Michael Herman established Michael Herman Associates (MHA) in 1991, to support easier movement of people and information, in corporate and community organizations. He works in partnership with leaders and workgroups, offering insight and resources for planning, organizing, implementing and evaluating organization development, learning and change.
Prior to his work as MHA, he worked as a financial consultant to hospitals and led adventure-based “team building” programs for Outward Bound USA and others. His fascination with Open Space Technology stems from its practical simplicity and its adaptability for ongoing and everyday business practice – what he calls “inviting leadership” and “organization-building.” The heart of his practice is helping leaders to articulate clear and actionable “invitations” to address their organizations’ most important issues and opportunities.
Michael has facilitated meeting and development processes for United Airlines, Schlumberger, BP/Amoco, the Agile Alliance, ISR/London, South African Brewries, YPO (Young Presidents Organization), Imagine Chicago, Education Queensland (Australia), the Chicago Community Trust, the cities of Aspen CO, Buffalo NY, and Milwaukee WI, the NGO Federation of Nepal, and many other youth, corporate, community and government organizations. He has led training and practice workshops and helped create local practice groups in Alaska, Singapore, Hong Kong, India, Nepal, Ireland, Australia, Canada and the US.
He is recognized internationally as a leader in the practice of Open Space Technology. He is the founder and manager of the OpenSpaceWorld global practice website, a former director of the Open Space Institute USA, the author/editor of numerous articles on how to practice Open Space Technology, and an active, innovative contributor to the international development of that practice.
Michael’s formal training is in Economics, Finance and Healthcare Administration, at Indiana University and the University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business.
He makes his home and headquarters, with his wife Jill, in a classic Chicago bungalow, a restoration in progress, on the west bank of the Chicago River.