Systemic Change

Systemic ChangeConsider the following scenarios: a foreign government with a need to reform and reorganize laws and institutions to promote increased trade and investment; a Native American tribal health consortium in need of modernizing its model for providing services; a large Federal agency in need of creating a unified system for addressing workplace concerns; or a major corporation confronted with the need to reorganize to remain competitive. What is common to each of these scenarios is the need to address the fundamental systemic components underlying the organization’s leadership development, culture, behaviors, attitudes and patterns of communication and, then, to consider the impact on all the stakeholders, including senior leadership, employees, customers and constituents.

How CSR Can Help? CSR has the experience, skills, and tools to facilitate systemic and organizational change in an efficient and effective manner. CSR recognizes that an organization’s efforts to produce thoroughgoing change are often unsuccessful because insufficient attention is paid to the process of change management, especially the failure to address the human side of systemic change. CSR specializes in assisting corporations, NGOs, other institutions, and government agencies make successful transitions through challenging times and difficult circumstances by addressing the relationship and process components of such programs. Our approach blends leadership training, organizational development, conflict resolution, coaching and training/education.

Sample Projects:

  • U.S. Department of Interior. CSR facilitated a Departmental wide review and restructuring of its entire ADR function. Including facilitating the work of a design team tasked with developing a comprehensive, integrated dispute systems design for workplace disputes.
  • Court Services and Offender Services Agency. CSR served as co-architects in the creation of an internal mediation system, and co-facilitators of the design and implementation strategy for the system.
  • Internal Revenue Service, Center for Conflict Management. A CSR Partner served as the chief consultant/facilitator for the Center for Conflict Management at the IRS between 1994-1999. The Center trained over 8,000 employees in conflict management techniques and won the Commissioner’s Award for Excellence.
  • Transportation Security Administration (TSA). CSR has worked with Salisbury University to visit 20 airports around the country in 2009 and 2010 to assess and evaluate the TSA’s ICMS (Integrated Conflict Management System). TSA is one of the leaders in dispute systems design for government agencies (2009-2010)
  • US Air Force/Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution. CSR conducted an assessment and made recommendations for streamlining the process for privatization of housing on Air Force bases nationwide. The study examined how the privatization process worked to date, the kinds of issues that arise between parties, and how formalized partnering processes may assist all parties to ensure smooth transitions in 22 bases scheduled for privatization (2009 – 2010)
  • Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium comprehensive leadership development and culture change initiative for the largest native owned tribal health care consortium, a nearly billion dollar organization charged with providing health care, water and sanitation services to native Alaskans. This effort involves comprehensive leadership training and development, facilitation, executive coaching, team development and culture change efforts (2006 – ongoing).
  • US Department of Interior, Office of Surface Mining: Employee Satisfaction Survey: In response to a federal survey in which this agency dropped significantly in employee satisfaction, CSR was asked to facilitate several focus groups to determine the root causes of the problem and then to provide recommendations on how the agency can address the underlying causes and improve employee satisfaction. This involves working extensively with the leadership team to address leadership issues and the ways in which complaints are managed. The project is now moving into its implementation stage (2007-2008).