Summary of Expertise
Works
with the top management team and board of directors of leading global companies
to help them make complex decisions about strategy and change in their
organizations. Leads numerous executive
seminars and retreats each year for organizations worldwide to develop
strategic agendas, identify issues and challenges, create new alternatives,
evaluate uncertain consequences, make clear decisions, and implement action
plans. At Stanford University, teaches
courses on decision making and decision analysis. In China, teaches EMBA courses and
entrepreneurial programs. Speaks at
international conferences on current topics in decision and risk analysis.
Burke Robinson, LLC February 1999 to
present
CEO Palo Alto, CA
Advises, coaches, and assists senior executives as they make key decisions
that shape their organization’s future, including crisis decisions, major
investment decisions, enterprise strategy, and portfolio strategy. Conducts strategy seminars and workshops,
training and development programs, and executive retreats. Provides practical approaches for the art of
qualitative structuring as well as the science of quantitative analysis of key
strategic decisions. Teaches four-day
courses on decision and risk analysis for EMBA programs in China at Jinan
University and Anhui University. Also
teaches decision quality courses in China for the New Entrepreneurs Development
Program.
Stanford University April 1999 to present
Consulting Professor, Management Science & Engineering Stanford, CA
Teaches undergraduate and
graduate courses on decision making in organizations, decision analysis
applications, and decision analysis projects – all with a pragmatic focus on
how to improve the quality of both decision process and content. In an experiential learning environment,
small teams of students develop their skills using state-of-the art tools and
techniques for framing, structuring, modeling, assessing, and analyzing some of
the actual decisions being made in a variety of different organizations. Also, mentors and advises students on life
and career decisions.
Institute for the Future February 2003 to
October 2003
Director, Business Horizons Program Menlo Park, CA
Directed a
multi-disciplinary research and consulting program to develop forecasts about
alternative future scenarios, and to draw insights about strategic decisions
that deliver value in those scenarios.
Redesigned the signature product, the Ten-Year Forecast, as a trilogy of
reports: words to define future risks
and opportunities, numbers to portray data and trends, and images to capture
conceptual maps and vital visual information.
Facilitated conferences and workshops.
Managed customized research and consulting engagements.
Strategic Decisions Group August 1981 to February 1999
Director and Partner Menlo Park, CA
Helped global Fortune 500 clients create and realize value in five key areas:
1. Strategic Leadership — developed
corporate portfolio and business unit strategies; provided advice and guidance
on global expansion, merger and acquisition, corporate/project financing,
product and market revitalization, business process innovation, and organizational
realignment.
2. Strategic Management — shifted
focus of the corporate culture to value creation, re-engineered management and
decision processes, restructured businesses around value centers rather than
functions, and developed systems for asset value management.
3. Business Development — screened new
business candidates, created high-tech product opportunities, developed
international market entry alternatives, refocused business plan for partners
in global consortium, and analyzed competing venture development strategies.
4. Risk Management — diversified
commodity portfolio risks, documented mega-project construction and operating
risks, assessed technical and economic risks of industrial equipment
repair/replacement, and measured financial liquidity risks.
5. Decision Analysis — optimized
R&D project portfolios, assessed market uncertainties for new products,
evaluated capital cost sensitivities, compared risks of alternative
technologies, and analyzed risk and return of investment decisions.
Responsible for marketing and managing up to
$5 million of annual consulting project revenues in energy, oil & gas,
utilities, pulp & paper, forestry, mining & metals, chemicals,
software, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, telecommunications, automotive, insurance,
and financial service industries. Developed long-term account relationships
with clients; led practice area development; and organized internal processes
for recruiting, training, and performance review.
Resource Planning Associates October 1980 to August 1981
Senior Associate San Francisco, CA
Consultant
in energy and natural resource practice area.
Responsible for marketing and managing up to $1 million in consulting
project revenues. Developed EPRI seminar
program for electric utility executives.
Focused on decision analysis for R&D and technical investments.
SRI International September 1978 to October 1980
Decision Analyst Menlo Park, CA
Assisted
government and corporate clients with decision support software design,
cryptography research choices, residential fire prevention strategies,
refinery/petrochemical plant expansion options, oil sands investment decisions,
and coal gasification technology R&D selection.
Institute for the Future November 1973 to September 1974
Research Associate Menlo Park, CA
Researched future trends: societal values in response to the energy crisis,
critical global priorities for philanthropic foundation programs, and social
impacts of telecommunications technology.
Education
PhD 1979 Management Science & Engineering Stanford University
MS 1976 Management Science & Engineering Stanford University
MA 1973 Technology and Human Affairs Washington
University, St. Louis
BA 1971 Psychology Stanford
University
Professional Affiliations
Scientific Research Society (Sigma Xi)
Association for Psychological Type (APT)
Certified trainer for Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
