Organizational Leadership and Governance Consultation

Dr. Andrew B. Klafter provides expert-witness consultation for attorneys and organizational consultation for professional institutions, schools, communal organizations, and training institutes facing complex clinical, ethical, governance, organizational, and leadership challenges. His forensic work includes consultation regarding psychiatric diagnosis, standards of care, professional responsibility, and the psychological effects of injury, trauma, and family disruption in legal proceedings. He also has extensive experience working with non-profit boards and professional organizations.

Organizations and institutions are complex systems that regularly encounter periods of transition, conflict, and uncertainty. Leadership groups are often asked to make decisions in situations involving competing values, changing institutional needs, or tensions within boards, committees, or professional teams.

Sometimes, an organization discovers that its mission or purpose is no longer needed in the same way it was when the organization was originally founded. In other situations, longstanding organizational structures or expectations may no longer function as they once did, or divisions may emerge between leadership and the communities the organization serves. Consultation can help organizations think more clearly about these challenges and identify constructive paths forward.

Dr. Klafter provides consultation to organizations seeking assistance in understanding and addressing these kinds of problems. His work in this area draws from his experience as Director of the Cincinnati Psychoanalytic Institute and as Governance Chairman of the NEFESH International Network of Orthodox Mental Health Professionals, as well as his work as a consultation team leader for the American Psychoanalytic Association’s Institute Advisory and Consultation Section. He has also received formal training in board governance and institutional leadership for non-profit organizations and has served as a board officer for numerous communal, educational, and professional organizations.

Organizational consultation may be helpful in situations involving:

  • conflicts within leadership teams or governing boards

  • polarization or divisions within organizations

  • role confusion within committees or administrative structures

  • institutional responses to professional or ethical concerns

  • tensions between organizational mission and evolving institutional needs

  • alienation between leadership and organizational membership or constituency

  • transitions in leadership or organizational structure

  • reconsideration of organizational purpose and mission

  • training for board members who have never received orientation or education for their fiduciary roles and responsibilities

Consultation Process

Organizational consultation typically begins with a preliminary video conference lasting approximately two hours. This meeting provides an opportunity to clarify the nature of the concerns facing the organization and to determine whether consultation is likely to be helpful.

If consultation proceeds, a second meeting is usually scheduled with organizational leadership in order to develop a clearer understanding of the institutional structure, the concerns being addressed, and the goals of the consultation process. At that point, recommendations can be made regarding next steps, which may include additional meetings, interviews, or on-site visits as appropriate.

The scope and structure of consultation are determined collaboratively based on the needs of the organization.