Larry E. Senn
Chairman
A pioneer in the field of corporate culture, Larry Senn founded Senn Delaney (then called Senn-Delaney Leadership Consulting Group) in 1978 with a specific mission: to assist CEOs and senior executives in creating high-performance teams and winning cultures.
His 1970 doctoral dissertation, Organizational Character as a Tool in the Analysis of Business Organizations, was the first field study of corporate culture in America. Since his principal finding was that “organizations become shadows of their leaders,” he created the consulting firm to work with CEO teams to create the behaviors needed to enhance business results.
His vision and leadership for 30 years has helped Senn Delaney evolve to become an international firm that is widely recognized as the leading authority and practitioner in the field of culture shaping.
Larry partners with CEO and President Jim Hart to provide the strategic direction and the roadmap for Senn Delaney's future growth, and to keep the firm's values, vision and special culture alive. He also actively works with clients on culture-shaping initiatives and leads Senn Delaney's Product Development team as they continually improve all aspects of the Senn Delaney culture-shaping methodology.
Larry has led culture-shaping engagements for the leaders of dozens of organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, state governors, members of a U.S. President's cabinet, university presidents and deans of Business Schools. He has extensive experience working with top leaders in a wide range of industries, including health care, telecommunications, retailing, financial services, consumer products, energy, and airlines. Larry is an accomplished consultant, business advisor, group facilitator, author and CEO coach.
Prior to founding Senn Delaney, Larry ran his own retail business and was a faculty member at University of Southern California and University of California Los Angeles where he taught leadership. He was also an assistant coach of UCLA's championship gymnastics team. In 1968, he founded the first Senn Delaney company, which specialized in retail business process improvement and customer service. In 1992, he sold it to focus solely on Senn-Delaney Leadership Consulting Group.
Larry was a finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year in Southern California. He and his wife Bernadette are active joggers and fitness enthusiasts, and Larry is a triathlete. They have three grown sons, a daughter who is attending business school at USC, and a son still at home.
Publications
Winning Teams – Winning Cultures, 2006
The Human Operating System – An Owners Manual, 2005
The Secret of a Winning Culture, 1999
In The Eye of the Storm – Reengineering Corporate Culture, 1996
21st Century Leadership: Dialogues with 100 Top Leaders, 1993
Thought Papers The Team at the Top—The 8 Characteristics of a High-Performance Team
The Cultural Aspects of Mergers and Acquisitions
Aligning Strategy, Structure and Culture
Educational Background University of California, Los Angeles
B.S., Engineering, M.B.A., Management
University of Southern California
Doctorate in Management, Organizational Behavior