark reported the focus group findings, and provided input for an online survey of library patrons. The research staff at Kent State Stark will present the findings from this phase, once completed, to the library. Additionally, Kent State Stark professionals are facilitating the library’s Steering Group through visioning, values and SWOT analysis sessions as the library begins a strategic planning process.

Contact: Kelli Baxter, Director
The Office of Corporate and Community Services
330-244-3505

Return to top