Five-Star Reviews for
Creating a Quantum
Organization

“I have been using the Thomas-Kilmann Instrument (TKI) with my students and corporate clients for many years… coaching/teaching them on how to approach conflict in a much more effective and satisfying manner. Reading Kilmann’s latest book showed me the many ways in which conflict is not just between two people (as in interpersonal conflict), but all kinds of conflicts also occur between people and their organizations, what Kilmann refers to as systems and processes. These surrounding systems include the culture of the work units, the strategy and structure of the organization, the reward system, and the processes and procedures that flow within and across work units.

“But most inspiring in this new book was Kilmann’s discussion of the four foundational INNER conflicts that significantly affect how a person then approaches all their other, OUTER conflicts at home and at work. It was refreshing to see how the TKI Conflict Model can be used to resolve such INNER conflicts as: (1) Am I a physical body OR an energy body? (2) Is my behavior governed by my ego OR my soul? (3) Are my surrounding systems completely outside of me, OR are such systems an integral aspect of who I am? (4) Have I resolved my primal, past relationships (with parents, guardians, and any perpetrators) OR am I still living with unresolved wounds from those earlier traumas that interfere with my relationships in the present?

“I highly recommend this book for everyone who has ever used the TKI assessment tool and thus appreciates how we have to understand and manage conflict much better in today’s highly diverse, fast-paced, interconnected, chaotic, and increasingly conflicted world.” — Judy P. Strauss, Ph.D., former Professor of Business Administration, California State University, Long Beach

“I first was exposed to the Thomas-Kilmann Instrument (TKI) while I was enrolled in the Executive MBA Program at the University of California at Irvine. After receiving my degree, I focused on managing and growing my art gallery in Southern California. In the process, I have continued to improve my conflict resolution skills, which have become more and more important during these challenging and chaotic times.

“When I saw that Dr. Kilmann had published an updated and revised book on conflict and change management, it was important for me to see his latest work on these vital subjects. I was delighted and thrilled to learn many additional applications of the TKI Conflict Model to organizations… now fully realizing that conflict management is not just about resolving interpersonal differences among people, but that our organizations as a whole regularly push employees into severe conflict with their surrounding systems and procedures. It was fascinating to see how Kilmann’s eight tracks to long-term success (culture, skills, teams, strategy-structure, reward systems, and the three process tracks) can adapt those organizational systems to purposely support effective conflict management in the workplace, which then can produce high performance and satisfaction for all key stakeholders. It’s one thing to focus my attention on marketing the sculptures and paintings in my art business. But, most important, I must also make sure that my organization’s systems and processes provide the kind of healthy environment that truly empowers employees to resolve their most important conflicts and problems, day in and day out.

“I highly recommend this book for all business owners and senior managers, since it will open your eyes to the systems that, in the end, produce the desired results, no matter what products or services your business provides to its customers and clients.” — Rich MacDonald, President, Dawson Cole Fine Art, Laguna Beach, California

“I was one of Ralph Kilmann’s students at the University of Pittsburgh, so know him personally and have been following/utilizing his research for many years. As a university administrator and a consultant to organizations across many sectors, I have relied on Dr. Kilmann’s frameworks for understanding conflict and organizational change throughout my professional career. In Creating A Quantum Organization, Dr. Kilmann continues to both refine and expand theory and practice for those of us seeking to better understand how to help people and organizations through different types and levels of change.

“In his most recent book, he has created a comprehensive blueprint that will help companies and people work through conflicts interfering with organizational effectiveness. His sequential approach to achieving successful organizational change requires an understanding of relationships among organizational structures, strategic plans, reward systems, leadership, critical thinking, team building skills and corporate culture. This book provides tools for learning more about and managing these complex relationships. Change has always been a challenge for both individuals and organizations, and never more so than at a time of unprecedented disruption of commonly accepted business practice and tradition.

“This book will be an important resource for individuals and organizations choosing to actively seek a way to remain effective/competitive in a new normal.” — Teresa Joyce, Ph.D., former Professor of Management and Associate Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs, Kennesaw State University, Georgia

“I have studied – and implemented – Dr. Kilmann’s groundbreaking work for 20 years now. The applications to which I have put his analysis and recommendations to use include the “personal” and “professional.” Indeed, there seems to be no limit to the developments in my life to which Dr. Kilmann’s work can apply. This latest Kilmann book is no different, except that it is even more comprehensive and thus effective.

“I now include Kilmann’s work in my “autopoetic” toolbox, i.e. the resources I use to support my own self-organization. This path involves a choice to move beyond long-standing enculturation, as Kilmann well knows and articulates. Thanks in part to Dr. Kilmann, this never-ending path has become immensely creative and satisfying.

“The scope of Kilmann’s new book is considerable. Do not let that scare you. Culture change, macro or micro, is no quick fix. And Kilmann offers no conclusions to the contrary. What this book does offer however, is not just sound theory but also concrete exercises and recommendations. And to be sure, the exercises and recommendations are not just bread crumbs to follow. They are substantive processes with which to engage, learn and grow.

“Whether you find yourself personally aiming to break loose from old ways of thinking and being, or you support a business that seeks greater organizational health and satisfaction for its stakeholders, I encourage you to commit time and energy to processing Kilmann’s work. And there is no better place to start, or expand upon, your journey than this book.” — Michael McCormack, J.D., Corporate Attorney, Seattle, Washington

“Given the recent global challenges we all face, it’s clear to me that understanding and managing conflict has never been more important in the history of the world. We now face messy, wicked conflicts like never before (e.g,, the extreme political divisions in the U.S. and elsewhere, the COVID pandemic, worsening climate change in all parts of the world, systemic racism, and the increasing threat of domestic and international terrorism … and more). If our organizations and members remain inept at managing conflict, and if the organization’s systems themselves discourage people from managing conflict effectively, we’ll find it more and more difficult to create and maintain a happy/healthy life for the citizens of the world.

“Dr. Kilmann’s book offers a systematic approach to revitalize people and their organizations… by implementing eight tracks that will significantly improve conflict and change management, while, at the same time, expanding the self-aware consciousness of all members. Once you learn about the various stages of consciousness and how to bring expanded consciousness into the workplace, you will deeply appreciate Einstein’s famous quote: “You can’t solve a problem by the same consciousness that created it.” Kilmann’s eight tracks expands the consciousness of people AND their surrounding systems so they CAN resolve the most challenging problems and conflicts from a higher level of consciousness.” — Simon Senzon, D.C., Director of Network Family Chiropractic Wellness Lifestyles Center, Asheville, North Carolina

“Ralph Kilmann’s book “Creating a Quantum Organization: The Whys & Hows of Implementing Eight Tracks for Long-Term Success” is a wonderful book to read. The book is well-written and enjoyable to read. It is not a dry academic book. This book is relevant to all readers. He provides readers interested in changing aspects of their lives with concrete tools to make quantum changes. The book also provides organizational managers with tools to create change and improve relationships in their organizations. The book’s contents are organized in a manner that makes the material in the book accessible and clear.

“I was introduced to Kilmann’s Thomas-Kilmann Instrument (TKI) when studying for my Ph.D. at New York University. His conflict model is used internationally to demonstrate conflict resolutions. I found the model to be extremely useful to my career but also in my personal life. I have followed Kilmann’s writing ever since. This book is the culmination of all of his research. This book synthesizes all of his important and relevant work and shows us how to implement his practice in all types of organizations. This book introduces the reader to all of Kilmann’s techniques for negotiating conflict in all aspects of our lives. It also shows us how to improve our well-being.

“Dr. Kilmann gives the reader the tools necessary to make a quantum change in their lives and the organizations they are members of. It also may be a model for creating change at a societal level.” — Amy Hurley-Hanson, Ph.D. Professor of Management, Argyros School of Business & Economics, Chapman University, Orange, California.

“This book is a super current guide on how to succeed in organizational transformation, exploring the process of conflict resolution and problem management in depth. Ralph Kilmann has a way of writing that always takes the message to the reader in a clear and practical way. I’ve been working with TKI for years, and I’m very familiar with Ralph’s work and I can say that this book takes all of Ralph’s methods of conflict, change, awareness, and transformation to a new level. It is an unmissable book that will benefit all individuals, organizations and institutions.” — Adriana Fellipelli, Owner and CEO at Fellipelli Instrumentos de Diagnóstico e Desenvolvimento Organizacional, Sao Paulo, Brazil

“I have had the pleasure of knowing and being challenged by Ralph Kilmann for nearly a third of my life now. During that time, he has never taken his foot off the gas as it relates to peeling back the many layers we all face in our personal and professional lives. This latest release is evidence of his strong desire for all communities of people, be it work related or otherwise, to seek and attain their highest purpose. On that note, I’m not aware of a more comprehensive book to date for understanding and improving groups and organizations.

“Though some may find Creating a Quantum Organization a rather daunting task, as it spans 600-plus pages, every page is packed with solid and actionable tools – there is no fluff or filler here – only deep usable knowledge laid out in a concise and readable manner. Each chapter subsequently builds on all the previous chapters, thereby providing the reader with the best example of what it means to effectively integrate complex theories and methods into a practical framework for action and results.

“It’s evident that this material has been applied and tested in all kinds of organizations over decades and Kilmann readily exhibits all that he has learned and experienced in this ‘legacy book.’ Indeed, he makes a convincing case that the four timeless challenges ¬— conflict, change, consciousness, and transformation — must be mastered in order to achieve long-term organizational success.” — Michael Cansler, Sales Executive, NETSTOCK, North America

“I have known about Ralph’s work for over 30 thirty years. He is thee master of conflict issues in organizations. I have used his materials and known him over numerous conversations over the years. This book brings all of his knowledge into one simple location. Conflict is natural in any organization. Learning how it exists and having tools this book provides gives any manager the pathway to better understand existing and future conflict. The book packages many techniques to build stronger more high performing organizations.” — Joseph J. Colosimo, President at Colosimo & Associates, Executive in Residence, Daniels College of Business, University of Denver, Colorado

“As a previous HR executive for both Toshiba and Epson, I regularly faced the challenges of implementing one change initiative after another. In most cases, the organization focused on only one approach at a time, such as reformulating its strategic plans, redesigning business units, enhancing leadership skills, redesigning the reward systems, team building, and identifying and improving the corporate culture etc. But implementing these change initiatives haphazardly, with little or no attention to the impact of their particular sequence (i.e., what first has to be achieved before something else can be improved), these mostly random sequenced change initiatives always turn out to be more cosmetic than really effective.

“Previous to Kilmann’s work, no one has been able to show me the importance of implementing this particular sequence of change initiatives in order to achieve lasting improvement: culture, critical thinking skills, team building, strategy-structure changes, followed by putting the reward system behind these changes, and then, it’s more likely that the organization will then succeed at gradual and radical process improvements in how the work gets done.

“I highly recommend this book to all HR executives, management consultants, change agents, executive coaches, leadership trainers, and organizational development practitioners.” — Theresa Lim, former HR executive, Toshiba, Singapore

“Kilmann’s legacy book lives up to its promise: The illustrations throughout the book are absolutely beautiful and they capture the key lessons and principles on how to transform dysfunctional organizations into a much healthier and productive systems of work for achieving long-term success, while, at the same time, empowering members to treat one another with care, kindness, dignity, and respect. Given the unhealthy behavior that we have been witnessing with increased intensity in this world today, Kilmann provides a way to change the course of our human evolution as well as for healing the planet as a whole, so members of society can find their true calling, become fully empowered in the workplace, and live meaningful lives by contributing to something larger than themselves.

“Creating such a quantum organization is a win/win for everyone except, perhaps, for those traditional leaders who crave to continue ruling the lives of others from an ego-centric and self-serving perspective.” — Nancy Nicholas, J.D., Corporate Attorney, Aliso Viejo, California

“A gem of a book that goes much beyond superficial frameworks, to touch upon the core aspects of managing conflicts, managing change and understanding what core transformations really mean. It’s richly insightful book. Enjoying this read.” — Sneha Shah, Co-Director, ISRA International, India