Consulting Portfolio
Kim Peirano, MSOP
Organizational Psychologist | Culture Diagnostics & Leadership Development
Founder, Integrity Catalyst | Creator, Organizational Ecosystem Model™
Who I am & What I Do
I am an Organizational Psychologist specializing in diagnosing the hidden dynamics that prevent organizations from performing at their potential. I work at the intersection of culture, leadership, and systems — helping leaders understand not just what is broken, but why, and exactly where to intervene for maximum impact.
My approach is grounded in 15+ years of building, leading, and transforming organizations from the inside out — across healthcare, nonprofit, and education sectors — combined with graduate-level research in organizational psychology, destructive leadership, and employee motivation. I bring an insider’s understanding of how coercive and destructive dynamics take hold in organizations and how to disrupt them before they cause lasting damage.
I specialize in three intersecting areas:
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Organizational Culture Diagnostics — using the Organizational Ecosystem Model™ to map and diagnose cultural root causes of performance problems
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Destructive & Coercive Leadership — assessment, prevention frameworks, and intervention strategy
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Neurodiversity & Invisible Illness Inclusion — helping organizations move beyond compliance to genuine operational inclusion
As a neurodivergent practitioner with lived experience of chronic illness, I bring both research rigor and personal insight to this work. I think in systems and see in patterns — which is why I find what’s broken in organizations when others can’t.
Proprietary Frameworks
The Organizational Ecosystem Model™
A comprehensive culture diagnostic that finds what’s driving your organizational problems — and where to intervene.
THE PROBLEM IT SOLVES
Organizations experiencing declining performance, high turnover, disengagement, or communication breakdowns often know something is wrong but can’t diagnose the root cause. Standard surveys give scores, not causality. The Organizational Ecosystem Model™ gives both.
HOW IT WORKS
The model maps organizational culture across interconnected domains — including leadership climate, psychological safety, communication, team dynamics, operational systems, employee wellbeing, and inclusion — and shows how these domains interact with each other. The diagnostic process begins with an intake interview to identify likely problem areas, followed by a modular survey instrument administered to employees. Approximately 50% of the survey metrics are drawn from validated instruments including the Gallup Q12 and Edmondson Psychological Safety Scale; the remainder are original metrics developed for the model.
THE CONCEPT MAP ADVANTAGE
What makes the Organizational Ecosystem Model™ distinctive is the concept map: a visual representation of how the cultural domains interact with and influence each other. This allows the diagnostic to trace causality rather than just surface scores. For example, if an organization scores low on psychological safety and moderate on communication, the concept map shows whether communication patterns are likely driving the safety deficit — and therefore where intervention should begin.
THE OUTPUT
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Comprehensive organizational culture diagnostic report
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Domain-level scores showing strengths and critical gaps
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Concept map analysis identifying causal relationships between domains
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Prioritized intervention roadmap tied to specific business outcomes
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Implementation partnership available for recommended interventions
RESEARCH FOUNDATION
Developed as graduate capstone research, M.S. Organizational Psychology, University of Hartford, 2026. Grounded in organizational culture theory, systems thinking, and validated psychometric research.
The Recession Model of Motivation™
A motivation framework built for economic uncertainty — what actually drives employee engagement when financial security is at stake.
THE PROBLEM IT SOLVES
Most motivation frameworks were developed during periods of relative economic stability and assume a baseline of financial security. In a recession-tracked economy characterized by significant wealth inequality and job insecurity, those frameworks miss the most pressing motivational drivers. The Recession Model of Motivation provides a practical, weighted model for what actually motivates employees when economic conditions are unstable.
THE FOUR MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS
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Sufficient, Secure & Flexible Compensation (40%) — the foundation; pay that is adequate, stable, and not solely performance-contingent
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Autonomy (30%) — employee control over their work, methods, and schedule; undermined by micromanagement
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Transparency & Equity (15%) — organizational fairness in pay, process, and communication
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Shared Meaning & Belonging (15%) — connection to organizational purpose and community, especially critical during high-stress periods
APPLICATION
The model includes a weighted composite scoring system using validated instruments for each motivational factor, producing an RMM Motivation Score that can track employee motivation over time and identify the specific levers most likely to improve engagement in a given workforce. Particularly relevant for organizations navigating layoffs, restructuring, or economic uncertainty.
Case Studies
The following case studies represent organizational challenges I have diagnosed and resolved through my own leadership roles. Each demonstrates applied organizational psychology practice: identifying root causes, designing interventions, and measuring outcomes.
Business Model Turnaround Under Industry Disruption
Organization: Lion’s Heart Acupuncture & Wellness — Oakland, CA Duration: 2010–Present
THE SITUATION
The acupuncture industry faces a 50%+ five-year failure rate. Insurance reimbursement rates declined to the point where taking most plans meant operating at a loss. Marketing spend was high with unclear ROI. The practice was surviving but not thriving, with no clear data-driven direction.
THE DIAGNOSIS
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Revenue model structurally unsustainable under insurance reimbursement collapse
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Marketing resources misallocated to high-visibility, low-conversion channels (press coverage, social media)
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No systematic financial forecasting or performance tracking
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Operational systems not optimized for efficiency or scalability
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THE INTERVENTION
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Diagnosed and executed full transition from insurance-dependent to cash-based revenue model, eliminating billing overhead and stabilizing income
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Conducted systematic marketing ROI analysis; identified SEO-targeted content as highest-converting channel; reallocated resources accordingly
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Developed comprehensive business plan with detailed financial projections and performance metrics
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Implemented AI-assisted content strategy combining SEO optimization with emerging AI search visibility
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Built data tracking systems to monitor client acquisition, retention, and revenue performance
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THE OUTCOMES
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Practice achieved 15+ year sustainability in an industry where most fail within 5 years
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Business plan projections achieved within 2% in first year of restructured model
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Multiple #1 Google rankings achieved across target search terms
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Practice now generating six-figure annual revenue with lean operational overhead
Nonprofit Organization Build from Zero
Organization: The Integrative Healing Institute (501c3) — San Rafael, CA Duration: 2019–2024
THE SITUATION
Continuing education instructors in the acupuncture field were being systematically underpaid by event organizers — receiving flat fees regardless of attendance, with no minimum guarantees. The market had no ethical alternative model. A for-profit CE platform existed but needed transformation into a sustainable, mission-driven structure.
THE DIAGNOSIS
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Market inequity: instructor compensation structures extracted value without fair distribution
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No organizational infrastructure: governance, compliance, and accreditation systems needed to be built from scratch
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Instructor trust deficit due to industry exploitation norms
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Platform capacity needed to scale to justify nonprofit formation costs
THE INTERVENTION
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Designed and implemented an ethical revenue-sharing compensation model with attendance-based pay plus guaranteed minimums
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Executed full nonprofit formation: 501(c)(3) entity formation, board recruitment and governance, state and national accreditation compliance
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Built instructor recruitment pipeline and onboarding system grounded in transparency and trust
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Developed scalable program management infrastructure for in-person, virtual, and hybrid delivery
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Created SOPs, donor tracking, and event systems to support organizational continuity
THE OUTCOMES
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Grew from zero to 12 instructors and 50+ annual educational programs within two years
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Maintained full regulatory compliance and accreditation throughout organizational life
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Made deliberate, structured wind-down decision when growth trajectory did not support long-term sustainability — executing responsible closure with integrity
Event Turnaround & Systems Rebuild
Organization: Coalition on Homelessness — San Francisco, CA Duration: 2025 (Contract)
THE SITUATION
The 25th Annual Art Auction — the organization’s primary fundraising event — was inherited in a state of significant disorganization. Artist and vendor relationships had been strained by prior years’ mismanagement. No reliable documentation, systems, or continuity infrastructure existed.
THE DIAGNOSIS
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Relationship damage with key stakeholders required active repair before operational work could begin
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Absence of project management infrastructure creating execution risk
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Volunteer team lacked clear roles, accountability structures, and coordination systems
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No documentation for continuity or institutional knowledge transfer
THE INTERVENTION
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Conducted stakeholder relationship repair through direct outreach, transparency, and consistent follow-through
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Built end-to-end project management system from scratch; created inventory tracking, volunteer coordination, and donor management workflows
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Cultivated and managed relationships with 90+ artists and community donors
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Created comprehensive SOPs and event documentation for future continuity
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Directed 30-person volunteer team with clear role definitions and real-time coordination
THE OUTCOMES
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Successful execution of 25th Annual Art Auction as a donor-centric, community-driven event
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Strained relationships with artists and vendors repaired; positive feedback from key stakeholders
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Organizational systems and SOPs created for the first time, enabling future event continuity
Research & Academic Work
Optimizing ADHD Talent in Remote & Hybrid Workplaces (2025-current)
SHINE Lab, University of Hartford
Qualitative research study examining how hybrid and remote work environments can be designed to optimize the performance, wellbeing, and retention of employees with ADHD. Responsibilities include study design, survey development, codebook development, and thematic analysis. Findings will contribute to evidence-based frameworks for neurodivergent-inclusive workplace design.
Capstone Research: The Organizational Ecosystem Model™ (2026)
University of Hartford, M.S. Organizational Psychology. Developed a comprehensive organizational culture assessment framework integrating validated psychometric instruments with original metrics to diagnose the cultural root causes of organizational underperformance. The model’s concept map approach enables causal analysis of how cultural domains interact and influence organizational outcomes.
Mitigating Destructive Leadership in the Workplace (2025)
A synthesis of six peer-reviewed studies examining how organizational context, culture, and power dynamics enable or suppress destructive leadership. Key findings: destructive leadership is a ‘crime of opportunity’ enabled by organizational context; two organizational archetypes (authoritarian and laissez-faire) create the conditions in which it thrives. Produced a multi-pronged evidence-based prevention framework centered on organizational context, transformational leadership, and employee self-esteem development. Presented at the International Cultic Studies Association Annual Conference, 2026.
The Recession Model of Motivation™ (2025)
An original motivational framework addressing the gap in existing motivation theory during economic downturns. Synthesizes Maslow’s Hierarchy, Self-Determination Theory, Equity Theory, and current economic data to produce a weighted, measurable model of employee motivation during recession-tracked economic conditions. Includes a validated composite scoring methodology.
Anti-Fat Bias and Discrimination in Hiring Decisions (2024)
A literature review examining the prevalence and impact of weight-based hiring discrimination across five countries. Key findings: overweight women must apply to 37% more jobs to receive equivalent callbacks; discrimination is most severe at initial hiring and diminishes with increased familiarity over time; the primary predictor of discriminatory behavior is a personal fear of becoming fat rather than job-related factors. Contributes to the broader body of work on invisible and stigmatized characteristics in workplace inclusion.
