Joel P.               Henning

oel has been engaged in complex long-term organizational change efforts for almost 30 years. His work spans a broad range of organizations from public schools systems facing desegregation to large corporations reinventing their future in the face of changing marketplaces and competition. Among his clients are Levi-Strauss, Equitable, Met-Life, Sandia Labs, Ford, Bank of America, Stanford University, Knight-Ridder Inc. and Chase Bank.

Early in his career, Joel was involved in the desegregation and merger of the Louisville and Jefferson County, Kentucky School Districts. Later Joel worked extensively with Levi-Strauss. This work focused on the transition issues created as the leadership of the organization underwent change and constructing survival strategies for domestic production plants facing stiff offshore competition.

Joel also consulted with Sandia Laboratories at the conclusion of the Cold War helping them face an uncertain future in a profoundly altered world. Joel worked with Sandia to implement a dramatically altered mission in this changed world.

More recently, Joel worked with Knight-Ridder Inc. in pursuing changes, which increased the capacity of their newspapers to survive and prosper in the rapidly changing marketplace with ever increasing and diverse competition.

Joel's work is guided by the viewpoint that an organization's capacity to navigate change and succeed is determined by its willingness to develop individuals through the intentional distribution of power - business literacy, choice, purpose and accountability.

He recently authored The Future of Staff Groups: Daring to Distribute Power and Capacity published by Berrett-Koehler.

(continue) James Showkeir