Organizations with strong cultures consistently outperform their peers. However, sometimes, a dynamic shifts; a location may change, employees become frustrated, or the ‘culture’ of a company weakens. When employees aren’t happy and engaged, the organization suffers.
Strametrics, a company founded by Rick Deshon and his wife Karen, works to repair “people systems” within an organization when they are damaged or disturbed. They also assist companies that just want to make their organizations better through their people. They are a consulting company that does so much more. As Rick says, “We teach organizations to better support their business through people.”
When Rick and Karen decided to start Strametrics, they didn’t have to start from scratch like many other startups do. Since they had both been working in the industry for many years, they were able to bring over enough clients to get them going. With Rick’s experience in consulting and Karen’s experience crafting “purposeful facilities” (buildings that makes businesses more successful) they were well-equipped for their journey. “When we decided to do it,” says Rick, “We knew we could.”
So, they began a business that focuses on helping the people within an organization function better together. They work closely with a company’s leadership team, and get an early diagnosis through quick, light surveys. Whether the firm is relocating people, combining branches, or getting a new building, Strametrics works to diagnose the root of the human resources problem and work with the company to fix it.
Working with clients, Rick has been pleasantly surprised to find that many of the stereotypes around business leaders and the way they relate to employees are often false. “When you sit down and talk to them,” Rick says, “and get them out of their day to day, you see how much time and effort they are willing to invest in understanding the systems we (Strametrics) may present.” He says it’s always great to see how much they care and how hard they’ll work to make things better.
Part of Strametrics’ approach, and what sets them apart from other companies, is the emphasis they place on visualizing data. They use a variety of charts to show how the organization is functioning, which allows them to design an intervention, change something within the company, and track the progress of the change. This allows their clients to see the impact of Strametrics’ work.
Providing this data isn’t easy. To make sure they continue to offer that technical component, which sets them apart from other consultants, Strametrics needs a talented technical team. But, like many other companies in the region, they are struggling to fill those roles. At the moment they have more clients than they can serve with the skills they’ve been finding in Lansing. “We could explode if we could find the tech staff we need,” says Rick.
But, being the problem solvers they are, Strametrics has found a way around the problem, at least for the moment. They have started hiring people that have the passion, but may not have the skills, and are paying them to learn.
The technical team they are building now is part of a plan to develop a web based portal where organizations can see the history of projects. They will be able to see everything Strametrics is doing for them in one place. They also have plans to divide the company into separate “consulting” and “software as a service” wings.
Like every company, they have goals to expand and hope to be international in three years. But, according to Rick, there is a much bigger goal. “People spend so much of their lives in an organization. What we are really trying to do is make that a more enjoyable, rewarding experience.”
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