Over a year ago I became interested in a PhD in accounting program. I extensively researched all available programs and scholarships which ultimately led me to abandon my aspirations of earning a PhD in accounting. Scholarship-based programs don’t have remote/online study options and I wasn’t going to move my entire family for the sake of earning a PhD. Ultimately, I decided to pursue a master’s degree in organization development and change management at Penn State University. This was the best decision that I could have made. Organization development often reminds me of audit work. For example, gaining an understanding of an organization, its processes, procedures, etc. is very similar to gaining an understanding of an entity and its environment that auditors must grasp.
In addition to professional facilitation and training services that I’ve been offering for over a year, I began offering organization development and change management services to audit firms. As a CPA and former auditor, I have situational awareness and understanding of how audit firms operate as well as challenges that so many firms are currently facing. The most exciting news is that in 2023, I will be offering these services to non-profit organizations.
One of the biggest challenges that accounting firms are facing today is staffing. I wrote about innovative ways to address the current staffing crisis in the VSCPA Disclosures magazine. The issue of staffing in accounting firms is multi-layered and very complex. While outsourcing and offshoring can temporarily solve staffing issues, not all firms can implement these types of solutions. We must seek and implement more long-term solutions for sustained success. This is where organization development and change management comes in.
Looking back at 2022, I’m grateful for the opportunity to shift my focus from technical accounting to providing research-based organization and change management insights and contributing to the accounting profession in a different way. I’m also grateful for opportunities to help transform more firms and organizations in the upcoming year.
Are you ready for your transformational change in 2023?
Happy New Year!
Natalya Yashina
Founder and CEO