Signature Services
Catalyst’s Advisory Services group provides products and services that respond to global client needs and requests. This range of signature services is described below, along with a sampling of client projects that illustrate how we support clients’ efforts to encourage greater diversity in their organizations.
Diagnosis
This signature service guides clients moving from data to synthesis to strategy. In Diagnostic Day working sessions, we help you review your organization’s quantitative and qualitative workforce data, suggest additional analyses, and review existing policies and practices. Targeted Assessments involve intensive qualitative data-gathering that culminates in a presentation of high-level findings sufficiently textured to guide practical solutions. Catalyst-Guided Assessments build internal understanding, ownership, and capability.
- We worked with a global energy company to review the design and execution of its talent management process and strengthen its diversity and inclusion practices.
- We worked with a group of women partners at a large law firm to build a strategy—based on the challenges they face—to more effectively develop and retain women attorneys.
Strategy Development
Intended for change initiatives, Strategy Development helps an organization articulate its vision, goals, and short- and long-term actions based on areas of focus and the critical change drivers—the business case, senior leadership support, communication, metrics, and accountability systems. We don’t advise organizations to do more, but rather to be strategic and business-focused, so that actions make sense within the context of global and local relationships and other organizational realities.
- We held a strategy planning session with the senior executive committee of a general contracting company to build the diversity and inclusion business case and strategy on a market analysis of the construction industry and assessment of the demographics and perceptions of current employees.
Guided Implementation
With this service, we develop programs and processes such as employee networks and diversity councils, performance management systems, recruiting approaches, diversity scorecards, communication strategies, and work-life effectiveness strategies.
- We worked with a major investment bank to conduct a benchmark study on best practices in succession planning.
- We worked with a leading high-tech company to fully develop customized work-life effectiveness training for company executives and a train-the-trainer session to build internal capacity for delivering the sessions.
- We worked as thought partners with a major international consumer products company to create a long-term, multi-country strategy that included several targeted implementation initiatives, including reciprocal mentoring, flexibility, succession planning, and metrics planning. We also served as communication consultants to help develop the company’s diversity messaging.
Meetings That Matter
Included are Executive Briefings, Strategy Design, Business Case Development, and Diversity and Inclusion Practice sessions, which are led by Catalyst experts. We also provide other planning, engagement, and capability-building sessions, including half-day to two-day workshops on topics such as Launching and Sustaining Employee Networks, Work-Life Effectiveness, and Leadership.
- We worked with a financial services company to design and conduct a series of planning meetings for a newly formed Senior Women’s Advisory Council.
- We worked with an accounting firm to build a foundation to support greater diversity. Our work included collaborating with an Advisory Board of women partners and assisting with the launch of several women’s network chapters in the firm’s major geographic markets.
Strategic Advisors
These are Catalyst experts who serve as thought partners and sounding boards at any stage of the diversity and inclusion effort.