Improving culture in business has been a soft and subjective topic until now. Rob and Aviva Kleinbaum have used Lawrence Harrison s 30-year study of successful cultures as the foundation for a powerful and logical framework for analyzing and improving business culture.
Building on this research and integrating the work of others, the Kleinbaums have developed a conceptual model that is useful, based on data, and testable against experience. There are symptoms and metrics for the cultural ills that reveal problems before they grow overpowering. They suggest reasonable and doable treatment plans that attack the symptoms and root causes. There is a workable plan for getting started and integrating cultural management into the existing organization, without adding bureaucracy or overhead.
Culture matters. Everyone knows that. But now something can be done about it.
Rob Kleinbaum, founder of RAK & Co, has over 30 years experience working in industry and consulting. He has worked on a wide variety of projects in many industries and countries. A common theme is problems rooted in multiple issues and culture. His wife and partner, Aviva, has always understood the importance of culture and their debates, along with his experience, started them on the road that led to Creating A Culture of Profitability.
Quoted extensively in the global press, Dr. Kleinbaum has been featured on NPR, MSNBC, BBC, the LA Times, Reuters, Asahi Shimbun, and has been quoted by David Brooks in the New York Times. He is on the Executive Committee of the Cultural Change Institute and is a Fellow and former Board member of the Society of Decision Professionals.
Dr. Kleinbaum was also a partner at Strategic Decisions Group, a major global consulting company, and an executive and founder of General Motors Decision Support Center, a leading internal consulting company. He received a PhD in Economics from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he was also a Research Scientist and Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics. Rob also has a BA in Sociology from the University of Michigan.
Aviva Kleinbaum, a Director at RAK & Co, has 15 years experience in consulting and leadership coaching. Her work focuses in executive coaching and creating cultural and organization changes that drive major business improvements. Ms. Kleinbaum helps people develop the abilities they need to become successful leaders and valued team members. Aviva s clients have been in the fields of law, marketing, services, and manufacturing, in the United States and internationally.
Aviva has been personal coach to several human resources vice presidents, working on interpersonal relations, cultural diversity, conflict management, and on integrating corporate culture into new strategic directions. Ms. Kleinbaum is a psychotherapist by training. Aviva has been Director of Clinical Programs for two psycho-therapy clinics and was in private practice for many years. She holds a Bachelor and Master of Social Work degrees from University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and is a Certified Clinical Psychotherapist. She is speaks three languages and has been a public lecturer on change and culture. Aviva was an Adviser to the Israeli Parliament Subcommittee on Defusing Cultural Differences. She is also an accomplished artist.
