Kathleen D. Dannemiller: Unleashing the Magic in Organizations

Abstract

This chapter discusses the life and career of Kathleen (Kathie) D. Dannemiller, a gifted teacher and one of the most respected consultants of her era. It takes the reader on Kathie’s journey from the influences of her early life as the daughter of a union organizer to the pursuit of her PhD the year prior to her death in 2003. The reader will learn that Kathie saw herself as an action researcher by training and belief and the impact that this orientation had on the groundbreaking practices that she pioneered. Kathie was the first to facilitate large groups in an interactive process that got real work done. The largest of her career, a meeting of over 2,000, successfully moved an automotive industry giant closer to its vision of the future. Her passionate, engaging, and direct style profoundly affected many people, from presidents of large complex organizations to front line workers, both by what she said and did and the way she listened and encouraged them to discover their own new ways to move forward. The chapter lays out the underlying values of her work while honoring those that went before her and those that partnered with her in the firm she and Chuck Tyson created, Dannemiller Tyson Associates. Kathie and her partners developed new models and processes that are now used by thousands of leaders and consultants around the world. The chapter closes with tributes to her life and her work from many of those worldwide clients and consultants who attribute much of their success to what they learned from this amazing woman.

All authors are current or former partners of Dannemiller Tyson Associates and worked closely with Kathie prior to her retirement. Collectively they knew and worked with Kathie for 97 years.

All models and quotes in this chapter are used with permission.