Client Spotlights

A National Conservation Federation
Conservationists, Conflict and Adaptive Leadership™: Charting a path to the future is incredibly difficult for a national conservation federation that must address the deeply held and often conflicting views of both sportsmen and environmentalists. Read More

CARE International
CARE shifts its focus from packages to poverty: The work of this respected international humanitarian organization is so well known that the phrase "CARE package" has entered the international vocabulary. But for CARE, this isn't enough. Several years ago, CARE reevaluated its mission and is impact and made the decision to shift from delivering emergency relief to attacking the underlying causes of global poverty. It found itself dealing with the kind of far-reaching adaptive challenge that can derail an organization. Adaptive Leadership™, however has helped CARE stay on track and move forward. Read More

Council of Chief State School Officers
Adaptive Leadership™ and public education: Educating America's children is as challenging as it is critical a proposition. As those at the highest levels of responsibility for public education seek ways to break down tough and entrenched barriers to progress, Adaptive Leadership™ is proving to be an effective tool in clarifying issues and building support networks. Read More

Giant Retailer
A giant retailer breaks through barriers to growth: What happens when a large company realizes its hierarchal structure is blocking growth? If the number of people making decisions isn’t growing with the company, future success may be jeopardized. This was the situation facing a large, international retailer with 30,000+ employees, 100 stores and a management culture that inhibited teamwork, individual leadership and, ultimately, the company’s growth. Read More

National, Religion-Specific Umbrella Organization
Adapting to new realities while preserving core values: The challenge for a national, religion-specific umbrella organization is a daunting one: preparing the next generation of community leadership for a world in which the expectations of donors and beneficiaries are rapidly changing, and fundamental purposes are the subject of active debate. It is compounded by the number, diversity and autonomy of its members-156 local fundraising and service-providing federations and 360 independent communities across North America. Read More

Nationwide Retailer
A nationwide retailer builds capacity for innovation: What separates one major retail chain from another? In the case of one nationwide company with hundreds of stores across the U.S., it may soon be the growing ability of line employees to solve problems, improve service and generate suggestions for operating more efficiently. When the retailer first came to CLA, its issue was... Read More

Parent to Parent
Building parents' capacity to advocate for change: Being the parent of a child with disabilities is difficult enough. It takes tremendous time and energy just to promote their health and create a comfortable, supportive environment for them. How can parents find time to advocate for change in the systems that affect their kids? Where is the best place to intervene? How can parents work together to support their children's future, and that of other kids to follow? How can one generation of parents, once engaged and skilled at advocacy work, pass the mantle to the next generation? Read More

SpotCo
Creating a leadership culture jump-starts growth: SpotCo, one of New York’s hottest boutique ad agencies, had hit a roadblock. Seat-of-the-pants management, which worked when SpotCo had a handful of employees, became splintered as the company grew to 40-plus employees. Structure, leadership development and soul-searching were needed to guide SpotCo and its owner through the adaptive transition. Read More

Telephone Utility
When business and social values come face to face: It's not easy being a telephone utility in a rapidly changing world, and it is especially difficult in a country where social goals intersect daily with political and business realities. This is certainly true for the national telecommunications arm of one developing nation. On top of the significant technical issues... Read More

- Council of Chief State School Officers