We started as a group of Harvard Extension School (HES) Industrial-Organizational Psychologists, consultants, coaches, and practitioners who were dedicated to making a positive impact in workplaces around the world. With a common belief that remote work is here to stay and an understanding of the negative impact the disruption could bring to both ill-prepared employers and employees, we created this website that offers solutions and training to help our clients succeed in the future of work.

The HES Alumni Association has more than 30,000 members in over 100 countries, making us a global community that allows graduates to stay connected and engaged indefinitely. Our mission is to foster personal and professional connections among Industrial-Organizational (I/O) Psychology alumni from leading academic institutions and establish a lifelong relationship between our members and business leaders in every industry.

Expanding to other top universities and coaching organizations around the world, members of Ivy Consulting Group (ICG) are some of the brightest in the coaching and consulting community with vast backgrounds and work experiences realizing that real change comes from deep learning and human connection. Our dedicated network of professionals are motivated to disrupt the traditional ideas of outdated business models that fail to recognize how diversity, equity, inclusion, and the wellbeing of the workforce can dramatically impact worker engagement and performance. It is through these experiences and desire to make a difference that Ivy Consulting Group was established.

Small Business Owners

Here are the facts:

• There are 32.5 million small business owners (defined as fewer than 500 employees) in the US which accounts for 99.5% of all US businesses (SBA, 2021).
• Small business owners have been negatively impacted by the pandemic more than any other with over 70% shutting down in March 2020.
• More than 20% of new business ventures shut down during the first year of operation (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021).
• 50% will fail before the 5th year. If you subtract out business owners who open up franchised-type businesses, 85% will fail in that same time period.

The #1 reason small businesses fail - most believe it is their failure to attract and retain quality talent (CNBC, 2019). In other words, they fail to develop quality hiring systems, training programs, and adequate compensation programs to motivate their team. In short, many business leaders may lack the knowledge (not the skillset) of how to intentionally build a culture that drives the performance required to run a successful business.

Unfortunately, the new work environment can bring additional challenges for both employers and employees.

The Future of Work

Remote work is here to stay. While some businesses and enterprises have utilized the latest technology to transition to a remote or hybrid workplace without missing a beat, others have struggled and now are requiring employees to move back to a centralized location often blaming workers for the lack of productivity. 

Research can be misleading suggesting productivity declines for most businesses during the transition to a remote work environment. Most of these reports rely on employer-reported data causing a large number of employers to call workers back into the office (Forbes, 2022). When asked, many managers claim household distractions and a lack of motivation at home as the primary factors for the decline in productivity.

Assuming productivity does decline for an organization, is it entirely the employee's fault? The employee hasn't changed. If they were motivated to work before, it's doubtful that motivation has changed; in fact, most would prefer to work remotely, and motivation to continue doing so should increase, not decrease.

Or, is the decline in productivity due to 1) the lack of a manager's ability to access the performance metrics needed to evaluate performance and 2) the lack of knowledge of how to motivate in a remote work environment?

If you manage a remote team and are experiencing a decline in worker performance, consider this:

1) Take responsibility first, and don't allow paranoid fears to result in a loss of trust in your workers. During this transition, both management and workers need a transition period to acclimate to this new environment.

2) If you don't know what your employees do on a daily basis, use technology to create key performance indicators and create a game your employees want to play.

3) Be inclusive and provide immediate feedback (positive publically and negative privately).

4) Communicate throughout the day using a Slack channel or use Microsoft Teams to keep your team focused and engaged.

5) Clearly set goals and allow your employees autonomy in the way they achieve their goals. Review goals often, and develop an incentive program that rewards exceptional behavior.

6) Take this opportunity to create a new and improved culture and understand how incorporating an effective recruiting strategy, combined with the successful implementation of DEI&B initiatives and the intentional creation of a high-performance culture, will lead to results you may have never thought possible.

The good news is that we can help! 

Select the next tab to continue.

Our Mission

At Ivy Consulting Group, we strive to empower businesses and their leaders with the tools and knowledge they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Whether your team is fully remote, hybrid, or in one centralized location, our goal is to help you develop a highly productive, motivated, and dedicated team!

When you create an account on our website, you will find a collaborative community where members freely share best practices, research methodologies, and business systems to support each other's growth and well-being. We are committed to embracing diversity and inclusion, recognizing that a diverse workforce fosters innovation and creativity. Through our dedication to excellence and our passion for supporting the success of our members, we aim to be a trusted partner for businesses of all sizes and industries.

Our Vision

At Ivy Consulting Group, we envision a future where every business owner can achieve their goals and lead a fulfilling life. We see ourselves as the leading membership organization that connects business leaders with the top freelance organizational consultants who offer innovative and effective solutions to help them grow while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Our vision is to empower entrepreneurs with the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to overcome every obstacle and achieve success on their own terms. We will continue to collaborate with the best consultants, coaches, researchers, partners, and system experts to provide customized solutions that cater to every unique need of our clients. With Ivy Consulting Group by their side, every business owner can confidently pursue their dreams and create a life they love.

The First Step

After creating an account on our site, we ask business leaders to complete our proprietary ICG Culture Assessment. This self-assessment tool will identify what is working well in an organization and what, well let's just say, is not. In most cases, the areas where there is the biggest gap between where a company is now and where the leaders hope it will be are the same areas that cause the biggest frustration, and are the greatest opportunities for growth. This is our starting point.

Like many of the tools and services on this website, the assessment is completely free to use. That's not to say that is not a powerful tool. After completion of the questionnaire, it will provide the user with extremely valuable information and can act as a benchmark to evaluate future progress. In addition, if desired, an Ivy Consultant can offer a free consultation to go over the report in detail and will recommend the best action plan to maximize results. All of this is offered with no obligation or pressure to hire.

Additional offerings and services offered to business leaders will be mentioned in the next tab - What We Offer.

•A free account can be set up using a valid and verified email address. No credit card is required.

•Chat with trained I/O Psychologists and other professionals from all walks of life, in any language, with proven experience in almost any field imaginable. We love to help people! Ask as many questions and as often as you like in our community forum.

•Create a Member Profile page advertising your company, products, and services.

•Whether you are looking to contract an Ivy Consultant for a short-term project, or intend to hire new employee, you can post unlimited job openings completely free of charge.

•Utilize our applicant tracking system which allows you to communicate with candidates, send recruiting solicitations inviting others to join our site, identify how many candidates are interested in your opening, and much more.

•Take a Culture Assessment to identify where things are going right and wrong in your organization. Your ICG Assessment Summary provides information on proven research that can help you identify solutions to each problem area.

•Take an online course through ICG University. In early 2023, we will be excited to launch our "Business Re-Imagined" course which will identify relevant issues facing business owners today. Using our 10-Dynamics of I/O Psychology, we will highlight our core lesson plans which identify the latest research and most effective solutions within each dimension.

• Hire a Consultant. If choose to hire a member on our site - GREAT! We are happy we could help and leave the rest up to you. Ivy Consulting Group does not participate in the negotiation process or benefit financially from work completed by our members. Please read the website Terms and Conditions for more details.

That's pretty much it. As mentioned before, there are no hidden costs or objectives. This site is for you. If you like what we've created, please recommend us to others who could benefit from our services. And as always, we would love a positive social media review!

Let's face it, owning a business or managing a team is hard work. And up to this point, you've managed, for the most part, to do it on your own.

For most, admitting there is a problem and asking for help doesn't come easily. Just by taking the time to read this message means you've taken the first step to building a better life for you and for those who depend on you to develop an effective business model. So for that, congratulations! And that's what's it is about anyway, isn't it? Creating a better life. At Ivy Consulting Group, we like to say that it's not about building a better business - it's about building your business in a way that provides joy and happiness for everyone around you.

You've joined countless others who have realized that seeking help from a trained and certified I/O professional is a huge asset to you as a business leader. Whether your biggest challenge is hiring, training, motivating, or even letting go of underachieving and disengaged people, you've come to the right place.

The secret to why our process works is because of our dedicated team of highly educated and motivated I/O professionals. And while they come from various backgrounds, industries, socioeconomic and demographic communities, they have more in common than what makes them different. All are educated in top institutions, are masterful in their craft, and love to help people succeed!

Using our Ivy Consultant Toolkit, certified consultants work through a proven curriculum of over eighty processes, in 10-Dynamics, covering every aspect of your business. From proven research methods our team can use or create custom performance assessments, host team-building workshops, motivate your sales team, and ever thing in between. The point is, when you hire an Ivy Consultant, you are getting the best. And best of all, you can start today for FREE. No obligation. No pressure to buy. Just great advice one question at a time.

So, what are you waiting for? Register for an account today!