Michael R Goodman is an internationally recognized speaker, author, and practitioner in the fields of Systems Thinking, Organizational Learning and Change, and Leadership. Michael Goodman’s main focus is transferring the learning disciplines into organizations to sustain their capacity for learning and change. He also helped create many of the innovations in the field of Systems Thinking that has made it more accessible to organizational leaders.
Mr. Goodman draws on over 35+ years of expertise to create curriculum, lead courses and training in the arena of organizational learning and change, and help clients (both for profit as well as nonprofit) apply systems approaches to their critical organizational issues. He has published widely, authoring one of the first textbooks in the field, Study Notes in Systems Dynamics, and serving as the primary contributor to the Systems Thinking chapter in the acclaimed Fifth Discipline Fieldbook by Peter M Senge. Michael has also contributed numerous articles to The Dance of Change and Schools that Learn. He also contributed to the recently published Systems Thinking for Social Change by David Stroh. He also has published a variety of articles on applying systems thinking as well as system dynamics in areas from culture change to health care.
Michael Goodman has been designing and leading leadership development programs around the globe for many years. Among his current clients are the The Nature Conservancy, World Bank Group, IMF, Asia Development Bank, ReThink Health, Northwestern Mutual, British Petroleum, and the New Zealand Leadership Development Center. Other clients include Seagate Corporation, Caterpillar Corporation, EMC Corporation, Boeing, and Saudi Aramco Oil. Michael also has extensive experience using web based (online) technology for teaching and coaching. He also led the development of a web-based Systems Thinking course based on his course, Systems Thinking: A Language for Learning & Action.
Mr. Goodman is currently the Principal and Founder at Innovation Associates Organizational Learning as well as co-founder of Applied Systems Thinking (www.appliedsystemsthinking.com). From 1985-2002 he served as an Associate Director and head of the Systems Thinking practice at Innovation Associates, founded by Peter M. Senge and author of the Fifth Discipline books. From 1983-1985, Michael was an Assistant Professor at Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the Graduate School of Education. He is also an adjunct professor at Texas A&M University and has taught systems thinking at South Dakota State University. He also had worked closely with ReThink Health focused on health dynamics modeling.
Mr. Goodman received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University in 1970, and he holds masters degrees in Mechanical Engineering (1972) and Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1974). His thesis advisor at M.I.T. was Jay W. Forrester, founder of the System Dynamics field.
A web site he shares with colleague David Stroh can be found at www.appliedsystemsthinking.com