Consulting Services

The Office of Human Resources & Inclusive Community is proud to offer the following consulting services from our People Development team. Expand items in the list below to learn more.

• Professional Development Consulting

  We provide high-touch consulting, offer a needs assessment, and work with you to design and deliver a custom program.

• One-on-One Coaching

  We offer two types of one-on-one coaching — a coaching program designed to set and achieve specific professional objectives, and "just-in-time" coaching, which is more open ended.

  Coaching Program

  The coaching program is available for staff and faculty who want to improve their skills, awareness, and/or behavior in the workplace. This involves establishing specific, supervisor-approved performance objectives, which drive the bulk of the coaching. Typical coaching programs involve two sessions per month for three months.

  
  Just-in-Time Coaching

  Just-in-time coaching is available to staff and faculty for the purposes of working through issues or concerns, or simply seeking guidance. This typically involves one or two sessions and does not require defined objectives or supervisory approval.

• Executive Coaching

  Executive coaching involves building a professional relationship between a trained coach and a client in a leadership position, with the goal of enhancing the client's leadership or management performance and development. Through a process of inquiry, dialogue, and other tools, the coach serves as a thought partner to help the client examine and develop decision-making and management abilities, experiment with new ways of thinking and being, and commit to action steps that help achieve the client's goals.

• Mediation and Facilitated Conversations

  Mediation is a process in which two or more individuals meet voluntarily with a neutral third-party mediator to engage in a facilitated conversation focused on addressing and resolving issues preventing them from effectively working together.

  
  What Is a Facilitated Conversation?

  A facilitated conversation is a structured conversation, moderated by a neutral third-party mediator, between two or more participants involved in a conflict, disagreement, or misunderstanding, or who are simply having difficulty communicating and working through issues together. Because these conversations serve as a first step toward conflict resolution, it is not unusual for participants to feel uncomfortable with the initial experience. This is why we often recommend a second facilitated conversation, as well as one-on-one coaching, throughout the process.

  Facilitated conversations can be used to:

  • Share thoughts, feelings, and perspectives in a private and safe space
  • Work toward mutual understanding of each other's opinions and beliefs
  • Identify areas of common ground and make decisions about how differences of opinion could be managed
  • Explore the possibility of reaching mutually agreeable solutions*

  Facilitated conversations cannot be used to:

  • Resolve performance management disputes between managers and employees
  • Prove the fault of another participant
  • Disrespect or disparage another participant

  *While agreements can be reached, they are not central to the facilitated conversation process.

  
  How Does the Mediation Process Work?

  The steps below provide a general outline of the typical mediation process.

  • Once all parties have agreed to participate, we will first conduct one-on-one coaching sessions in order to better understand the issue(s), explain the process, and prepare for the facilitated conversation.
  • The facilitated conversation itself will begin with a brief review of participant expectations and the establishment of ground rules.
  • Participants then have the opportunity to share their concern(s) and, with the help of the mediator, participate in a dialogue to reach a greater understanding and potential resolution.
  • If participants are able to reach a formal agreement, the mediator will assist in drafting it.*
  • If further coaching or conversation is deemed necessary, the mediator will help schedule future meetings.

  *While agreements can be reached, they are not central to the facilitated conversation process.

  
  Request Mediation or Get More Information

  To request mediation or simply learn more about the process, contact Ken Pinnock, Director of People Development, at 303-871-7511 or Ken.Pinnock@du.edu.

• Team Building

  Team building is a highly customizable process for constructing and strengthening teams and workgroups. Low-impact team building is light and fun, helping group members get to know each other better. Medium-impact team building focuses on improving group cohesion and communication. High-impact team building instills a deeper level of trust, open communication, conflict resolution, and feedback sharing among group members.

  Before scheduling team building events, we prefer to do an initial team assessment in order to better customize the team building design and activities. We find that participants are more open to the concept of team building when they can meet the facilitator(s) beforehand and have the opportunity for input.

  Contact your HR Partner for a consultation.

• Manager-360

  Manager-360 is a powerful free assessment tool with an important purpose — to harness the power of multi-faceted perspectives in identifying strengths and weaknesses and developing performance among managers.

  Managers have a unique and often limited perspective when it comes to their employees. Manager-360 assessments give managers the ability to gain insight into their strengths and potential growth areas from the people who work most closely with them (including their own managers, peers, and subordinates).

  Guided by one-on-one coaching sessions throughout the assessment process, managers use the insight they gain through feedback to develop an action plan for enhancing their managerial performance.

  For more information, download the Manager-360 program guide at the link below, or contact Ken Pinnock, Director of People Development, at 303-871-7511 or Ken.Pinnock@du.edu.

  Program Guide

• Change Management Consulting

  Change management coaching and consulting is available to DU staff and faculty facing a major change in their divisions or departments. Changes in processes, systems, technology, and people require that roles, jobs, and working relationships be structured and performed differently. To enable and sustain lasting change, both the change itself and the transition (psychological acceptance) need to be addressed to ensure success.

  To request change management consulting or simply learn more, contact your HR Partner.

• Workforce Planning Consulting

  Workforce planning consulting is the process of identifying the core strategy of a division or department, and aligning the talent needed to achieve its goals and objectives. The result is an engaged, committed, and productive workforce that yields measurable outcomes and impacts.

  To request workforce planning consulting or simply learn more, contact your HR Partner.