Hire the Best Organizational Development Consultants in California

If your HR operation is running on scattered spreadsheets, outdated documents, inconsistent practices, or pure survival instinct, I can help you turn it into a practical, scalable system. I bring 15+ years of combined HR, talent acquisition, workforce development, and candidate assessment experience. I combine senior-level HR leadership with Lean Six Sigma process improvement to diagnose what is not working, identify the root cause, and build solutions your organization can actually sustain. I do more than provide recommendations. I create the policies, workflows, documentation, tools, and implementation plans needed to put those recommendations into practice. Selected results include: • Reduced first-30-day employee turnover from over 60% to under 20% by redesigning onboarding operations and concentrating activity around the highest-volume start days • Reduced recruiting cycle times from 60–90 days to approximately 30–45 days by standardizing intake and screening criteria, redesigning recruiter workflows, and introducing pipeline and aging metrics • Increased recruiter productivity by 15% by designing and implementing the organization’s first performance-based incentive program • Developed the business case, financial analysis, KPI framework, and pilot for a workforce-model conversion that saved more than $175K per provider • Led a $20M+ operation and a 150-person multidisciplinary organization spanning recruiting, credentialing, analytics, project management, and provider payment I can help your organization with: • Fractional HR leadership and HR operational assessments • Employee handbooks, workplace policies, SOPs, and training materials • HR compliance reviews and process audits • Recruiting strategy, job descriptions, screening tools, and hiring-process improvement • Onboarding and offboarding workflows, forms, checklists, and manager guidance • Performance management, employee relations, and manager coaching • Organizational design, workforce planning, compensation, and accountability systems • HRIS implementation, workflow redesign, system documentation, and optimization Systems experience includes Workday, SAP HCM, Dayforce, UKG/UltiPro, iCIMS, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, SharePoint, Tableau, Power BI, MS Project, and MondayDOTcom. Industry experience includes healthcare, government contracting, nonprofit, manufacturing, staffing, professional services, consulting, and small business. I am especially effective in organizations where HR has grown reactively and leaders know something is not working, but have not had the time or internal expertise to fix it. Send me a message describing the problem, and I will help you determine what needs to happen next.

Ph.D., Organizational Psychology. TEDx speaker featured on TED’s homepage. Talent, Organizational Development, and Survey specialist. I have 7+ years of experience working in talent and organizational development, though many of the skills I developed came from my 7 previous years in marketing. My goal is to leverage science and research to help you achieve your goals in a clear and applicable way. Within the past couple of years, I've worked on projects for Accenture within their career architecture, assessment, and recruiting teams. I have also worked on projects for Johnson & Johnson, McGill University, Yaamava (previously San Manuel) Casino, Denny's, Teachable, and Workboard, among others. I hold a Ph.D. and MA in Organizational Psychology from Claremont Graduate University and a BA in English and Consumer Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. I am here to offer evidence-based solutions and help you achieve your goals. Some of my skills and work experiences include: • Conducting and analyzing survey data (using an array of survey software programs and analyzing data via R or Excel) • Interviewing and leading focus groups (and using qualitative thematic analysis to derive relevant and actionable themes) • Assessing/developing leadership and employees (engagement, wellbeing, strengths, burnout, etc.) • Spearheading program evaluations (using an array of methods, including but not limited to document/website review, surveys, interviews, observations) • Creating workshops • Drafting powerpoints • Writing reports • Speaking and educational engagements (keynotes, trainings, workshops, webinars, etc.) I am visually oriented and geared to make information easy to digest, so I will make sure that your solutions target your intended audience. About me: I initially pursued a career in marketing. I worked as a strategy consultant in healthcare, then pivoted into a tech innovation startup specializing in AI-driven, gamified e-commerce products. After 7 years of marketing in NYC, even in a director role, I realized that while I still loved business and psychology, and I very much loved my current job, I just wasn’t interested in selling products. Call me naive and idealistic, but I wanted to make an imprint on people's lives and help make the world a better place by creating a less stressed/burnt-out workforce. I envision a world where people thrive at their work, finding it engaging and energizing, and I want to help companies create the optimal space to make that a reality. To that end, I shifted my career trajectory and shifted towards organizational behavior. I love the consulting projects I've done and the clients I've worked with over these past few years. I completed my MA and PhD studying Positive Organizational Psychology. My research focuses on: • employee engagement • healthy work-life balance • burnout prevention • remote work • high-quality connections • virtual teams • leadership development • viewpoint diversity and more. I am also a TEDx speaker, and my talk was selected to be featured on TED’s homepage (my talk was titled, "3 simple ways to build stronger relationships at work".

Two things to balance here: Upwork's algorithm and clients reward specificity, but you're intentionally casting a wide net. The fix isn't to blur your positioning, it's to lead with your sharpest, highest-value expertise and then clearly signal range underneath it, so someone searching any of those categories still finds a credible, capable person, not a generalist. I help growing organizations solve the problems that come from moving fast: leadership gaps, funding gaps, and execution gaps. I'm a Ph.D. organizational psychologist with nearly a decade advising founders, CEOs, and executive teams through growth, leadership transitions, and increasing complexity. I'm Hogan-certified, and I bring the same rigor and follow-through to every project I take on, whether it's a leadership question or a deadline-driven deliverable. Leadership & Executive Assessment • Assess leadership readiness for the next stage of growth • Run validated executive assessments (Hogan) for hiring or promotion decisions • Build stronger leadership teams and reduce founder dependency Grant Writing & Strategic Proposals • Research, draft, and position proposals that get funded • Translate complex organizational goals into clear, compelling narrative Executive Operations & Fractional Support • Step into fractional executive ops or recruiting when a growing team needs experienced hands, not another hire • Manage the operational details that keep a fast-moving company on track Consulting & Execution • Advisory sprints for founders and executive teams navigating growth • Hands-on execution when a project needs someone who can think and deliver I care about doing the work well and doing it on time. If you need a conscientious, sharp partner for your next project, whatever kind of project it is, let's talk. Dr. Asha Gipson Founder & Principal, Addison Leadership Advisory

Processes live in people’s heads. Roles and handoffs are unclear. Onboarding varies depending on who is available. New systems are introduced but not consistently adopted. Leaders spend too much time answering questions, fixing breakdowns, or holding together processes that should be easier to manage. Growing organizations often reach a point where the way work gets done has not kept pace with the work itself. I help nonprofits, education organizations, workforce-development organizations, and mission-driven teams turn that operational friction into clear, usable systems. My work can include: • SOP and process development • Workflow mapping and process improvement • Onboarding and staff-readiness systems • Operational assessments and gap analysis • Implementation planning and support • Training, eLearning, and job aids that support new processes • Manager tools, role clarity, and accountability systems • Data, reporting, and case-management workflows • AI-enabled workflows and practical AI adoption • Strategic planning and facilitated implementation What makes my approach different is that I don’t simply document a process or hand you a list of recommendations. I help determine what is actually happening, identify where the friction or gaps are, design a practical solution, and build the tools and implementation structure needed to make it work in practice. A few examples of this work in practice: • Case Management & Reporting Systems: Helped a growing nonprofit design and implement a robust case-management system, including workflows, staff responsibilities, data-entry processes, scheduling, and reporting structures to support more consistent program operations. • Onboarding & Operational Infrastructure: Partnered with a youth-serving nonprofit to strengthen onboarding and staff readiness by developing SOPs, training systems, manager supports, role-based tools, and implementation practices that made expectations easier to understand and apply consistently. • Enterprise Training & Change Implementation: Supported a large-scale SAP implementation for SoCalGas by developing training and performance-support solutions for 2,000+ end users, helping translate a complex system change into practical learning and job support. My background in organizational development, operations, instructional design, process improvement, and implementation allows me to address both the system and the people who need to use it. I have developed training and operational solutions for nonprofits, education and community-serving organizations, as well as large organizations including Microsoft and SAP/Concur. If your organization is growing and your processes, documentation, onboarding, or internal systems need to catch up, send me a message with what isn’t working and what you need to work better.

Running a small business means HR usually lives on the back burner until something goes wrong. I work with owners who are ready to get ahead of it. I'm Shannon Taylor, founder of Avec Coeur HR and a fractional HR consultant with 16+ years of experience, from HR Assistant through HR Director. Before going independent, I directed HR strategy for a respiratory care company with hundreds of employees across California and multiple states building compliance infrastructure, redesigning onboarding from a single day into a five-day program that new hires consistently called the best they'd ever experienced, and leading a company-wide culture initiative that reduced turnover by 70% in one year. I've also worked directly under employment law attorneys in both New York and California, which means I bring a sharper compliance lens than most HR generalists. My consulting clients are small businesses; typically 5 to 25 people who need senior-level HR without the full-time cost. Past projects include multi-state compliance documentation for a luxury transportation company, a complete recruiting system for a real estate investment firm dealing with culture fit issues, California meal waiver compliance for a multi-location service provider, and HR foundation-building for a business navigating its first difficult termination. What I deliver: Employee handbooks and policies (California-compliant, plain language) Recruiting systems: scorecards, interview guides, job descriptions Onboarding design and SOP documentation Compliance reviews and HR audits Fractional HR on retainer: ongoing support, clear deliverables, no surprises I work the same way with every client: I ask questions first, explain every recommendation, and stay involved until things actually land. HR done with you, not at you. If you're a small business owner who's been putting off the HR work you know you need, let's talk!

I help small businesses and growing teams become more agile, efficient, and people-centered. With over a decade of experience in organizational development and HR consulting, I specialize in designing systems that improve workplace culture, streamline operations, and empower teams to do their best work — without adding complexity. As a certified SmartSuite Consultant and seasoned Airtable builder, I create custom no-code solutions for: HR portals that simplify employee onboarding, benefits tracking, and PTO management Commission tracking systems for small business owners and sales teams Task and project management dashboards that actually get used Inventory and storage tracking databases (QR code-enabled) for seamless organization My background in HR compliance, talent development, and change management allows me to integrate systems with strategy — whether I’m supporting open enrollment, building out a leadership training program, or developing tools to measure organizational health. ✅ Expert in SmartSuite, Airtable, Make (Integromat), Zapier, and ChatGPT automation ✅ Experienced working with startups, remote teams, and businesses under 25 employees ✅ Values: clarity, empathy, efficiency, and sustainable change Whether you're looking to improve employee engagement, build scalable systems, or automate manual processes, I bring a consultative approach grounded in real-world results. Let’s build something that works — and lasts.