FEATURED AUTHOR

Michael A. Couch

President
Michael Couch and Associates Inc.

I like to help businesses grow. I’ve made a career out of improving the performance of organizations, teams and leaders, both as a business executive and as the owner of Michael Couch & Associates, an organization effectiveness consultancy. My unique background in manufacturing operations, business unit management, human resources and organization effectiveness allows me to wear many hats, to collaborate with people throughout a company and to bridge the gap between evidence and practice.

Subjects: Business, Management and Accounting, Neuropsychology

Biography

Michael Couch  has made a career out of improving the effectiveness of organizations, as an internal consultant, a business executive, and now in his own consulting practice.  Starting from a graduate degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, he has over 30 years experience working on a wide range of organization challenges at the team, facility, division and corporate levels, bridging the gap between evidence and practice.
In additional to his talent management and organization effectiveness background, Michael has the unique experience of being the Managing Director for a Strategic Business Unit as well as heading up Order Fufillment including Manufacturing, Customer Service, Materials Management, Production Planning, Inventory Management and Logistics.  He has over 25 years experience with continuous improvement initiatives, from Quality Circles to Lean Six Sigma, and has led company-wide Lean Manufacturing implementations.  He is a Certified Six Sigma Green Belt and Champion.
His expert facilitation skills have been applied to strategic planning, change management, team development, process improvement, project planning and problem solving situations.  Michael is certified in Compression Planning® by The Compression Planning Institute.  He has designed and facilitated sessions of all types – from small teams to groups over 200, from short 1- 2 hour sessions to multi-day events – in a wide variety of industries.
Since its founding in 2007, Michael Couch & Associates Inc. has served over 50 clients in a wide variety of industries, both domestic and global, and for-profit and non-profit.
Michael is the co-author of Strategy-Driven Leadership: The Playbook for Developing Your Next Generation of Leaders be published by Francis & Taylor. He is a regular contributor to business and talent management publications such as the HR Strategic Review, The Linkage Leader, HR Perspectives, TeQ, SHRM OnLine, and Talent Management Magazine.  Michael is a certified Human Capital Strategist by the Human Capital Institute and a Senior Professional in HR by the Society for Human Resources Management.

Education

MA Industrial Organizational Psychology, University of Akron

Areas of Research / Professional Expertise

Strategic Talent Management, Organization Development, Leadership Development, Organizational Culture, Lean Six Sigma, Talent Analytics, High Impact Facilitation

Personal Interests

Vintage car restoration and racing, Land conservation and stewardship, hiking, fly fishing

Websites

Books

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