Perspective

"Leaders are facing challenges that require them to adapt and change at a rapidly accelerating rate. These challenges often require fundamentally different ways of thinking and acting—at all levels in the organization. Leaders who thrive over the next decade will be the ones who have the courage to examine and shift their own assumptions while building the alignment, behaviors and change capabilities that their organizations need to be able to anticipate and rapidly respond in this competitive environment."
—Dr. Carolyn Hendrickson 

Carolyn Hendrickson, Ph.D. 


Dr. Carolyn Hendrickson has been helping leaders and their organizations become more effective at producing extraordinary results for over 20 years. In our complex world where change is the only constant, she works with executives to enhance the capabilities of their organizations to change and adapt. She takes a holistic approach to her work by considering all of the elements of an organization—its structure, processes, people and culture—in dealing with adaptive challenges. She brings a broad array of approaches and interventions to create sustainable change at multiple levels within the organization, team and individual.

Dr. Hendrickson applies her expertise in organizational effectiveness, leadership team alignment, employee engagement, and large-scale change and transformation to help executives achieve and sustain breakthrough results in their businesses. She is the founding partner of Tandem Group, a consulting firm specializing in building effective organizations that can change and adapt. Carolyn has also been a partner and senior practitioner in the global organizational change and transformation practice of Monitor Group, and the partner in charge of the mid-west practice for Oliver Wyman/Delta Organization and Leadership. Carolyn has also worked as a principal in the strategy and organization practice of Innovation Associates / Arthur D. Little, and as a partner designing and managing large integrated change initiatives for CSC/Index during the reengineering era.


Carolyn has presented her ideas and methods in a variety of public forums including: The Association for Work Process Improvement (TAWPI™), the International Communications Forum, the Academy of Management, the Society for Organizational Learning, and the Organizational Development Network, among others. She has been published in Managing Professional Competence and the Handbook of Business Strategy. "Leadership in Complex Times", her most recent article, is in The 2010 Pfeiffer Annual of Leadership Development.

A graduate of Duke University in math and psychology, Carolyn earned her masters and doctorate in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at Pennsylvania State University. She is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Program for Management Development. Dr. Hendrickson has delivered customized executive programs at DePaul University and has served on the boards of the Harvard Business School Club of Chicago, the Society for Organizational Learning and the Catamount Institute. 

Select Clients

  • Abbott Laboratories
  • Allstate Insurance
  • AXA Financial
  • Borg-Warner Automotive
  • Department of Energy
  • Eisai Clinical Development
  • Hospira, Inc.
  • Hyatt Hotels
  • Illinois Power
  • Inland Paperboard and Packaging
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Johnson Controls
  • McDonald’s Corporation
  • MeadWestvaco Corporation
  • Scottsdale Insurance Company
  • The World Bank
  • United Airlines
  • Westinghouse/Hanford