Praise for The Axelrod Group

"We replaced our stalled change effort, marked by employee withdrawal and resentment, with an Axelrod-coached effort, driven by employee commitment and enthusiasm. The tangible results of this change? Twenty-six supply-chain improvement projects went into high gear, which have netted us millions of dollars in savings. From working with The Axelrod Group, I've learned that when people put their own thumbprint on a change process, selling them on the benefits of the process isn't necessary. They own the work."

Joe Aresto, Director of Supply Chain Management, Detroit Edison

"The Axelrod Group approach is not for the weak of heart. Trusting in the wisdom of your organization takes courage. The results, however, are worth it: deep, sustainable performance improvement delivered by a committed workforce."

Meta Dooley, Vice President, Strategic Development & Business Planning MultiCare Health System

"For the past five years, we have been able to reverse a downward performance trend, and have gotten back to an average annual growth rate of 18 percent. Much of our success is due to The Axelrod Group's Conference Model® approach. It not only works, but it complements our other management and leadership tools as well."

Mike Freeman, Hewlett-Packard

"I chose Dick and Emily Axelrod's Conference Model® approach, not only because I wanted to get everyone in the organization involved, but because I was also eager to try out that model. I believe it to be the most innovative technology I have seen in our field."

Barbara Feldman, Manager, Organizational Development, Corning

"I am impressed with Dick Axelrod's directness and honesty. People learn as a result of being in his presence and watching him work with others."

Helen Lingham, Manager, Leadership and Organization Development
Fraser Health Authority, Canada

"I'm lucky. I learned from Dick Axelrod while he sculpted Terms of Engagement, and had the distinct pleasure of using his concepts to guide my work with large groups, as well as to partner with Dick as Empire started on it's quest to be a successful e-business. Now when I have a roomful of bright people, I know how to draw upon their collective wisdom to create better solutions than any of us could have conceived individually. Using Dick's engagement principles, voices emerge, direction takes root, and behavior changes right away."

Scott Gassman, Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield

Praise for Terms of Engagement

"If you are in the business of attempting to shift a culture or change the direction or the organization, this book is important."

Peter Block, author of "Stewardship and The Answer to How is Yes"

"By implementing Dick Axelrod's change principles and practices, our engineering team has a renewed vision for working together and a real hope for a brighter future. His engagement model is now a fundamental part of our people plan and the way we address significant change."

Hank Queen, VP Engineering and Product Integrity,
Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

"Dick Axelrod is among the best there is when it comes to bringing together people from across silos and hierarchies, so they can make significant organizational contributions. In Terms of Engagement, Dick makes his rare wisdom available to us all. If you want your business strategy to be more than bright words on paper, heed his book's lessons."

Peter Koestenbaum, author of "Freedom, Choice, and Accountability"
and "The Philosophic Consultant"

"I have seen these ideas in action. This is the field book of Change tools and techniques!"

Charlotte Roberts, co-author, with Peter Senge, of "The Fifth Discipline Field Book" and "The Dance of Change"

"[Axelrod] provides the reader an opportunity to become an active participant in a different kind of change: the change that will energize and organization to new levels of performance and satisfaction."

Rich Teerlink, former Chairman, Harley-Davidson

"We know a lot about engaging brains and brawn in the workplace, but we are just beginning to understand what it means to engage the whole person – brains, brawn, imagination, spirit, and common sense. Dick Axelrod's personal story and practical insights take us to a deeper place. Thank you for this tremendous contribution."

Sandra Janoff, Ph.D, co-author of Future Search
Co-Director, Future Search Network

"Terms of Engagement provides people with tools for learning and collaborating, as they work towards a common purpose."

Hugh McLeod, acting CEO, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority

"Over the years, I've learned a great deal from Dick Axelrod about how to truly engage people in creating real organizational change. The learnings in this book are essential for us to understand in these times of relentless change."

Margaret J. Wheatley, author of "Leadership and the New Science"
and co-author of "A Simpler Way"

"The new 'engagement paradigm' that Axelrod challenges us to embrace is effectively demonstrated in numerous real-life examples – enhanced by guiding principles, graphics, and summaries at the end of each chapter. This is a 'must' book for anyone leading organizational change."

Billie T. Alban and Barbara Benedict Bunker
co-authors of "Large Group Interventions"

"A 'Must Read' for those involved in change."

Business Executive