PRINCETON, N.J., April 22--PRNewswire-AsiaNet/InfoQuest Bruce Keener, CEO and president of global consulting and training firm Kepner-Tregoe, Inc., announced today the death of Benjamin B. Tregoe on April 20, after a long battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Dr. Tregoe was 77. "Dr. Tregoe was an innovative pioneer," said Mr. Keener, "who was passionately committed to improving the critical-thinking capabilities of managers and workers in organizations around the world." In 1958, based on extensive field research, Dr. Tregoe and his partner, Dr. Charles H. Kepner, formulated a systematic thinking process for problem solving and decision making. At the time, these activities were typically considered to be a function of instinct and "gut feel". The result was the Princeton, NJ-based company known today as Kepner-Tregoe, Inc., which continues to improve the problem-solving and decision-making skills of hundreds of organizations around the world. Kepner-Tregoe revolutionized management education. The company was the first to develop a "train-the-trainer" model, which transferred skills to trainers who, in turn, imparted them to coworkers. This approach, along with process consulting, remains standard practice in the field of organization development. Dr. Tregoe was elected to the Human Resource Development Hall of Fame. Dr. Tregoe was a strong proponent of "Basic Beliefs" as a dynamic force for guiding organizational behavior. Said his former colleague John W. Zimmerman, "The concept of Basic Beliefs was as integral to the strategy formulation process that Ben and I developed as considerations around products, markets, capabilities and financial results." Dr. Tregoe co-authored the management classic, The Rational Manager, as well as The New Rational Manager: An Updated Edition for a New World; Top Management Strategy: What It Is and How to Make It Work; Vision in Action: Putting a Winning Strategy to Work; The Culture of Success: Building a Sustained Competitive Advantage by Living Your Corporate Beliefs; and Analytic Processes for School Leaders. In 1993, Dr. Tregoe realized a long-held dream when he established the nonprofit Tregoe Education Forum to develop the problem-solving and decision-making skills of middle and high school students. Dr. Tregoe was born in San Francisco on December 23, 1927. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, he received his bachelor's degree from Whittier College and a Ph.D. in sociology from Harvard University. He also received an honorary LL.D. from Whittier College. He served on the boards of many organizations, including Whittier College, The J.M. Smucker Company, the National Alliance of Business, The World Affairs Council of Philadelphia and the Princeton Day School. He was chairman of an advisory committee to the dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. He is a past member of the Young Presidents' Organization and the Chief Executives' Organization. Dr. Tregoe is survived by his wife, Jeannette Tregoe; two daughters, Cynthia Richetti and Elizabeth Gonzalez; one son, Benjamin B. Tregoe III; and two grandchildren, Kaleigh and Gavin Richetti. Contact: Peter Tobia Market Access 215-402-0731 [email protected] SOURCE: Kepner-Tregoe, Inc. CONTACT: Peter Tobia of Market Access +1-215-402-0731, [email protected] for Kepner-Tregoe, Inc. --Distributed by AsiaNet (www.asianetnews.net)--