What Makes Us Unique.
We combine theory and practice, delivered by senior people, with a special set of values underpinning all we do.
Riverbank joins your team as dedicated partners.
To our relationship, we bring senior executives with more than 200 years of combined experience leading in the C-Suite. We infuse our first-hand experience with cutting-edge management science and award-winning thought leadership. We deliver the work with values that set us apart.
Research-Based + C-Suite Experience
Have you worked with scholars that are experts in their field but lack experience in practical application leading businesses?
Have you worked with highly experienced business consultants that know their stuff but are not familiar with research advancing their field?
Have you ever signed a contract with a highly experienced consultant, only to learn that the main people on the project are recent graduates?
The background of our founder and consultants connects the dots between pioneering research AND its real-world application. We enable the implementation of culture change at the C-Suite and throughout the organization.
At Riverbank, our senior people have impressive track records in academia or business. We work for you and alongside you and your people. We approach each project looking for the opportunity to coach, mentor, and transfer capabilities, making your culture better and your people more equipped to lead and sustain change.
Award-Winning Thought Leadership
Have you worked with Chris White yet? Check us out.
Riverbank’s founder, Chris White, has dedicated his career to the field of positive organizational change and culture. His thought leadership has been featured by outlets including TEDx, Fast Company, Inc, Forbes, Chief Executive, and Talent Management. He is a recipient of the Aspen Institute's "Ideas Worth Teaching Award", for excellence in management education.
From 2012 -2019 Chris led the Center for Positive Organizations at the University of Michigan. The Center undertakes and spreads the science of building high-performing organizations that enable people to thrive. During Chris’ tenure, the center was recognized by the Academy of Management with two major awards: The Joanne Martin Trailblazer Award, for opening a new field of inquiry in management science; and the Research Center Impact Award, for excellence in applying research to change management practice.
Chris teaches in the BBA, MBA, and Executive Education programs at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. His first book, Changing Your Company from the Inside Out, was released through Harvard Business Review Press.
Written by: Gerald F. Davis & Christopher J. White
Digital Thought Leadership Learning Map on Positive Organizations
This 80-minute interactive discussion engages participants in:
-
Why positive organizations are needed.
-
What it means to be a positive organization.
-
Positive practices that can be adopted immediately.
-
Your role in creating positive change.
Check out Chris and his thought leadership in the following links:
Our Values
All organizations have values, whether stated or implied. Some have stated values but don’t live them.
Our values are very personal to us. They are connected to the very fiber of how we do our work, how we interact with others, and collectively as a reflection of our brand.
Lead With Dignity
In every interaction, we lead by giving people freedom, opportunity, and support to contribute and grow. Change is hard, but not an excuse to ever beat people down. We strive to lift people up and help them achieve their full potential. Dignity is not contingent on how smart or hard-working the other person is, or whether they agree with our advice. We believe it is an intrinsic human right to be treated with dignity.
Commitment to Excellence
Our clients engage us to increase their effectiveness with positive organizational change and culture. To this end, we commit to excellence in our work at all levels. We take ownership in all we do, including attention to detail, patience, encouraging growth, building a team atmosphere with our clients, and always approaching what we do with customer focus. We help our clients learn from failure and stay flexible while pursuing their vision.
Embrace Uniqueness
We value the uniqueness of our approach to change and culture and believe the best results occur by valuing uniqueness in each client and each person. We believe that change requires getting comfortable with different ways of doing things and understanding that everyone’s response to change may be unique. We believe human beings grow when we dare to be different and have the courage to pursue dreams and possibility.
Sustain what you Start
Launching a change effort or new culture won’t be successful without a sustainment plan. Many organizations, teams, and individuals believe lasting change will take hold if you just launch an effort effectively. We know that lasting change requires ongoing sustainment and therefore always look for ways to sustain what we start. This is true in all our client work and in how we work with one another internally. For any improvement to take hold (individually or organizationally), we must perpetuate the change over time until it becomes the natural way of doing things.