Change in the 21st Century is NOT Change-as-Usual

“McLagan’s leadership was instrumental in negotiating and facilitating what is clearly the most profound and important collaborative working relationship between the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the NIH, key Malian government leaders and executives of Bamako University. Her keen understanding of the African culture, international business relationships and US Government politics were instrumental in guiding all parties in the design of a collaborative infrastructure to strengthen Mali’s science capacity and cement the long-term partnership between NIAID and Mali. Ten years later all parties continue to operate under the critical agreements Pat so skillfully navigated. This effort was the first of its kind and Pat’s contributions have had a profound impact on NIAID’s ability to conduct and further research capacity globally. “

”When the Defense Intelligence Agency decided to create an integrated Human Capital Organization, I turned to Pat McLagan to help guide the implementation team. In 100 days, Pat did the impossible, facilitating and mentoring the leadership team to consensus – minimizing disruptions to existing core functions while creating a more integrated and strategically focused Directorate. The initial plan was transformational, but the true transformation was in the toolkit of principles and processes that Pat provided. They institutionalized external and internal collaboration, actionable measures of performance and alignment – and realignment as necessary – to ensure mission success.”

”It would be difficult to overstate the impact of the work done by McLagan International for SAB Ltd (now SABMiller). The most visible result was our Business Performance Management system, still the foundation of how we implement strategy and manage people and performance, but the intervention delivered much more. It was seminal: it led to coherence, of culture and purpose, and was also liberating. Twenty years later, all round the world and in a company which is ten times the size it was then, Pat’s concepts, principles and language are still in explicit everyday use. They have withstood continual re-examination, rediscovery and redefinition. Other tools and systems – for instance the panoply of techniques within World Class Manufacturing – have been layered on top, but none of these would have taken root without the basic underpinning, and context-setting, of Pat’s work (and wisdom).”

“During my time as Governor, the State of Georgia focused on critical and diverse programs to significantly improve the management of the State. One key goal in making Georgia the best-managed state was improving customer service across the State’s many agencies. Pat McLagan’s dynamic leadership and know-how helped us construct, launch and maintain an initiative committed to providing better customer service to our citizens. The success of the Customer Service initiative was a significant part of Georgia’s rapid rise in the PEW state grading system from C+ to A- in just 5 years, making us one of the top three best managed States in the Union, and it remains to this day one of the accomplishments of which I am most proud.”