Psychologist helps companies improve the bottom line

“Companies can become more competitive and profitable by getting the best out of their most valuable asset – their employees,” claims Dr. Mario Alonso, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Metropolitan Consultation Associates, Allentown.  “Work is usually our primary life activity and employees want to be productive. However, work must have a purpose, whether you are on the assembly line or on the executive team”.

Dr. Alonso is a psychologist and psychoanalyst. He has logged over 50,000 hours in training and experience working with individuals, couples, and organizations. He founded his group in 1981 to provide employee assistance programs to area companies. Employers saw the benefits of a program whose purpose was to keep personal conflicts at home from affecting work performance. However, the reverse is also true. An employee’s frustrations at work can seep into the home life to the point where the employee feels he has to decide between the job and his family. Costs due to employee termination or resignation often reach 1½ times the employee’s annual salary. You want to keep your employees.

In the 1990’s Alonso decided that working more directly with management had a greater impact on the organization as well as on larger numbers of employees. Strategizing with HR and senior executives on how to approach a key employee or an entire department to accomplish the company’s business objectives is challenging and rewarding.

Companies ask Alonso to work with talented executives who are floundering or under-performing due to “blind spots” in their personality or interpersonal skills. Alonso’s mission is to prevent the executive’s “career derailment” and get him/her back on track. Executives can also be worked with to enhance their effectiveness through “leadership development” programs.

Dr. Alonso has been asked to develop courses that aim to train leaders. The goal is to have participating managers learn about the complexities of human behavior and question their belief systems on to how to motivate employees. The end result is managers who are motivated to carry the company mission and are able to spread collaboration throughout the organization.

Many of Alonso’s clients come to him for private executive coaching. “This is not the ideal. It’s much more effective for the company to be directly involved.” However, individuals seen privately are able to improve their leadership skills and apply them anywhere they go.

Alonso states that much of what interferes with organizational effectiveness is “conflict in key corporate dyads”. “Basically, this occurs when two key people don’t get along and gum up the works. It could be a CEO and a CFO, a manager and an essential direct report, or very often, a father and son in a family owned business.” Alonso states that many of the techniques and principles he uses in his marital therapy work are applicable to these tricky corporate situations. Again, successful intervention translates into an improved bottom line for the organization.

Dr. Alonso believes there is a tremendous need for the application of psychology in business. In addition to the above, a consulting psychologist can help with best-fit hiring of employees, including executive searches. He can help with new employee assimilation, team building, serve as an objective, external sounding board to decision-makers, and provide ongoing consultation to HR.

Alonso’s business philosophy is that “employees are the primary source that can provide a competitive edge in today’s business climate. Successful organizations will be those that can harness their human potential and convert it into creativity, loyalty, and Synergy – the sharing of a common goal”.

Dr. Mario Alonso is a member of the American Psychological Association, Pennsylvania Psychological Association, Society for Organizational Learning, Society of Human Resource Management,  American Society for Training and Development, and other professional organizations.

Dossier:

Address: 1727 Jonathan Street, Allentown, PA 18104
Phone: 610-437-2277 Fax: 610-437-4094
Product or service: Psychological Consultation.
Market area: Eastern Pennsylvania
Key executive: Dr. Mario Alonso, Ph.D.
Ownership: Private
Year established: 1981
Number of employees: four

Dr. Mario Alonso believes that enlisting the expertise of consulting psychologists makes companies and their employees more effective.
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