The Research Group, Inc. provides a full range of research, analysis and consulting assistance in such areas as:

•  Organizational Change and Development

It has become a cliché that organizations change constantly, but change is occurring more and more rapidly and organizations need current, accurate and actionable information in order to effectively react to change. Employees' attitudes, their behaviors and practices, as well as the external environment of today's organizations demand continuous monitoring. TRG offers a number of services that permit leaders and managers to assess internal and external changes and develop strategies to effectively monitor and react to such changes. These services and products range from measurement and analyses of employees', clients' and customers' perceptions and behaviors to market analyses and needs assessment.

•  Organizational Culture Transition

Both internal (changes in employees' expectations, for example) and external environmental changes are driving changes in organizational cultures. Our 20 years experience in assessing organizational culture has demonstrated that most successful organizations conciously manage the transition of organizational culture in order to adapt to these changes rapidly. In order to do so effectively, leaders and managers must accurately define their organization's culture and determine how well their culture will serve the mission of the organization in the future. TRG has worked with numerous organizations in the private, public and nonprofit sectors (and in many different industries) to scientifically assess their current cultures, compare their current cultures to desired future cultures, and develop action plans for adapting and transitioning their cultures to the desired state.

TRG , along with its partner, Culture Consulting, Inc. (see Partners Page), literally wrote the book (John Hutcheson and Terri Kruzan, A Guide to Culture Audits) on different methods and procedures for assessing organization culture.

•  Culture Transition in Mergers/Acquisitions/Globalization

While it has been recommended that culture analyses be done in the due diligence phase of mergers, acquisitions and globalization, culture analysis is most frequently undertaken after one of these changes have occurred and resulted in strategic as well as operational problems. Such problems can be identified and addressed before the fact. Analyses of the cultures of organizations before such problems occur can help develop strategies for predicting and overcoming cultural differences so that the objectives of a merger, an acquisition or globalization can be accomplished with as little pain as possible. Why do so many change initiatives fail? Often, the answer is an inability to adapt or change organizational culture. This does not have to happen. Helping organizations understand their cultures, and helping them manage their cultures to facilitate rather than inhibit change is a service that we are one of the best and most experienced at accomplishing.

•  Diversity Research and Consulting

Working with the American Institute for Managing Diversity, Inc. (AIMD) founded in 1984 by Dr. Roosevelt Thomas, we were among the first to apply serious scientific rigor to research on the topic of workforce diversity. Along with AIMD and Dr. Thomas, as well as with other consultants and groups, we have developed numerous research tools that permit an understanding of the diversity challenges faced by modern organizations. From assessing the degree of effective diversity management and identifying training and other programmatic needs to examining the role of culture in effectively managing diversity and monitoring the progress of culture and diversity change initiatives, we are simply the most experienced research group in the United States.

•  Program Evaluation and Monitoring

Since the middle of the last century, many government programs have required both formative and summative evaluation and monitoring. Formative (or process) evaluation assesses the process through which program objectives are attained, and summative (or outcomes) evaluation determines whether the program has met its objectives. TRG's experience in program evaluation and monitoring has included both formative and summative evaluations of many different types of programs (social services, health, recreation, etc.) at the federal, state and local levels, as well as in the non-profit sector.

•  Strategic Planning and Decision Making

Effective planning and decision making require accurate and timely information. Planners and decision makers rely on appropriate, relevant and interpretable information in order to narrow alternatives and derive optimal solutions. TRG provides such information, whether secondary data assembled from a number of sources, or primary data collected for the specific purposes of the planner or decision maker. Our researchers and analysts consult with the client to determine the specific nature of the client's information needs and develop a proposal that considers the feasibility of assembling or developing accurate information, as well as the resources required to meet the client's needs.

•  Management and Marketing Research and Consulting

Managers and Marketing Departments often have special needs. Managers often need consultants so they can bounce ideas off experienced and neutral third parties. Marketing executives often rely upon research firms to conduct product and service awareness studies, market penetration analyses, product packaging studies, target marketing studies and other analyses designed to help a marketing department understand its market and the position of products and services within that market. TRG has years of experience in conducting such studies and providing such consultation. We work with the client in defining his/her information needs and designing the best way to accommodate that need.

•  Human Resource Systems

Developing, maintaining, adapting and managing human resource systems is as challenging as understanding the motivation of thousands of different people who bring their own experiences and backgrounds to the work setting. Rapid change in the workforce, both demographic and attitudinal means that the world of the human resource executive is one of constant “white water”. Old practices and systems are unlikely to maximize the human resources within today's organization. What do employees want? What do employees value? Constantly changing answers to these questions must be understood and addressed in the practices and systems of the organization. Ignorance of these changes can only lead to underutilization and turnover among employees you may want to keep. TRG has a great deal of experiences in identifying and monitoring employee attitudes. We have assessed, developed and re-assessed employee development systems, mentoring programs, benefit packages, compensation packages, management/union relationships, and many more aspects of human resource systems.

•  Community and Service Planning

TRG and its principals have worked on some of the most ambitious community service planning projects in the country. We were involved in an inter-census survey of over 7,000 individuals in a rapidly changing county in order to redirect community service budgets and programs. We have worked with city planning departments to facilitate neighborhood involvement in land use and community service planning. Additionally, TRG has worked with federal, state and local agencies in developing information needed for recreational planning and programming.

•  Policy Analysis and Needs Assessment

Policy analysis requires examining alternative policies and determining optimal policies to accomplish specific public objectives. TRG has examined many different kinds of policy alternatives in areas such as community participation, economic development, public health systems, and social welfare systems. We have designed and implemented one of the country's largest studies of the public service needs of non-English speaking immigrants. In addition, we have worked with numerous non-profit agencies to assess social service needs in specific locales.

•  Litigation Research and Services

TRG and its principals have consulted with local, state and federal courts and have worked on numerous court cases. We have worked with attorneys in deposing technical information and providing expert testimony. Our research has been used as evidence in a number of cases ranging from community standards to construction law cases. We have worked with attorneys on trademark litigation, change of venue motions, in jury selection, and in the preparation for the presentation of technical evidence.

•  Public Opinion Research and Polling

We have extensive experience in designing and conducting survey research. While survey research is often used in some of the services identified above, we have used any number of survey techniques to gather public opinion or polling data. Telephone and internet (online) surveys are the most common, but we have also used intercept, in person and mass administration surveys in special circumstances. We help you determine what you need to know, how to ask it, whom you need to know it from, and the best way to approach respondents. So, our services range from instrument and sampling design to data collection and interviewing and from coding and data processing to analysis, reporting, and interpreting both qualitative and quantitative finding.

•  Computing Services