Edie and Charlie Seashore, pioneers of organizational change Pierre Wack, pioneer of scenario planning

The Age of Heretics


A History of the Radical Thinkers
Who Reinvented Corporate Management

This was originally going to be a history of who invented “shared vision.” I thought it would take a year to write and the story would go back to 1973. It took 8 years and told the story of radical change in the corporate world, going back to 1935 — or much earlier. Self-managing teams, organizational change, scenario planning, corporate social responsibility—they all have histories. People created them, took a stand to work with people in humane ways, and often risked their careers. This is their story. It goes from Kurt Lewin to Tom Peters and W. Edwards Deming. Along the way there are feuds, psychedelics, conmen, breakdowns, spiritual awakenings and engineers turned social innovators.

Published in 1996 and reissued in 2008 as a Warren Bennis book, it uses a storyteller’s voice to explain how business operates. It introduced me to great management thinkers and compassionate, compelling people, and made me appreciate how much power there is in understanding the ways of work.

A heretic is someone who sees a truth that contradicts the conventional wisdom of their culture — and remains loyal to both the truth and the culture.

The Age of Heretics History of the radical thinkers who revolutionized corporate management

I devoured your Age of Heretics book many years ago.  There is so much that we have known about how to make organizations operate better that we continue to not apply.  I've been applying all I can in the organizations I've been a part of and now I'm starting my own company to create more change agents who can apply these insights and drive change.  I just wanted to personally thank you for the role you've had in helping me help people worldwide succeed. - April K. Mills

Take a minute to write an introduction that is short, sweet, and to the point.

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.