Ken Craddock

Senior Fellow of the Global Organization
Design Society, and the society's Bibliographer,                                   
Research Advisory and
Member of the Editorial Board

formerly Columbia University
City College of New York

Kenneth Craddock was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Society’s world conference, Designing the Smarter Organization, July 31st to August 5th, 2014 at Palisades, New York. GO Society officers, Don Fowke, Chairman, Ken Shepard, President, and George Weber, Secretary and Treasurer, presented the award  and read the following citation:

“It is a great honor to be able to present the first Global Organization Lifetime Achievement Award to Ken Craddock.  These awards are given to recognize unique achievements beyond what is normally expected, reflect consistent effort over a period of time, and are often - but not always - done within a volunteer framework when the recognizing organization cannot possibly compensate the individual for what he or she has accomplished.  These criteria describe Ken’s contribution well. 

An accessible body of research and experience is fundamental for the success of any new discipline.  It is the generative factor that stimulates interest and new research – and attracts attention when new courses are designed in universities.  It is especially critical for requisite organization.  

In 2000, Ken Craddock recognized this need and set about to build that foundation.  Since then, he has developed and written 6 editions of the Requisite Organization Annotated Bibliography. The document has grown from 194 pages in 2002 to 2,219 pages in 2014.  Each edition includes an introductory essay describing the development of the fundamental concepts and their spread both globally and intellectually.  The RO Annotated Bibliography has provided a grundrisse for researchers, teachers, advocates, and students of RO and practice cases for businesses.  It is a unique record of the past and a powerful springboard to stimulate future growth.

Ken has also been a teacher, counselor, and advisor.  His thesis,  Requisite Leadership: A Model of Organization Effectiveness, was written on RO at Columbia University in 2002.  He has advocated for coursework on RO, both teaching and developing curricula at the graduate, undergraduate, and at high school levels. He has been an adviser and mentor to graduates on their dissertations, theses, and studies – often as an uncompensated resource in response to their solicitation.

He has developed a movie series as an aid in the classroom to introduce RO concepts at these levels and as an introduction to business. He has written an online series of articles on RO, leadership, cognitive and work levels, and hoshin kanri. He has contributed chapters and articles, and to books, as writer, editor, friend, and critic.

In essence, over more than a decade, he has invested himself in building the essential publicly-available resource that all professional organizations must have, and in facilitating the work of others as they draw on that resource. By this Lifetime Achievement Award, we congratulate and thank him for that work."

{mp3remote}https://s3.amazonaws.com/govideos/Owen+Jacobs.mp3{/mp3remote}

I am really honoured to be a part of Ken’s award ceremony.

I have known him for several years as a result of our mutual R.O. work.

During that time his A.B. has grown from a pretty useful resource
to an almost overwhelming compilation of R.O. history and experience.
It is just really an extraordinary storehouse of information and wisdom.

Every great civilization and every recognized science stands on a foundation of compiled wisdom and experience. Those foundations eliminate the need for rediscovery of the past and they free up the energy and imagination that we need to grow and improve. It is just really hard to imagine progress without them.

Ken’s discipline and devotion to his work have given us just such a foundation --it’s a magnificent foundation.

Ken, thank you very much. I wish I could be there with you to enjoy this moment.

- Owen Jacobs

"Ken's creation and continual updating of
the Requisite Organization Annotated
Bibliography is both a Herculean task and
a labor of love. He has added immeasurably
to the body of knowledge, which is much
more extensive than most of us would have
imagined. His work demonstrates a strong
foundation that will be the basis for future
development. His painstaking methodology
is a model to which other fields can aspire.
We owe him a debt of gratitude for his
unique and significant contribution." 
- Ron Capelle

"There are few people who have made a more
significant contribution to the chronicling and
development of this powerful Body of Knowledge
than Ken. So from all of us at Bioss, this is a simple
and deeply respectful thank you."
- Robbie Stamp

{mp3remote}https://s3.amazonaws.com/govideos/Jerry+Gray.mp3{/mp3remote}

If you look at the work that Ken has done, it is obviously monumental.
The depth and the breadth of the research he has done has been
a major contribution to the area.

To me though, I think his greatest contribution has been in the narrative
that he has written around it which shows all the links between R.O.
and the other – so called popular - theories of management

For many years it was thought that R.O. stood on its own and had a fence
built around it. Yet when Ken did his work, he showed all the other works
in the field of management that had clear ties to the work of Elliott Jaques
and Wilfred Brown and others - even though they weren’t explicitly there.
To me that is probably the major contribution Ken has made, amongst the others.

So I offer Ken my sincere congratulations and thanks for all he has done for
this very important field.

- Jerry Gray

"One of the constant criticisms of RO over
the years was that it stood apart from other
theories of organization. Although RO was
certainly antithetical to some of the alchemy
and "flavor of the month" approaches, much
of it was consistent with mainstream organization
theory...and in many instances, added a significant
conceptual framework to existing practices. It took
Ken's work to establish this. The depth and breadth
of his research showed that RO was not an island
and was, in fact, being used in research and practice
much more than had been known. Ken's work has
moved RO beyond the "star syndrome" that limited
its perceived relevance to theory and practice, to
one that is more open to different approaches and
interpretations. To become a major force in organization
theory, RO must be inclusive of complementary and
different approaches. Thank you Ken, for the work
you have done and for moving RO in the direction
it needed." - Jerry Gray
 

"With great persistence and focus, layered
onto a platform of humor and with an enormous
sense of responsibility you took on a monumental
"task" that ensures no one will ever think of RO
as some little quirky body of knowledge. Each
and every RO consultant globally is indebted to you."
- Cynsie Kraines 

"Ken has selflessly given his time and energy to
amass and document all that is Requisite Organization.
I appreciate his perseverance and diligence."
- Michelle Malay Carter

"In the area of human endeavour which we can call
'organising', our ability to get work done needs to be
supported by reliable, repeatable knowledge, yet we
continue to be inundated with "magical thinking" which
distracts from compelling and plausible truths.  Ken
Craddock's work is concerned exactly with finding and
recording the work of others who have been searching
for plausible truths.  Their important work could have
too easily been overlooked, but for Ken's persistent
dedication and clear focus for this body of work."
-Barry Deane

"Ken has made a continuous and significant
contribution to the practice of RO and our
Society. His work will always be a cornerstone
of what we are trying to achieve and we will
forever in his debt." - George Weber

"Ken Craddock has done yeoman work in
detailing extant references to Requisite
Organization, Work Levels, Stratified Systems
and Elliott Jaques. This effort, which is truly a
life work, will serve this vitally important field
of science-based management for generations
to come. Thank you, Ken!" - Nancy R. Lee 

"As well as being the font of all RO history,
Ken has been a valuable resource in
researching academic literature and evaluating
business options for me, such as pointing out
that the biggest English speaking country in
the world is China, and may be a fertile source
of recruits for scarce skills for Canadian companies."
- Don Fowke 

"Ken, we salute you on a magnificent creation
and legacy.  Your bibliography is the cathedral
spire in our field of work; providing invaluable
access to a body of work that contributes to
creating valuable workplaces.  You recognised
the need, and acted.  Thank you." - Sheila Deane  

"Ken Craddock has built with dedication and generosity 
our collective memories. It is not only a bibliographical 
summary it´s also an act of love, a valuable legacy for 
us and future generations. Thank you Ken." 
- Azucena Gorbaran

 "Ken Craddock’s work with the Requisite
Organization Annotated Bibliography is truly 
impressive. The Annotated Bibliography represents
a wealth of informed perspectives, now and for the
future thanks to the insight and enormous amount 
of work that he has put into it. The achievement
deserves great respect." - Jan-Åke Karlsson