Description

The client, Lane Blood Center, is a community-based nonprofit organization that had operated for decades in a market isolated from competitive pressures. However, industry trends and market forces were at play that threatened the very survival of the organization.  The organizational leadership challenge, championed by the Executive Director, was to initiate a strategic dialogue that would enable board leaders to make decisions of profound impact on the organization’s future.

This led to a strategic planning initiative where the staff and trustee leadership were engaged in a facilitative process for strategic discernment and decision making in order to decide whether to affiliate with a larger organization or remain independent.

Key Results Achieved

The key results achieved include:

• Management team understood the case for change and engaged in the strategic affiliation exploration leading to a supportable and supported decision.

The board of directors gained confidence in their ability to make informed strategic decision and achieved unanimity minus one in the final vote for affiliation. This successfully surpassed the meta-majority vote agreed to as the decision rule.
 

Sponsor: Doug Engel
Executive Director
Facilitator: Kathy Smith
KJ Smith Associates