In 1998, Ilene Wasserman Ph.D, founded ICW Consulting Group in an effort to bring together a collection of seasoned consultants from various backgrounds and expertise to serve clients, expand theory and practice, and mentor the next generation. Today, the professionals of ICW Consulting Group remain thought leaders in the field of organizational development, leadership, team development, and strategic process. Some highlights of ICW’s storied history are as follows:
Business Process Improvement Through Culture Change
ICW’s first major, multi-year project launched in 1998, when ICW worked collaboratively with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters to facilitate a system-wide Appreciative Inquiry. ICW’s work with Bob Stiller became foundational in the Appreciative Inquiry literature and practice.
Making the Mission Possible Through High Engagement Culture Change and Strategic Planning
Among countless other clients ICW has served since 1998 is the Lehigh Valley Health Network. ICW was asked to support LVHN in a strategic planning process that also addressed morale and culture improvement. ICW applied the SOAR approach informed by Appreciative Inquiry to look at what people do to make the mission possible. This process involved interviews among stakeholders, across silos of positions, rank, and identity, and culminated with a synthesis that included 1000 participants identifying together what principles and practices make the organization’s mission possible.
Empowering Teams In Crisis Communication
ICW was also invited by the Red Cross Blood Services Division to respond to misunderstandings in communication that disrupted of intergroup collaboration. Through a series of multi-day sessions and other supported conversations, collaborations across personal, positional including union/non-union and systems-level differences strengthened.
Additionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, ICW adapted to working virtually. One of our many clients was Friends of the Wissahickon. Their goal was to foster a welcoming culture that prioritized safety and effectively connected the community with vast hiking trail networks. This program continues to thrive today.
An ongoing collaboration with the Advanced Management Program (AMP) at the Wharton School, in which Ilene Wasserman has worked as lead coach with an exceptional delivery team of learning directors and faculty and staff to design and lead an executive leadership coaching programming , remains one of Ilene’s greatest pleasures.
In almost 30 years of existence, ICW has made impacts with organizations across the United States, demonstrating time and again their shared commitment to excellence. The consultants at ICW look forward to a future that continues to be filled with meaningful relationships that create meaningful change.
ICW and its team of consultants support organizations as they build supportive workplace cultures where all are engaged, complex identities are respected, and unique contributions are valued.
We work with individuals, teams, businesses, institutions, and communities to assess, re-align, and strengthen the systems, processes, and relationships inherent to organizational culture and success. In order to do this to the best of our ability, we bring together a unique subset of our team based on your unique needs and interests.
When you work with ICW, you are collaborating with leaders in organizational development to leverage the many skills and experiences already present within your team. Through our work together, your team members will feel more supported and invested in their work, and your organization will be better equipped to address new challenges and opportunities as they arise.
Our relationship with and service to our clients is our top priority. We acknowledge each client’s needs, realities, and projects are unique. Therefore, we collaborate with each client to assess and build off of their strengths and assets, even as we note their growing edges, clarify their goals, and develop the roadmaps they need to achieve their vision.
We view organizational challenges as opportunities to strengthen relationships among team members and center their rich and complex stories, experiences, and understandings each person brings to the table. We believe making room for each other’s stories is essential to effective workplace strategy and honest, courageous workplace communication.
Our work is rooted in observation, experience, research, and practice. Not only do we model the very methods we offer, but ICW consultants are also active in the scholarship and practice of Organizational Design and Development and Team Dynamics. Our team consistently engages in innovative research, publication, and presenting our work to other professionals in the field.
Behaviors and practices are typically embedded in organizational structures and group dynamics. Therefore, we take a systems perspective in all of our work. Regardless of the level we are invited into (individual, interpersonal, institutional, etc), we view the culture of an organization as an ever-emerging story and center systems-level culture shifts in our interventions and offerings.
Focus on Collaboration – Working with clients to activate their imagination, leverage their existing strengths, and identify what they aim to achieve.
Honor What Exists – Acknowledging what is working within the organization and inviting clients to build on those successes in new and creative ways.
Communicate the Organization’s Culture – Assessing each client’s current culture, noting the explicit and implicit cues that maintain that culture, and exploring new ways to create and express the hoped for cultural changes.
Leverage Complexity – Encouraging clients to develop a culture that views authentic differences as core to doing good work and unleashing a team’s creativity.
Re-Imagine Possibilities – Inviting all stakeholders within and outside the organization to re-imagine the future and determine how to get there.
Customize Action Strategies – Co-creating a roadmap with the client and outlining the specific concrete steps needed to achieve the new vision.