APRIL BOYINGTON WALL
Principal, Whole Systems Change Inc.

94 Merrick Street
Toronto, Ontario M6R 1C8
Telephone: (416) 531-8601
Fax: 416-531-9608
Email: abwall@wholesystems.ca
Website: www.wholesystems.ca

Dr. Wall combines extensive business experience in teaching and consulting around leadership and organizational effectiveness with a solid background with the “people” side of management. Her background includes instruction and facilitation in traditional classroom, distance and online learning environments as well as coaching and consulting with private, public sector and non-profit organizations across Canada and the United States. The following summarizes some of her experience and qualifications.

Education

  • Gestalt Coaching Certification, Gestalt Therapy Institute of Philadelphia, 2010
  • PhD, Organizational Behavior, The Union Institute, Cincinnati OH —dissertation research focused on facilitating profound and lasting organizational change, 2003
  • CMC (Certified Management Consultant)—member of the Honor Roll, placing among the top twenty candidates in the country in the final Comprehensive Examination, 2003
  • M.S.W., University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, 1970
  • B.A., Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, 1968

Teaching, Consulting and Coaching Experience

  • 2004-present, Adjunct Faculty, Capella University School of Business and Technology. Assignments include designing and developing online programs, teaching online courses at the PhD, MS and MBA level, grading doctoral comprehensive examinations, mentoring PhD learners completing their dissertations, serving as a research methodology specialist at doctoral writing retreats and teaching at doctoral colloquia at various venues in the United States. Specific courses taught include:
    • Business ethics (PhD)
    • Business ethics (MS)
    • Ethics in Consulting (MS)
    • Organizational behavior (PhD)
    • Strategy (PhD)
    • Change management (MBA)
    • Ethics for OD consultants (MS)
    • Human Asset Management and Motivation (MS)
  • Over 30 years of experience as adjunct faculty teaching distance and online programs for MBA, undergraduate and continuing education learners for colleges and universities in Canada and   the United States. Subjects have included Business Ethics, Change Management, Organizational Behavior, Strategy, Entrepreneurism, and Leadership. Specifics teaching assignments have included:
    • Centennial College, Toronto Canada 1989-1990: Counseling and Group Dynamics (undergraduate, traditional classroom)
    • Canadian School of Management, Toronto Canada, 1991-1997: Organizational Behavior, International Business (undergraduate and MBA– distance)
    • Touro University International, Cyprus California,  2003-2004 –Ethics, Entrepreneurship, International Business (MBA and undergraduate, online)
    • Wellesley Institute, Toronto Canada 2005-2007—Leadership, Performance Management (continuing education certificate program, traditional classroom supplemented with individual coaching)
    • Ryerson University Toronto Canada 2007-2009 – Non-profit Management  and various courses related to Leadership and Community Based Research (undergraduate and continuing education certificate program, online and traditional classroom)
    • TAPE (Training and Professional Education–affiliated with University of St Michael’s College, University of Toronto) Toronto Canada, 2009-present –courses include: Performance Management, The Basics of Workplace Coaching, Administrative Essentials, The Art of Supervision (continuing education certificate program, traditional classroom)
  • 2005-2007- Design and development of two research projects using dissertation  findings as a model for developing and evaluating a transformative leadership programs for CEO’s and managers in the nonprofit sector
  • Design, development and delivery of online and classroom based learning curricula and education programs in corporate settings including simulations, role-plays, exercises, action learning supports, workbooks, manuals, refresher courses etc.—topics include an extensive variety of management, leadership, and change management issues
  • Development and facilitation of train-the trainer teaching programs, leaders’ guides and coaching sessions
  • Design and development of a full range of training and education materials, including workbooks, training manuals,  self-study guides, job aids and train-the-trainer guides
  • Business coaching of managers and professionals around issues related to performance, stress management and work-and-family balance.
  • Leadership of executive briefings and seminars
  • Key-note speaker at various local and national conferences
  • Development of a variety of publications including academic and professional articles, reports, strategic plans, policy manuals, implementation guidelines, brochures, and advertisements
  • Facilitation of  management, executive and staff problem-solving and strategic planning sessions
  • Successful mediation of workplace conflicts and disputes threatening to compromise completion of major projects, customer service or overall workplace productivity
  • Leadership and collaboration on projects related to change management, strategic organizational communication and training and development
  • Planning, financial administration and project management of multiple-phase projects, in French and English, involving up to 15 professional and support staff, lasting up to three years

Sample Consulting Projects

Citibank
Designed, developed and presented the strategic launch of a “new way of doing business” for corporate senior managers and branch staff from across the United States including:

  • coordinating the input of subject matter experts in business process reengineering, staffing technology and human resources to develop a cohesive change management initiative
  • engaging and building commitment to the project from a range of stakeholders with various agendas
  • designing and developing training tools and written materials to support the initiative
  • collaboration with corporate communications to develop and implement strategic communications that shared and enhanced the corporate vision, in which this project was a critical component
  • planning for ongoing implementation of the change initiative, including ensuring that stakeholders continued to be engaged and that feedback was used for continuous improvement.

Sandwell Engineering Inc.
As part of the ongoing training initiatives of Sandwell College, designed, developed and delivered a customized training program in people management skills for supervisory and management staff for this prestigious international firm of consulting engineers. The program was tailored to meet the particular needs of Sandwell’s  fast–paced environment of professional staff who provide award-winning engineering services in major projects around the world. The program received excellent reviews for its overall quality, relevance and engaging interaction with participants.

The Ontario Ministry of Transportation
Designed, developed and delivered a three phase, nine day program conducted over three months for supervisors of Driver Examination Centres across Ontario. The training was custom-designed for specific needs of participants in this highly regulated and technical environment and integrated fundamentals of leadership, planning, problem solving, and interpersonal communication with core technical and administrative skills specific to the MTO setting. The program was oversubscribed, and received overwhelmingly positive evaluations from participants and their managers for the interactive format, strong, supportive and entertaining facilitation of the training sessions and for the relevance and practical application of program material.

Because of the success of the training, portions of it were used to subsequently design a program for Driver Counsellors across Ontario. This program also received excellent evaluations.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC)
Working with CIBC staff and management at the corporate, regional and branch level, developed and rolled out the change management and training vehicles required to support the implementation of new staffing software for branch managers across the country.

This involved:

  • Consultation with management, branch staff and the project team to develop and refine a new community approach to staffing and scheduling
  • Developing training materials and Leader’s Guides for two distinct phases of training for  branch and community managers: the community-based scheduling and the  staffing software being implemented at  the branch and regional level
  • Ongoing collaboration with CIBC senior management, users and Learning Systems staff to refine the training materials and Leaders Guides, train the facilitators of the training, and develop communication and planning for the piloting and phased rollout across the country.

Economical Mutual Insurance
Designed and implemented a company-wide performance management system including:

  • developing the system
  • designing and developing the training required to implement the system
  • writing workbooks, manuals and job-aids for managers and employees
  • making the program available for French staff
  • developing tools and methods to ensure ongoing vitality and relevance of the system
  • facilitating planning sessions with Executive group.

Management Board Secretariat, Ontario Government
As part of a project team, planned for the implementation of a new program across the province, which involved:

  • working with a team of professionals, senior managers and content experts to explore the implications of the program, design the program launch and develop the supporting documentation
  • developing a commitment-building strategy for implementation, and working with a steering committee of senior managers and technical specialists to deal with resistance to change
  • creating a communication strategy
  • designing and implementing successful training on the new program – the program was quite controversial, highly technical in nature, was offered to a range of technical experts (lawyers, accountants, investigators, communications and HR staff – at the same time) and could last no longer than one day
  • developing methods to ensure smooth program delivery during the initial and maintenance phases of  implementation.

Recent Publications

  • Wall, A. B. (2007) Assessments of the Subject Object Interviews for Participants of the  Inaugural Wellesley Institute Executive Leadership Program: A Report on Findings, unpublished report of findings of a research project in improving cognitive capacity as part of leadership development, The Wellesley Institute, Toronto Canada
  • Wall, A. B. (2007) The Inaugural Offering of the Wellesley Institute Executive Leadership Program: Program  Evaluation, unpublished report of outcomes of a research project in developing leadership capacity, The Wellesley Institute, Toronto Canada
  • Wall, A. B. & Roberts J. (2007). Building leadership capacity – an approach to developing  leadership training with proven outcomes! Canadian Society for Training and Development (CSTD) e-newsletter, December 2007.
  • Daniel, B.-J. & Wall, A. B. (2008). Technology, Collaboration and Difference in Enhanced Leadership Development, in J. Salmons & L. Wilson(Ed.), Handbook of Research on Electronic Collaboration and Organizational Synergy. Hershey PA: IGA Global.
  • Zroback, M. & Wall, A. B. (2008). Building HR Competencies. HR News, January 2008.