Greg Hennessy

Gregory Hennessy is a revered management consultant with 30 years of experience in strategy and organizational development.  He is passionate about integrating human and organizational behavior, qualitative and quantitative analysis, complexity and systems thinking to help clients solve their most difficult problems and enhance their strategic capabilities.

Working across a variety of industries and sectors including education, energy, packaging, pharmaceuticals, and technology, Greg is adept at making connections across contexts – applying the lessons from one circumstance to the specific conditions of another.  He has served McKinsey & Company in various locations, working on client engagements and then also developed their internal professional development processes and practices.

Greg holds a Master’s degree in Social Science from the California Institute of Technology.  He earned his MBA from the MIT Sloan School.  As a lifelong learner, Greg earned his Ph.D. in Positive Organizational Psychology from the Claremont Graduate University, where he studied the relationship between character, entrepreneurship, and strategic leadership.  His dissertation examined the characteristics that investors use to assess founders in the investment decision-making process.  Greg continues his explorations at the frontiers of management.

An award-winning educator, Greg teaches strategy, entrepreneurship, leadership, and communication at the University of Oregon and at ConfluCore’s executive development programs.

Why did you decide to work at ConfluCore?

I am mission-driven and people-oriented, and ConfluCore pegs the needle on both counts.  ConfluCore’s core beliefs and working values are perfectly aligned with mine.  And the team here is outstanding – not just in terms of their expertise, but also in terms of their collaborative spirit.

What’s the biggest transformation you have been a part of?

I spent a year working with Shell Oil during their transformation toward a learning organization.  I ran a number of systems thinking-based workshops at the Shell Learning Center in The Woodlands, Texas, and was a consultant to their Learning & Transformation Services Group.  It was a huge transformation of processes and mindsets, and I was thrilled to make my contributions with that futuristic team.

What challenges do you most enjoy helping clients address?

I enjoy tackling “messy” problems that involve multiple independent problems that are intertwined because of overlapping stakeholders and processes.  Such problems require analysis, tools and insights that span multiple disciplines, and I love being able to integrate ideas from economics, psychology, leadership, systems science, and other disciplines in the service of helping others.

What do you like doing in free/personal time?

I enjoy exploring the Pacific Northwest with my wife and our two dogs.  At home, I spend my spare time playing the guitar and drums and writing science fiction.  

Back to Team