Steve Clement writes about Owen Jacobs

Owen Jacobs and I go back almost 50 years in the leadership field. He started his research career at Human Resources Research Organization (HUMRRO) and probably knows more about military leadership than anybody currently alive. Owen knows how Executive Leadership fits into this long history of research and field application.

Owen played a central role in both sponsoring and participating in Elliott Jaques' original research efforts in the US Army starting around 1975. Not only did he sponsor the research while he led the Leadership directorate at the Army research Institute (ARI), he provided continual feedback and constructive criticism and input to the research itself.

Without Owen's hands-on support it is highly likely that the research would not have continued for as long as it did. When you consider that the development and application of Stratified Systems Theory concepts and principles in the US Army were comparable to the research support provided by Sir Roderick Carnegie at CRA, much of the theory would probably not have evolved, certainly not as fast as it did.

Owen also sponsored a research project (led by Carlos Rigby - since deceased) where Army War College students were evaluated by a Career Path Appreciation (CPA) assessment and predictions were made about who would or would not have the requisite capabiity to become successful four star generals.  LTG Ted Stroup and I refer to this study as the "brown envelope" study because of the sensitivity of the data.

Owen subsequently left ARI and went to the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF) where he continued to use SST concepts and principles both in his teaching and his research. I would argue that next to Brunel Institute for Organizational and Social Studies (BIOSS) at Brunel University,  Owen and the Army were the second most important base of true research on requisite organization (RO) and Stratified Systems Theory (SST). While  many people have used the principles, few have actually conducted research which met accepted scientific standards. Owen is one of these individuals.
 

Steve Clement, August 2010.

Major organizations and consulting firms that provide Requisite Organization-based services

A global association of academics, managers, and consultants that focuses on spreading RO implementation practices and encouraging their use
Dr. Gerry Kraines, the firms principal, combines Harry Levinson's leadership frameworks with Elliott Jaques's Requisite Organization. He worked closely with Jaques over many years, has trained more managers in these methods than anyone else in the field, and has developed a comprehensive RO-based software for client firms.
Ron Capelle is unique in his multiple professional certifications, his implementation of RO concepts through well designed organization development methods, and his research documenting the effectiveness of his firm's interventions
Former RO-experienced CEO, Ron Harding, provides coaching to CEOs of start-ups and small and medium-size companies that are exploring their own use of RO concepts.  His role is limited, temporary and coordinated with the RO-based consultant working with the organization
Founded by Gillian Stamp, one of Jaques's colleagues at Brunel, the firm modified Jaques;s work-levels, developed the Career Path Appreciation method, and has grown to several hundred certified assessors in aligned consulting firms world-wide recently expanding to include organization design
Requisite Organization International Institute distributes Elliott Jaques's books, papers, and videos and provides RO-based training to client organizations