Decline of Trust in Institutions

In 2008, Barack Obama campaigned for the U.S. presidency on a platform of change, and over the course of his presidency, the country undeniably evolved. Profound social, demographic, and technological changes swept across the United States during Obama’s tenure, and with those changes came important shifts in government policy and public opinion, leading to feelings of uncertainty and deteriorating trust in institutions. The American workplace was not immune to these shifts, and it begged the question of whether existing leadership styles would work in this changing environment. T. H. Easter Consulting was on the cutting edge of thought leadership in this inquiry, as it partnered with APQC to sponsor scientific research into the growing “leadership deficit.” According to APQC, leaders themselves identified significant gaps between the skills they possessed and those necessary to succeed in an environment of unpredictable events, technologic innovation, the growing importance of knowledge-based as opposed to manual work, and the increasing importance of ideas and innovation.

T. H. Easter Consulting was positioned to fill this void, onboarding our largest client to that point, a multi-state energy concern. This organization provided a platform for our full suite of consulting services, as they were in a period of rapid growth through acquisition. Though we initially were hired to source and implement a more robust HRIS system, our value to offer more soon became clear to leadership. In the course of conducting an analysis of HR business processes, we were able to identify opportunities for greater efficiency and agility as the organization grew. These included automation of processes, identification of workforce development and training opportunities, and ultimately, leadership individual and team coaching to manage the changes required in integrating new businesses.