Case Study #1: Chemistry Meets Diversity

Client: A mid-sized chemical manufacturer, subsidiary of a large multi-national corporation

Business Issue: Riverside Communications was retained to develop a diversity program to address the issues around attraction and retention of women engineers and managers.

The Work: After conducting a dozen focus groups across all levels of the organization, we created and, for one year, coached a self-directed employee team around the issue of diversity. In doing the work, we discovered that what the company really needed was a Work-Life initiative, which we also created, including:

• written procedures so that new practices could be implemented consistently by all managers
• a newsletter, which went to all employees - including some at the parent company - and key clients, which kept the broad topic of diversity and work-life issues top of mind
• facilitation of several group meetings among top management to introduce and explain the new programs and processes
• training and coaching around diversity issues.

Results: As a successful self-directed team, people inside the organization became committed to shepherding and maintaining the program. Communications about diversity and work-life balance were open and frequent and flowed from the top down. Managers began to see the importance of adapting to the talents that were inside the firm and learned to apply the new practices willingly and consistently across the board. The follow-up research that we conducted showed a significant improvement in morale. The women engineers felt greater respect for their contributions. And second shift workers - who, for the first time, were included in any data-gathering process - felt honored for their ability to provide input and contribute.

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Case Study #2: Winning Hearts and Minds

Client: Major regional HMO and Health Plan

Business Issue: Senior management was looking to engage the rank and file in the growth and change process as the company was gearing up for a major expansion.

The Work: Riverside Communications conducted 10 focus groups among major segments of the organization - RNs, Pharmtechs, MedTechs, LPNs, and OT/PT staff - those employees who could be most affected by the growth initiative. By assessing their needs and observations about work conditions, we were able to elicit information about competitive issues, benefits, scheduling, and areas of organizational vulnerability.

Results: These groups provided valuable information to management about working conditions and where the organization fell short vis a vis competition and general trends in the industry. By talking to employees, we were able to engage them in the growth process while providing management with valuable information that improved work life at the HMO and better supported ongoing expansion activities.

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Case Study #3: Answering the Call of the Not-for-Profit Board

Client: The Board of Trustees of an historic not-for-profit institution

Business Issue: The volunteer Board of this 200-year-old institution engaged Riverside Communications to facilitate a day-long retreat to focus on short-term issues. First and foremost was the recent departure of the organization's only employee and the need to replace him. Second was to discuss committee goals and create board processes to ensure a smooth transition once a replacement was hired.

The Work: After meeting with the Board president, we conducted several one-on-one interviews with past presidents to learn about the strengths and weaknesses of the organization from their perspectives. This information gave us good direction for planning the retreat. We designed the retreat and facilitated the day-long brainstorming and discussion exercises. We then provided the Board with a comprehensive report, which included:

• the outline of a strategic plan for moving forward,
• a detailed job description and questions to use in the interviewing process
• an outline for handling potentially contentious issues at the upcoming annual meeting
• recommendations from our observations about action steps and strengths of the board talent, and a
• a full accounting of the brainstorming notes and verbatims from the discussions.

Results: The Board of Trustees is now a highly empowered group of individuals who have come to appreciate and respect the talents that each brings to the venture. The Board has taken back the search process and has a document that will be invaluable in the interviewing process and in weeding out exactly what kind of candidate they need. Furthermore, the Board now has a plan in hand that will enable them to move forward as an up-to-date, relevant institution that better meets the needs of its constituency.

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Case Study #4: Research: A Cautionary Tale

Client: Government contractor

Business Issue: The organization had just experienced a merger with another major government contractor, whose corporate culture was very different from its own. Conflicts arose as the teams tried to work together and work styles and visions collided.

The Work: Riverside Communications first met with top management, conducting one-on-one interviews to assess the cultural differences and identify key issues. We then met with six teams in focus group settings, three from production/operations and three from R&D. The purpose of our work was to gather information and impressions from these PhD scientists about a variety of topics:

• how they saw the organization performing,
• levels of productivity
• areas of conflict, and
• opportunities for improvement.

Results: The groups provided a wealth of information that was passed on to management, including the beginnings of a communications plan and suggestions for conflict resolution. Unfortunately, this was a case of management doing the right thing, but failing to follow through. We provided a number of ways that the information could be communicated and used, but management decided to ignore the results, further exacerbating existing problems.

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