Who We Are

Over 60 Years Of Practice

For over 60 years, Kepner-Tregoe has empowered thousands of companies to solve millions of problems. If we can save millions for a manufacturer, restore IT service for a stock exchange, and help Apollo 13 get back from space, we can help your business achieve success.

Kepner-Tregoe provides a unique combination of training and consulting services designed specifically to get to the root cause of problems and permanently address your organizational challenges.

Our Experience - Your Success

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The future of work is a flexible, adaptable, and resilient workforce

By focusing on employee concerns, companies can take specific measures to help build resilience and value in today’s new normal.

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Agility in decision making protects your organization

We work within an environment of rapid change that requires an agile, flexible workforce. Within an organization, a shared process for decision making clarifies how a good decision is made and how to go about doing it. It can support simple, day-to-day decisions and can be scaled up to consider a wide array of objectives and involve input from many people.

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Don't wait to plan your major incident response

In organizations that rely heavily on IT systems, major incidents don’t occur too often but when they do, a rapid, planned response is critical. For major incidents, the cost of the impact far exceeds the cost of resolution, and the key success factors are response time and the quality of the response to the issue.

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Improve hiring success with Kepner-Tregoe Decision Making

A structured decision-making process is a standard hiring procedure in many organizations. That’s not to minimize the value of an analytic approach to all kinds of decisions. But personnel decisions are a big commitment with their own set of challenges. Here’s how an analytic approach can be used to improve hiring.

Our Basic Beliefs

  • Create Value for Clients

    Our work is designed to provide measurable value; in fact we work with our clients to prioritize targeted, sustainable improvements and then measure the value delivered.

  • Value Diversity

    We value differences of both our colleagues and clients around the world and strive to help others use and share information across cultures, education, experiences, and backgrounds.

  • Build Trusting Relationships

    We will continuously demonstrate and build respect for others, trustworthiness, and personal and professional integrity.

  • Use Rational Process with a Passion

    We will encourage a drive and passion for the ideas that provide solutions for our clients and colleagues through the use and transfer of our rational processes.

  • Improve Quality and Provide Innovative Solutions

    We will continually improve the quality of our services and search for new and creative ideas that will enable us to remain on the forefront of the application of rational thinking to business issues.

  • A Passion to Help People and Organizations Work Better

    Shown here are 5 of the 11 Basic Beliefs that form the core set of values that underpin Kepner-Tregoe’s business.

     

    As these beliefs drive everything we do, we invite you to view all 11 Basic Beliefs here

Build a world-class organization through systems improvement

Kepner-Tregoe is the global leader in helping companies improve the performance of their systems through a combination of consulting services and training programs.

KT is uniquely qualified to assess the architecture and design of critical business systems through the integration of three fundamental components: people, process, and technology.

People

The critical thinking skills used at all levels in an organization create the agility and adaptability of any team to capitalize on strengths and opportunities while minimizing risk. The core technologies of KT are designed to equip a workforce with structured intellectual processing skills that enable them to master complexity, solve problems, and make the best possible decisions. We have over 6 decades of experience in developing critical thinking skills in 15 distinct industries. We have trained millions of people in developing intellectual capabilities which translate into a competitive advantage for their companies.

Process

Kepner Tregoe is the bridge between process mining and value creation. Our unique skill is helping companies engineer their processes to harmonize with the capabilities of their teams and their use of technology. KT’s initial assessment, and ensuing consulting services, help industry leading companies to advance from process stability to enhanced agility in order to maximize their quality levels in all key areas including product, service, operations, and client experience.

Technology

Ultimately the pace of any modern transformation is heavily influenced by the application of technology. KT is specialized in analyzing the utilization of technology in systemic workflows to gauge how well they are integrated with the creation of knowledge for usage in a transformed workplace. Only when technology application is integrated in a manner that yields optimized performance of people and process, will systems achieve their greatest output.

People
Process
Technology

Why KT?

3 reasons

01
01
Master Critical Thinking

Master Critical Thinking

Master Critical Thinking

Convert Complexity into Clarity

Master Critical Thinking

Discover Hidden Opportunities

“We develop critical thinking skills that promote creativity and amplify intuition as well as intelligence. Improving skills such as appraising a situation accurately, solving a problem quickly, and making the best possible decision, give companies a significant advantage in a highly competitive world.”

Reviewer 1
- Phillip Thompson
VP, Global Growth, Client Services & Marketing

KT Provides Solutions

  • Assessment

    KT Diagnostic Assessment services offers a variety of quantitative and qualitative analyses to assess your processes, people, systems, and measurement capabilities in a holistic manner.

  • Capability Development

    Kepner-Tregoe training builds advanced critical thinking skills that optimize data, knowledge, and experience to solve problems, make decisions, set priorities and manage risk. KT provides a foundation for working purposefully in a challenging environment.

  • Coaching

    High-performance coaching is about helping all people reach their full potential, in any area of their lives. For the manager as coach, this means working with people to improve their performance at work.

  • Consulting

    Kepner-Tregoe consulting uses structured analytic processes and industry insight to facilitate complex issue resolution and deliver sustainable results against key metrics.

  • Facilitation

    Expert facilitation provides impartial guidance to help your teams solve crises when emotions are running high. This substantially increases the efficiency and effectiveness of finding a solution.

KT Areas Of Expertise

Manufacturing Operations

  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Root Cause Analysis
  • Risk Reduction Management
  • Efficiency Improvement
  • Continuous Improvement
  • Problem Prevention
Manufacturing Operations

Service Operations

  • Incident Management
  • Problem Solving/Root-Cause Analysis
  • Maturity Assessment
  • Coaching
  • Workflow Management
  • Simulation
Manufacturing Operations

Human Resources

  • Improve Team Collaboration
  • Increase Troubleshooting Speed
  • Maximize Leadership Effectiveness
  • Acceleration of New Hire Integration
  • Amplify Talent Impact
Manufacturing Operations

What We Do

KT Improves Operational Performance & Profitability

Doing it better

The more complex the activities of the organization, the more need there is for an analytic framework for action. We work with you to clarify your situation and determine how to achieve the best results. Working collaboratively within an analytic framework we use data, knowledge and expertise to focus on improving targeted processes and resolving key issues. Our focus is on sustainable results that provide measurable value.

Doing it faster

Sometimes you need to slow down to speed up. When time is critical and costs are mounting, there is no time for guesswork and unnecessary actions. Working within KT’s analytic framework immediately provides a path forward and focuses on the relevant information needed to move ahead. Ultimately goals are achieved quickly without the false starts and emotions that thrive in uncertainty. A structured approach to a complex issue minimizes error and ultimately provides both accuracy and speed.

Doing it more efficiently

Our analytic approach harnesses brainpower, experience, judgment, skills, and knowledge in dealing with ordinary and extraordinary situations. By using the available resources more effectively, we help increase the efficiency and sustainability of improvement projects and resolve complex issues quickly and accurately. Our efficient and targeted approaches can be used to reduce costs and improve your bottom line.

Doing it better
Doing it faster
Doing it more efficiently

How We Do It

KT Core Processes
Situation Appraisal

Situation Appraisal is an analytic approach for breaking down and understanding the complex issues we are facing. It enables us to impose order where there is uncertainty, establish priorities and decide when and how to take actions that produce good results.

Problem Analysis is a framework for cause-and-effect thinking. It enables us to move from observing the effect of a problem to understanding its cause so we can take appropriate actions to correct the problem and avoid unnecessary, often costly, fixes.

Decision Analysis considers: Which course of action should we take? When a choice must be made, Decision Analysis provides a process for analyzing alternatives to decide on the course of action most likely to accomplish a particular goal.

Potential Problem Analysis helps us consider what lies ahead in a given situation. It helps us shape the future by preventing problems or planning actions that will lessen their impact.

Potential Opportunity Analysis, like Potential Problem Analysis, helps shape the future, this time looking ahead to promote the possibility of opportunities occurring in order to take full advantage of them.

How We Integrate It

Comprehensive Systems Improvement

Effective practices need to be supported by effective processes and work-flow tools for documentation

Adapting to new behaviors needs to be agile to support fast, iterative learning and shorten time to results via integration with technology

Integrated tools, processes and a common language create a seamless information flow; the generation of knowledge and effective feedback loops drive continuous performance improvement

Layers of integration and alignment for maximum ROI

Ready To Transform Your Company?

Contact us for a complimentary expert evaluation!

Our Experts Are Always Ready to Help

All regions
  • North America
  • Europe
  • Asia
  • Japan

Board Of Directors

Our board of directors is composed of a group of diverse and experienced individuals who support Kepner-Tregoe’s ongoing application of KT critical thinking methods and basic beliefs as a thriving and innovative organization engaged in meeting the challenges of a global marketplace.

Chairman Since 2011, Director Since 2009
Director Since 2011
Director Since 2021
Chief Executive Officer, Director Since 2007
Regional Managing Director - APAC, Director Since 2021
Chief Operating Officer, Director Since 2021

Our Leadership Team

Our goal is to maximize customer intimacy and strong, trusting relationships by leveraging globally proven solutions while valuing the differences provided by our colleagues and clients around the world.

The composition of our leadership team is a reflection of the diverse expertise and global nature of our business.

Chief Executive Officer, Director Since 2007
Vice President of Finance
Regional Managing Director - APAC, Director Since 2021
Regional Managing Director, Europe
Director of Organizational Talent & Leadership Development
Chief Operating Officer, Director Since 2021
VP of Global Growth, Client Services & Marketing
General Manager, North America
Director of Innovation

Our Experts

We are problem-solving experts, a global and diverse team that thrives on challenges. Bringing real-world experience to each engagement, we share a commitment to providing maximum value.

With our clients, we are always comfortable digging in and working shoulder-to-shoulder in their operational environment. We help clients ask and answer the right questions, and we function as trusted advisors, teachers, coaches and facilitators.

North America
Director of Global Client Relationships
Business Solutions Senior Consultant
Business Solutions Consultant
Business Solutions Senior Consultant
Head of Sales, North America
Business Solutions Consultant
Business Solutions Consultant
Capability Development Consultant
Client Relationship Manager
Senior Associate Consultant
Business Development Associate
Business Solutions Consultant
Europe
Asia
Business Solutions Senior Consultant
Business Solutions Senior Consultant
Senior Associate Consultant
Business Solutions Consultant
Japan
Business Solutions Consultant
Business Solutions Consultant
Sales Consultant
Sales Consultant

The Gold Standard in Problem Solving

For over sixty years, Kepner-Tregoe has empowered companies to solve millions of problems, make better decisions and manage risk. We have integrated KT methodology into manufacturing operations, transformed IT service, and focused HR capability development on sustainable change by building critical thinking skills. Millions of people credit the use of KT rational processes for advancing their careers and thousands of companies use these analytic processes for saving millions of dollars.

The Origin Of KT Dates To NASA's Lunar Program

Early on, KT found a place in space operations. When NASA engineers heard, “Houston, we have a problem,” they used KT critical thinking skills to help bring Apollo 13 home. While not every solution is movie-worthy, an exciting aspect of what we do is the ROI. Powerful and sustainable, our processes yield results… in time and cost savings, smarter use of resources, fewer mistakes, uninterrupted operations, and higher profit.

Timeline
1958

Ben Tregoe and Chuck Kepner start the KT partnership in Ben Tregoe’s garage in Pacific Palisades, California. The first to focus on the critical need for training in problem solving and decision making, Kepner-Tregoe was founded to help others learn the processes that they had developed.

1962

Kepner-Tregoe moves its headquarters to Princeton, NJ and then expands to a modern headquarters in 1967.

1963

Kepner-Tregoe creates the Leader Development Institute (LDI), the first organization to introduce the “train-the-trainer” concept. Client employees who completed the rigorous LDI program were certified to teach KT Problem Solving and Decision Making and to lead programs that encouraged the use of Rational Process within their organizations.

1965

The Rational Manager, (McGraw Hill) by founders Kepner and Tregoe is published, becoming a best seller and a business classic. The New Rational Manager has been translated into many languages and continues to be read throughout the world.

1966

Kepner-Tregoe formalizes the company’s Basic Beliefs in writing which are the principles and ideas that grew out of the founders’ initial decision to create an organization that helps others learn. These continue to guide the way KT business is conducted.

 

Established Kepner-Tregoe Deutschland LLC in Germany and Kepner-Tregoe Ltd. in the UK.

1967

KT moves to a beautiful wooded location on Research Road. The modern building remains a classic example of 1960s modern design that features flexible interior spaces and large windows that frame woodland views.

Going Global
1970
Australasia
1973
Japan
1981
Southeast Asia
1980

Top Management Strategy by Ben Tregoe and John Zimmerman is published. KT formalizes strategy consulting service offerings.

1981

The New Rational Manager is published, an updated version of the original business classic.

 

Kepner-Tregoe Southeast Asia, Ltd founded

1984

Kepner-Tregoe, S.A. serving Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg is founded.

1985

In response to client demand, KT Project Management is developed to bring a rational process approach to project work.

1986

Kepner-Tregoe (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. is founded in Kuala Lumpur.

1987

Financial services company USF&G purchases KT.

1988

Kepner-Tregoe Thailand, LLC founded.

1989

Vision in Action: How to Integrate your Company’s Strategic Goals into Day-to-Day Management Decisions, by Ben Tregoe, John Zimmerman, et al is published.

1991

Ben Tregoe is elected to the HRD Hall of Fame.

1993

Ben Tregoe steps down as president of KT and establishes the Tregoe Education Forum, now known as TregoED, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to bringing KT Problem Solving and Decision Making to children in American schools. He continued to play an active role on the KT Board of Directors until his death in 2005.

1996

A group comprised principally of KT employees acquires the company back from USF&G.

KT remains an employee owned company today.

1999

KT launches Project Logic® software to provide a rational process framework for Microsoft® Project.

2000

KT launches eThink® software to enhance and support use of KT Problem Analysis, Decision Analysis, Situation Appraisal, and Potential Problem/Opportunity Analysis.

Kepner-Tregoe Nederland, LLC is founded.

2002

KT publishes a series of books that are well received by the business and academic communities. These include: How Organizations Work (2002) by Alan P. Brache; The Art and Discipline of Strategic Leadership (2003) by Mike Freedman; The Rational Project Manager (2005) by Andrew Longman and Jim Mullins; and Implementation: How to Transform Strategic Initiatives into Blockbuster Results (2006) by Alan P. Brache and Sam Bodley-Scott.

2005

Ben Tregoe passed away on April 20, 2005. NY Times obituary.

2009

Portfolio Manager, a cloud-based project management application giving organizations real-time access to monitor important projects across company departments, time-zones and geographies is developed and launched by Kepner-Tregoe.

2012

KT introduces new approach to building competitive advantage, The Thinking Organization, powered by KT Clear Thinking.

2013

Kepner-Tregoe launched an upgrade of its foundational skills workshop, Problem Solving and Decision Making. KT also launched its first app for iPad and Android tablets to support KT Clear Thinking processes in solving problems, making decisions, executing plans. MyKT and the first Learning Library are launched to support certified Program Leaders and Coaches.

2015

Substantial advancements are made in KT’s products and consulting services in ITSM Problem and Incident Management. KT’s Problem Management plug-in is incorporated into the ServiceNow platform.

2016

KT introduces virtual training options to allow learners to participate from anywhere in the world. Kepner-Tregoe begins development of web based Apps with SofTools to leverage IoT technology and data advances to access and display operations data.

Charles Kepner passed away on March 26, 2016.

KT introduces its second app (KT for Incident Management) for the ServiceNow Platform.

 

 

 

2017

KT launches a Troubleshooting Simulation model to help clients bridge the gap between the classroom and the real world and get to results faster.

2018

Kepner-Tregoe launches a user-friendly suite of Apps to embed skill development in client organizations.

KT launches a new suite of eLearning modules for core processes (SAPADAPPA) and a Problem Solving Basics module.

2019

KT launches KT Frontline – a simulation and experiential learning-based training solution, especially tailored to shopfloor and frontline service employees.

KT launches ‘KT LiveOnline,’ with modular delivery of single-process workshops.

2020

KT introduces its third app (Advanced Case Management) for the ServiceNow platform.

KT starts providing all of its training solutions as a virtual instructor-led option, leveraging our long experience in virtual delivery supported by eLearning to rapidly help clients address pandemic travel and social distancing issues.

2021

KT licenses Australia and New Zealand to Bluefield Asset Management Co.

KT updates their brand and introduces a new tagline, Challenges. Opportunities. Results.

KT launches the Problem Solving Learning Path – which combines state-of-the-art eLearning with the impact of coaching.

KT/Microsoft win Bronze in Brandon Hall Award for Excellence in Learning.

Our Business Today
19
Locations worldwide
60+
Years of practice
1000000+
Of people trained

Contact Us

For inquiries, details, or a proposal!