People issues can threaten project, team and organizational success. Cognitive Professional Services understands the impact of people and culture on the success of initiatives large and small. In fact, we've developed a national reputation in organizational improvement. We co-authored the Performance DNA methodology that ASTD teaches in their human pprformance improvement certification program and authored the outcome-focused Performance DNA Training Design methodology that is used by Fortune 1000 organizations to design and develop leadership, technical, and sales training.

Business Process Improvement

Business processes either support performance, or they become barriers to performance. Cognitive Professional Services uses a systematic analysis process called Performance DNA to develop, evaluate, and/or reengineer business processes. This analysis enables us to identify new processes that need to be defined and select processes that when engineered, have the highest potential for positive impact for reengineering. Cognitive Professional Services can then redesign the right processes to improve your operations and help you put in place metrics and dashboards to help you monitor process success. More >>

Organizational Change Management

Any change involving new systems or updates to processes, procedures, and roles is fraught with hazards. Statistics indicate that in most organizations, 15% of the workforce are "early adopters" and eagerly adapt to change, 15% actively resist any change, and 70% are on the fence, with a "wait and see" attitude. Cognitive Professional Services can help you improve your organization's acceptance and adoption of new technologies and processes. We use our EASE Change Management Toolkit to first assess your organization's readiness for change and create a customized Change Readiness Roadmap. We then use EASE to guide the detailed planning, communications, leadership support, and management of your change project throughout its phases, helping you achieve the ROI your project promised.

Human Performance Improvement

What additional business goals could you meet if you could improve the performance of the average employees who make up the bulk of most organization. Cognitive Professional Services conducts human performance analysis to help our clients improve the results produced by the people in key job roles. We use the Performance DNA methodology that we helped create, to find answers that enable clients to enhance the percentage of performers who can produce above average outputs.

Competency Model Development

Cognitive Professional Services uses an outcome-based approach to create competency models that work. We analyze star performers in a job role to understand the competencies and skills they are using to produce better-than-average results. We document the competencies required, and customize the definition of each competency for your organization. Finally, we tag each competency with the behaviors that competent individuals should demonstrate. The result, customized competency models that can be used to improve hiring, training, succession planning, executive development, and performance management.

Custom Training and Leadership Development

Cognitive Professional Services applies our expertise in adult learning and performance to design and develop role-based curricula, courses, leadership programs, self-directed learning, and job aids that improve job outcomes. Outcome-based training and development has a narrowly defined purpose: reducing the gap between novice or standard performers and expert performers. It is designed to enable people to bridge the gap between their initial knowledge, skills, and attitudes, and those needed to perform well on the job. We use the Performance DNA methodology to conduct an analysis of the critical outcomes for the job and the PERFORM methodology to guide design and development activities to produce materials and programs that deliver results.

Personality Type Assessment

Personality type matters it affects the way we behave, communicate, make decisions, and interact with others, as well as the careers that are the most natural "fit" for us. Working with you and your team, we can help you use personality type to develop people and teams, improve learning, communications, and hiring, and get long-term measurable results. Dr. Karen McGraw leads all of our personality type profile engagements, oversees assessment administration, conducts workshops either in person or online, and provides coaching to help you use the assessment for ongoing growth and development. Dr. McGraw is qualified to administer the Personality Type Profiler, and the MBTI. She has facilitated assessments and workshops to improve leadership and team effectiveness for both commercial firms and organizations such as the U.S. Treasury.