A note from David Harkins – April 2021
April 20, 2021 2021-04-21 16:10A note from David Harkins – April 2021
David Harkins As I was finishing my master’s program in 2018, I decided to return to consulting full-time to have a little more flexibility in my schedule. My work then was a continuation of the work I had been doing both part-time and full-time since 1995 — business and marketing strategy, technology implementation, and brand licensing program design, much of which was in the nonprofit sector.
Exploring doctoral programs in early 2019, I stumbled upon a new AACSB-accredited Doctorate in Organization Development and Change program at Bowling Green State University. Exploring the program, I felt like I had found my calling. It seems that for more than two decades, I have been doing the work of Organization Development and Change without knowing it.
I’m now heading into the home stretch of my doctoral program and will soon be working on my dissertation research with an eye toward completion in the summer of 2022.
Since beginning my doctoral studies, my work and research have focused on strategic change, culture, and leadership in nonprofit organizations. Along the way, my interests have shifted a little, too. I still have a passion for nonprofit business strategy, technology, and licensing, yet I more clearly these functions through the lens of an organization’s leadership, culture, and systems.
With my new learning and desire to focus on the nonprofit sector and client interest in our work growing, I’ve decided to make a few changes so that David Harkins Company, LLC might be better positioned to guide executives through complex challenges and wicked problems affecting social impact and engagement.
Take a look at what we’ve been up to since January 2021.
Our services are expanding.
The needs of the nonprofit sector have never been greater, and recognizing this, earlier this year, I refocused my work to help executives tackle complex and wicked problems and remove the barriers that impede social impact and engagement.
I have also expanded our consulting practice to support these challenges. Our core offerings now consist of support for strategic change, organization culture, leadership development and coaching, and earned revenue programs (under which our work in brand and trademark licensing continues). I’ve also added facilitation services for positive change and community impact as a way to help have a more direct impact on the world.
Our team is growing, too.
As the demand for and need to support change in the world grows, our clients are asking for more than I alone can support. To help meet these growing needs, I have expanded our management and delivery team earlier in 2021.
Jennifer Tuttle Harkins joined the firm as a partner, facilitator, and transformative feminine leadership coach. Her coaching work focuses exclusively on feminine empowerment and leadership development for women. Jennifer holds both undergraduate and graduate degrees in business from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has a wealth of expertise in business operations, finance, and accounting.
Brandon Rogers joined the team as an Executive Consultant. He is a management consultant and integrated scholar-practitioner in the area of Organization Development and Change. Brandon has significant expertise in cyber organizational transformation, software requirements engineering, strategic business planning, and technology implementation. He is also certified as an Executive Coach, Everything DiSC facilitator, Agile Practitioner, and Project Management Professional. Brandon holds degrees in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Positive Organizational Development, and Change, and is working on a Doctorate in Organization Development and Change program.
We are in the process of adding two more Executive Consultants to support ongoing requests for support in talent development and learning development and design.
Recent publications.
Brandon and I are two co-authors of COVID-19 and OD: Unplanned disruption and the opportunity for planned talent development, which is being published later in the month in the Organization Development Review, 53(2).
In the article, we consider how changes in work environments affect employees and organization performance. We also examine how recruitment, training, onboarding, and developing talent present complex challenges that must be addressed for sustainability, and we consider how talent development principles can enhance OD practices. Finally, we offer perspectives on employing OD principles and practices to facilitate workforce changes to maximize productivity and performance.
If you would like a copy of it, drop me an email, and I’ll send it for your review. Or click here to review and download a copy.
That’s a lot of change this year for me! And this is just the beginning.
The one thing that the COVID-19 pandemic has driven home is that disruption is always on the horizon, and change is inevitable. It’s best to be prepared and proactive; to create a planned course of action for the future. I’ve learned that planned change improves the probability of success; reactive change, not so much.
How about you: Where do you fall on the proactive-reactive spectrum?
That’s all for now. Reach out if you have any questions.
All the best,
