Services
Trained in organizational change, Dr. McDermott helps
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- designing knowledge work processes
- planning and launching communities of practice
- assessing community health
- identifying and sharing best practices
- organizational change
- community awareness – for managers and supervisors
- community leadership
- virtual collaboration
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Dr. McDermott partners with clients to design, plan and
implement four elements of the knowledge organizations:
Designing knowledge work processes
Because Dr. McDermott has experience in organizational design, quality improvement for service organizations, knowledge management, and organizational change, he brings a unique mix of skills to the task of designing knowledge work processes. Working with senior managers and/or a cross-section of the organization, Dr. McDermott has guided many companies in developing and implementing a comprehensive redesign of core work processes, roles, layout and organizational structure. His approach to knowledge work process design balances streamlining knowledge work, standardizing processes, and developing best practices, with creating opportunities for thinking, reflection and innovation. At the US Exploration and Production Division of an oil company, Dr. McDermott guided a team in redesigning the structure of the organization, determining process steps, knowledge flow, roles, how to preserve competitive data, how to share insights across organizational units, and how to insure effective career development in a project-focused organization. See Articles: How Learning Communities Steward Knowledge. At a computer manufacturing company, Dr. McDermott guided a team in designing the manufacturing facility for the first launch of new products. He helped the team design the structure of the factory, the layout of the factory floor, roles and the method for operators and engineers to collaborate on tracking, solving, and implementing solutions to manufacturing problems on all lines and shifts. Because quick problem-solving was critical to the success of this product, the company developed a factory designed as much around the flow of knowledge as the flow of materials. Dr. McDermott guided similar major knowledge work process design projects for a large medical office, the sales managers for a consumer goods company, a division of a computer manufacturer, a call center, and the distribution center of a consumer goods company. All involved redesigning core work processes around the flow of knowledge. Developing communities of practice Since he has helped launch, assess and sustain hundreds of communities in a wide variety of companies, Dr. McDermott is one of the world’s leading practitioners in community development, as well as one of the leading theorists. At a major oil company’s International Exploration and Production Division, Dr. McDermott guided the internal team that developed their first global communities of practice. Dr. McDermott helped the team identify topics for the communities and build alignment among the 20 Operating Companies involved. He developed a model for the structure of the communities, roles, activities, and technology. Dr. McDermott designed and led launch workshops for the three pilot global communities and worked with the team supporting community leaders in keeping the newly-formed communities together. Dr. McDermott has guided many other companies in starting and sustaining communities of practice in the telecommunications, pharmaceutical, professional services, and computer industries. He has also advised a number of non-profits on community development, including a consortium of 45 nursing associations interested in improving the quality of hospital palliative care. See articles: Global Knowledge: How Shell Developed Global Knowledge Communities. Sustaining Change with Communities of Practice. Assessing community health Recently, several companies have engaged Dr. McDermott to assess the health of their communities and recommend ways the company could strengthen them. This assessment has led to the termination of some of the less successful communities, strengthening others, and integrating communities better into the organization. Working with the knowledge management team at a leading pharmaceutical company, Dr. McDermott interviewed leaders and core members of a cross-section of communities and developed a set of recommendations on how community leaders and the knowledge management team could strengthen the communities. In addition, he advised senior management on what the organization could do to improve the vitality, value and integration of communities. Dr. McDermott has performed similar assessments for companies in professional services, defense, oil, and telecommunications. See Articles. How to Avoid a Mid-Life Crisis In Your Communities. Identify and share best practices Identifying and sharing best practices in complex knowledge work involves much more than documenting and publishing good work processes. It involves finding the real activities involved in a best practice and understanding specifically how they are different from poorer practices. Working with a small team at a professional services firm, Dr. McDermott developed a survey that assessed 13 element of project management at local offices. Using the results of that survey as well as information on cost overruns, Dr. McDermott interviewed project managers at the best and worst performing offices to identify the specific practices that distinguished them. Dr. McDermott, the team and the office staff developed a method to transfer the best practices to other offices. Dr. McDermott has worked with other companies in consulting and telecommunications on similar best practice transfer approaches. Organizational change Whenever he advises companies on starting communities, redesigning knowledge work, executing best practices, or implementing a knowledge management strategy, Dr. McDermott helps the companies implement the recommendations. He focuses more on actually implementing a few simple real changes than developing “grand” designs. At a computer company Dr. McDermott helped a manufacturing division execute a set of organizational design recommendation it had previously developed. This involved aligning many stakeholders with the change, coaching senior managers, helping operators voice their concerns, following-up on implementation actions, and developing internal accountability for the change. Dr. McDermott has helped implement a set of recommended changes at oil exploration divisions, call centers, research labs, a distribution center, sales divisions, and a community action agency. When consulting on community start-up, knowledge work processes redesign, and community health assessments Dr. McDermott guides his clients on the process of change. See Articles: How Learning Communities Steward Knowledge, Campaigning For Change |
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Community leadership
Dr. McDermott provides customized training for community leaders in the special skills community leadership requires. This training typically covers topics such as networking, working virtually, identifying and connecting pockets of knowledge, increasing community participation, and influencing without authority. Dr. McDermott typically collaborates with an internal knowledge management team to customize and co-deliver the training. He also typically trains the internal staff in the background they need to deliver the training themselves. Dr. McDermott has personally trained hundreds of community leaders in professional services, oil, and pharmaceutical industries. Community awareness Dr. McDermott frequently leads customized workshops for senior managers in which he describes the nature of communities, how they contribute value, how they interact with other organizational elements and what it takes to support them. This typically also involves a discussion of how communities can operate in their organization. Dr. McDermott has conducted management awareness workshops at major oil companies, international banks, professional service organizations, telecommunications companies, high-tech companies as well as delivering master classes on community development throughout the world. |
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Shell Oil Company, Hewlett-Packard, Ericsson, ExxonMobil,
Agilent Technologies, Pfizer, Schlumberger, Celestica, The World Bank, Ben &
Jerry's, General Motors, Digital Equipment Corporation, General Electric, New
England Telephone, Albany International, Pediatric Associates of Fairfield,
Local Initiative Support Corporation, Conservation International, and Advanced
Signing.
712 Allen Drive, Longmont, Colorado 80503 USA phone/fax 303-545-6030 e-mail Richard@McDermottConsulting.com |