Michael  Bremer Author of Evaluating Organization Development
FEATURED AUTHOR

Michael Bremer

Executive Director Chicagoland Lean Enterprise Consortium
The Cumberland Group

Still learning about how organizations can improve more effectively. Hope to continue doing so until I fully retire, which may or may not happen some day. If leaders could experience helping others to improve the way they do work, they would quickly learn this is an exhilarating experience. You literally watch people grow before your eyes. It is absolutely the greatest! Leaders fear of 'loss of control' but letting go results in more effective outcomes. This dos not equal irresponsible

Biography

Management Consulting Services, Public Firms (20+ years)
Fortune 30 Multi-National Conglomerate - Beatrice Companies, Inc. (12 years)
Originally learned about productivity improvement studying under the guidance of Dr. W. Edwards Deming, Joseph Juran and Phil Crosby (the measurement guy…not the Comedian)

Currently divide my time into four quadrants:
1. President Cumberland Group – a consulting organization established in 1991; that works with leadership teams to assess the effectiveness of internal improvement initiatives and co-leads internal process improvement teams working on critical organizational projects (teams that typically were previously launched, but are struggling to accomplish their objectives)
2. Executive-Director - Chicagoland Lean Enterprises Consortium a group of Chicago area companies seeking to learn from one another on how to more effectively improve
3. The Association of Manufacturing Excellence where he has served on the national board and currently is Chairman of the AME Manufacturing Excellence Awards Council
4. Family – which probably should be first on this list….

Previous positions include:
Adjunct Senior Engagement Manager for Motorola
Director of Information Systems - Beatrice Foods (Fortune 30 Company)
Manager Productivity/Quality - Beatrice Foods
Manager Special Financial Projects - Beatrice Foods
Public Accounting 4 years

Education and Professional Affiliations:
B.S. in Business University of Missouri - St. Louis. Vice President and Board Member Association Manufacturing Excellence, Past Board Member Strategic Leadership Institute.  Certified Master Black Belt (Motorola), Certified Bronze Level Lean (AME/SME), Certified Management Consultant (CMC) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA).  

Education

    University of Missouri - St. Louis

Areas of Research / Professional Expertise

    Average vs. Elite organizational performance
    Improvement effectiveness

Personal Interests

    During my free time enjoy traveling with my wife Lynn (30+ years), brand new Grandfather…for the first time.  Lynn and I also try to hike in the mountains at least once per year, ski and hit the water in our new kayaks.

Websites

Books

Featured Title
 Featured Title - Escape the Improvement Trap - 1st Edition book cover

Videos

AME Interview on Improvement

Published: Aug 02, 2012

Why it is important to focus on people when trying to improve organizational performance.