Robert H. Waterman Jr. (November 11, 1936 - January 2, 2022) was a non-fiction author and expert on business management practices. He was best known as the co-author, with

Tom Peters Thomas J. Peters (born November 7, 1942), an American writer on business management , business-management practices, became best-known for his 1982 book ''In Search of Excellence'' (co-authored with Robert H. Waterman Jr.) Life and education ...

, of ''

In Search of Excellence ''In Search of Excellence'' is a book written by Tom Peters and Robert H. Waterman Jr. First published in 1982, it sold three million copies in its first four years, and was the most widely held monograph in the United States from 1989 to 2006. T ...

''. Waterman later directed his own company, The Waterman Group, Inc., after 21 years at the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company. ''

'' was published in 1982 and became a bestseller, gaining national exposure when a series of television specials based on the book and hosted by Waterman and Peters appeared on PBS. The primary idea espoused was that of solving business problems with as little business process overhead as possible, and empowering decision-makers at multiple levels of a company. He is also the author of: *''The Renewal Factor'' *''Adhocracy: the Power to Change'' *''What America Does Right'' (''Frontiers of Excellence'' in Europe and UK).

Career

He earned his

bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ( ...

geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and Physical property, properties of Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. Geophysicists conduct i ...

from the

Colorado School of Mines The Colorado School of Mines (Mines) is a public research university in Golden, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1874, the school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, and mathematics, with a focus on ener ...

in 1958, and MBA from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

in 1961. From 1963 until 1985 Waterman worked for the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company becoming a Director in 1976. Later he served as a Founding Director of the electric power firm, AES.

Personal life

Waterman served as chair of the RLS Foundation, the national non-profit organization that sponsors research, raises awareness of, and looks for better treatments for Restless leg syndrome. He also served on the boards of the World Wildlife Fund, Scleroderma Research Foundation, the Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board at the NIH, US Ski Team, ASK Group, Boise Cascade, the AES Corporation, and McKesson. He died on January 2, 2022, in Palo Alto, California, at age 85.Robert H. Waterman Jr.
www.legacy.com

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waterman, Robert H. Jr. Living people American business theorists American non-fiction writers Stanford Graduate School of Business alumni Colorado School of Mines alumni American financial businesspeople 1936 births