Robert J. Marshak

Robert J. Marshak is Senior Scholar in Residence for the AU/NTL Master of Science in Organization Development Program at the School of Public Affairs, American University, Washington, DC, and maintains a global consulting practice specializing in organizational change. Bob is a professional member of NTL Institute for Applied Behavioral Science and has served as Acting Editor of the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science and as Vice-Chair of the NTL Board of Directors. Among his many honors and awards, he received the Organization Development Network’s Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field of organization development as a consultant, educator, and author. Bob was born and lives in the United States.

His consulting practice has included organizational consulting, coaching, and executive development assignments in Brazil, Canada, Korea, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Mexico, India, Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Over the years, Bob has worked with thousands of participants in OD and change leadership programs at NTL Institute, American University, Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University, University of Texas at Dallas, US National Labor College, Korea University, Singapore Training and Development Association, and the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota.

For NTL Institute he designed and served as Dean for residential workshops in conflict management, organizational change, and dealing with covert processes. He has also served as Dean for NTL Certificate programs in Organization Development and Change Management conducted in Korea, Singapore, and India. Bob is widely recognized for his pioneering work on covert processes in organizational change, East Asian change philosophy, the use of metaphors and symbolic meaning in organizational change, and as a thought leader in the field of organization development.

Dr. Marshak earned his Ph.D. from American University, Washington, DC and his undergraduate degree from Duke University. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Covert Processes at Work: Managing the Five Hidden Dimensions of Organizational Change (2006, Berrett-Koehler Publishers) as well as a number of articles that have been recognized as classics in their field, including: “Managing the Metaphors of Change” (1993, Organizational Dynamics), “Lewin Meets Confucius: A Re-view of the OD Model of Change” (1993, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science), and “The Tao of Change” (1994, OD Practitioner).

Email: rmarshak@ntl.org