(BOSTON, MA – January 19, 2011) Interaction Associates, a 40-year innovator in organizational leadership and collaboration, has named IA veteran and senior consultant Jamie Harris to the position of chairman of the firm’s Board of Directors. Harris’ appointment is for a two-year term.
Boston and San Francisco-based IA specializes in helping clients develop a new type of dynamic leader — the facilitative leader — a strategic, self-aware and collaborative leader who is deeply grounded in methods and skills that promote employee engagement, trust and performance.
“Jamie’s appointment as Chairman comes at a great time for this firm, especially with the popularity and growing demand for facilitative leadership skills,” said Linda Dunkel, President and CEO of Interaction Associates. “We’re innovators in building facilitative leadership skills and organizational cultures to support them. Jamie is uniquely gifted in using facilitative leadership development to address client challenges,” added Dunkel.
Since joining IA in 1998, Harris has specialized in organizational leadership, executive team facilitation, change leadership consulting, and the design and delivery of related learning and development services.
“More and more organizations value leaders with the unique capacity to engage others in solving complicated and challenging problems collaboratively, which yields greater employee commitment and discretionary effort,” said Jamie Harris. “That’s the essence of facilitative leadership — and IA is the global leader in helping clients grow organizational cultures in which facilitative leadership can flourish,” Harris said.
Harris has consulted with a broad range of clients in his role at IA, including F. Hoffman-La Roche, Wells Fargo Mortgage, Shell Exploration and Development, Sun Micro Systems, Siebel Systems, Genentech, American Century Investments, Chevron-Texaco, AutoDesk, Inc., Pacific Gas & Electric Co., California State Automobile Association, Intuit, Pfizer, Inc., The Bank of Hawaii, and United Airlines. In the public sector, he has provided strategic planning and organizational change consulting services and/or training for departments of Santa Clara County, CA, Contra Costa County, CA., the City of Lafayette, CA., the Defense Distribution Agency of the Department of Defense, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, and the nationwide non-profit environmental law firm Earth Justice.
Harris has served as a “management mentor” for the Harvard Business School Publishing “Manage Mentor” series volume on giving and receiving feedback (2003) and has published articles in “Executive Excellence” magazine (co-author with David Straus) (Jan. 2003) and the e-magazine “HR.com” (Apr. and May, 2004). He is the author (with David Straus) of “Theory in Action: Building Collaboration in a County Public Agency,” Chap. 17, in Creating a Culture of Collaboration, International Association of Facilitators Handbook, Sandy Shuman, Ed., 2006. He has also published articles on sailboat maintenance and improvement in various sailing magazines.
Harris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Yale University with a B.A. in Political Science and Economics and earned his J.D. from Yale Law School. Harris lives in Lafayette, California with his wife and has three grown children. In spare time he fly fishes for trout, plays jazz trombone, and sails a sloop on San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
Harris replaces IA veteran Marybeth Tahar as chair of the board, a role Tahar held for the past eight years. “We’re grateful for Marybeth’s leadership on the board during an important time for the firm, and especially her role in shepherding the company’s transition to employee-owned status and the creation of the IA ESOP,” said Linda Dunkel. “Marybeth’s a vital ambassador for the IA brand and an important client engagement leader expanding IA’s impact in the world,” added Dunkel.
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About Interaction Associates
Interaction Associates is a 40-year innovator in advanced methods for developing Facilitative Leaders, the exemplary and unique talent within organizations possessing advanced skills in self awareness, strategic thinking, and with a unique capacity to engage others. Facilitative Leaders are adept at addressing complex, interconnected business issues that feature multiple business variable and impact numerous stakeholders. IA has offices in Boston and San Francisco. More info is at: www.interactionassociates.com
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