Services we offer
The firm was formed in 1981 and specializes in providing high quality, individually tailored and personalized
process consultation and facilitation for local government, business, and not-for-profit groups and organizations. Particular areas of expertise include strategic planning and goal setting, executive recruitment, organization development and change strategies, organization training, conflict resolution, and meeting facilitation.
The firm was built on the extensive background of Robert Saunders that spans a successful career of more than forty years. Saunders’ experience as a process consultant working specifically with local governments began in 1968 while he was a faculty member and administrator at the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s School of Business and Public Administration. Through the years Saunders has personally structured and facilitated numerous individually tailored programs in organizations of all sizes and diverse compositions.
Executive Recruitment - The firm handles executive recruitment of city managers and other department level executives for a number of agencies each year. Recruitment and selection are viewed as a process that begins with establishing community and position profiles by the appointing authority and emphasizes consensus decision making throughout. While the approach the firm utilizes is based on a process consultation model it offers full and complete services; management of the process, recruitment of candidates, screening and reference checking, recommendations of desirable candidates, interview process, and contracting.
Strategic Planning and Goal Setting - Each year city councils and other groups call upon us to develop and facilitate their planning processes. Projects may be as simple as an intensive one-day workshop meeting or may involve a more extensive format such as a two-three day retreat or a community based project carried out over a period of months. The purposes of the workshops or retreats often employ Saunders’ particular skills to accomplish team building as well as goal setting. From 1978-1980, Saunders served as consultant to the National League of Cities in their Council Policy Leadership Program. This extensive project was funded by the Kettering Foundation and the federal government. During this project, Saunders facilitated numerous programs and consulted in cities such as Wichita, Kansas; San Jose and Long Beach, California; and Charleston, South Carolina among others.
Organization Development - The management of change and the creation of greater productivity is an essential part of organization life. Participative management techniques, organizational interventions to gain ownership, commitment, and empowerment on the part of management teams and workers, reduce conflict, and achieve quality customer service are the result of on-going programs of the firm with a variety of clients.
Group Facilitation - When a third-party facilitator is needed to achieve desired results from a meeting with a minimum investment of time, Saunders frequently is called upon to serve in that role. Saunders is known for his skill in taking a diverse group with divergent agendas and producing consensus decisions whether there is potential conflict, the group is essentially leaderless, or the leader wishes freedom to be a full participant.
PUBLIC SECTOR CLIENTS
RECRUITMENTS AND SELECTIONS |
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ABILENE, KANSAS City Manager 2010 ALBANY, MISSOURI City Administrator 1996 BELTON, MISSOURI City Administrator 1988 Director of Finance 2000 BLUE SPRINGS, MISSOURI City Administrator1978 Assistant City Administrator 1985,1989,1995,1999 Public Works Director 1990 BRANSON, MISSOURI City Administrator 1985 BRIDGETON, MISSOURI Administrative Assistant to Mayor 1999 CAMERON, MISSOURI City Manager 1990, 2008 CLINTON, MISSOURI City Administrator 1988 COWLEY COUNTY, KANSAS County Administrator 2011 CREVE COEUR, MISSOURI City Administrator 1988, 1999 CRYSTAL CITY, MISSOURI City Administrator 2009 EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, MISSOURI City Manager 1978, 1985 FESTUS, MISSOURI City Administrator 2009 FRANKLIN COUNTY, KANSAS County Administrator 2000 GARDNER, KANSAS City Administrator 1994, 2000 Finance Director 2000 City Engineer 2000 Planner 2000 Code Administrator 2000 GLADSTONE, MISSOURI City Manager 1984 Director of Public Safety 1986 GRANDVIEW, MISSOURI City Administrator 1978, 1986 GRAIN VALLEY, MISSOURI City Administrator 1990, 2002, 2005 HANNIBAL, MISSOURI City Manager 1997 HARRISONVILLE, MISSOURI City Administrator 1985 Public Works/Engineer INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI City Manager 1993 Police Chief 1998 Assistant City Manager 1998 JOHNSON COUNTY, KANSAS County Administrator 1985 Chief Financial Officer 1996 KANSAS CITY, KANSAS City Administrator 1983 |
KANSAS CITY, KANSAS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE President/CEO 1984 KANSAS CITY, KANSAS BOARD OF PUBLIC UTILITIES General Manager 1984 KIRKSVILLE, MISSOURI City Manager 1981, 1985, 1990, 1993, 2003 LAWRENCE, KANSAS City Manager 1990 LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS City Manager 1977, 1981, 1987, 1998, 2007 LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS WATER DEPT. General Manager 2008 LEAWOOD, KANSAS City Administrator 1979 LIBERTY, MISSOURI City Administrator 1978 LYONS, KANSAS City Administrator 1997 MERRIAM, KANSAS City Administrator 1986, 1988.2008 MEXICO, MISSOURI City Manager 1988, 2007, 2011 NEWTON, KANSAS City Manager 2007 NORTH KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI City Administrator 1978, 1985, 1987, 2000 Police Chief 2002 OAK GROVE, MISSOURI City Administrator 1992 OLATHE, KANSAS City Manager 1988 OSAGE BEACH, MISSOURI City Administrator 2000 PARKVILLE, MISSOURI City Administrator 2008 PLATTE CITY, MISSOURI City Administrator 1993, 1996.2008 PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KANSAS Police Chief 1991 RAYTOWN, MISSOURI City Administrator 1994 ROLLA, MISSOURI Public Works Director 1985 SMITHVILLE, MISSOURI City Administrator 1977, 1982 SPRING HILL, KANSAS City Administrator 1993, 1995, 2002 SNI VALLEY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT Fire Chief 1988 TOWN AND COUNTRY, MISSOURI City Administrator 1996 WARRENSBURG, MISSOURI City Manager 1984, 2011 Fire Chief 2004 WEBSTER GROVES, MISSOURI City Manager 1986 |
GOVERNING BODY WORKSHOPS, RETREATS, SEMINARS, STRATEGIC PLANNING, |
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BELLA VISTA, ARKANSAS BLUE SPRINGS, MISSOURI BONNER SPRINGS, KANSAS CAPE GIRARDEAU, MISSOURI CARTHAGE, MISSOURI CHANDLER, ARIZONA CLAY COUNTY, MISSOURI Economic Development Council Park Board CHILLICOTHE, MISSOURI CRESTWOOD, MISSOURI DENTON, TEXAS EL DORADO, KANSAS EMPORIA, KANSAS EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, MISSOURI FORT WORTH, TEXAS FULTON, MISSOURI Planning Commission GLADSTONE, MISSOURI GLADSTONE, MISSOURI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE GRAIN VALLEY, MISSOURI GRANDVIEW, MISSOURI City Council/Econ. Dev Council Community Based Strategic Planning HAZELWOOD, MISSOURI HENDERSON, NEVADA INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI JOHNSON COUNTY, KANSAS Airport AuthorityCounty Commission JOPLIN, MISSOURI JUNCTION CITY, KANSAS KANSAS CITY, KANSAS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Board of Directors KANSAS CITY, KANSAS ECON DEV COUNCIL Board of Directors KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI KANSAS EASTERN REGION INSUR. TRUST Board of Directors LAKE OZARK, MISSOURI LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO |
LAWRENCE, KANSAS LEAWOOD, KANSAS LEE’S SUMMIT, MISSOURI Board of Aldermen LENEXA, KANSAS LIBERTY, MISSOURI MARCIT Board of Directors MERRIAM, KANSAS MEXICO, MISSOURI MISSION HILLS, KANSAS MISSOURI MUNICIPAL LEAGUE Board of Directors NORTH KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI NORTHEAST JOHNSON COUNTY DEV. AND RETENTION COUNCIL Board of Directors OLIVETTE, MISSOURI OVERLAND PARK, KANSAS Metcalf Corridor Group Neighborhood Group Downtown Group ODESSA, TEXAS PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KANSAS Plan Commission RAYMORE, MISSOURI RAYTOWN, MISSOURI Board of Aldermen RIVERVIEW, MICHIGAN SAINT JOSEPH, MISSOURI SALINA, KANSAS SAN ANGELO, TEXAS SMITHVILLE, MISSOURI SPRING HILL, KANSAS SULLIVAN, MISSOURI TERRELL, TEXAS TARRANT COUNTY, TEXAS HOSPITAL DISTRICT Board of Trustees WARRENSBURG, MISSOURI WEBSTER GROVES, MISSOURI Planning Commission WENTZVILLE, MISSOURI |
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES CITY COUNCIL POLICY TRAINING PROGRAM (National Consultant and Facilitator) |
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WICHITA, KANSAS LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA |
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ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT TEAM BUILDING ASSESSMENT CENTERS, ETC. |
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BELTON, MISSOURI BLUE SPRINGS, MISSOURI Assessment Centers CENTRAL JACKSON COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT Assessment Centers CHANDLER, ARIZONA CHILLICOTHE, MISSOURI Management Staff Training and Team Building Police Department Training and Team Building CLINTON MISSOURI Management Development DENTON, TEXAS FULTON, MISSOURI GLADSTONE, MISSOURI Organization Development Assessment Centers HARRISONVILLE, MISSOURI FIRE DEPARTMENT HAZELWOOD, MISSOURI Management Staff Training and Team Building Police Department Training and Team Building |
HENDERSON, NEVADA INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI Management Development KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI City Management Staff Development Department Fire Department Organization Development KANSAS CITY AREA TRANSIT AUTH. Strategic Planning KIRKSVILLE REGIONAL MENTAL HEALTH Management Development LEE’S SUMMIT, MISSOURI Organization Development Assessment Centers MISSOURI FIRE ACADEMY Management Training O’FALLON, ILLINOIS Organization Development OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATION STATE OF MISSOURI Organization Development RAYMORE, MISSOURI Staff Team Building SALINA, KANSAS Organization Development Assessment Center WARRENSBURG, MISSOURI Fire Chief Selection Assessment Center |
OTHER CLIENTS |
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INTERNATIONAL CITY/COUNTY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION Facilitator of Small Cities Task Force |
VARIOUS CHURCH BOARD RETREATS Facilitator of Strategic Planning, etc. |