Welcome to Duke's Blog!

A little about me and this site. I am a professor of sociology at the Evergreen State College in Washington State. For the last 20 years I helped organizations develop, implement and evaluate strategic plans.

From the beginning I wanted to work with a diverse clientele because I wanted to learn as much about organizations as I can. I've been fortunate enough to work in the private, public and non-profit sectors.

The diversity in experience has allowed me to develop a comprhesive understanding of what businesses, agencies and associations are all about and what it takes to help them move to higher levels of performance. Along the way I've developed some effective tools for analyzing organizations' capabilities, strategic options and critical success factors.

Never one to pass up a challenge, I was drawn to organizations where there are strong differences of opinion as to where they were going and how they could get there. I discovered a talent for finding a shared vision out of disagreement. I learned how to leverage diversity in opinion and background as a strength for organizational development.

I'm proud that my clients introduce me as "a friend of the organization," because that's exactly what I am: someone who cares about the welfare of an organization and all those who are part of it. I set out to build organizations that are satifying to all who come into contact with them, be they shareholders, employees or customers and I am proud of the portfolio of agencies, associations and businesses who are more effective and efficient because they used my processes.