About Norm
Who is Norm Smallwood?
Norm Smallwood is a partner and co-founder of The RBL Group, a prominent leadership development and human resource education consultancy. He is a recognized authority in enhancing businesses and their leaders to achieve tangible results, known for his expertise in organizational design, talent management, leadership development, and strategic human resources. Smallwood’s work consistently focuses on increasing business value through people-centered approaches and fostering distinctive organizational capabilities.
What is Norm Smallwood known for?
Smallwood is widely recognized for his groundbreaking work in aligning leaders and organizations to create high-performance cultures, improve customer and employee experiences, and boost market value. He co-founded The RBL Group with Dave Ulrich in 2000, establishing a globally respected firm dedicated to equipping client organizations to address and resolve complex organizational performance challenges. His contributions have earned him significant accolades, including being named "Change Driver of the Decade" by HR Digest in 2024 and receiving the "Lifetime HR Achievement Award" from Utah Business magazine in 2019. Harvard Business Review has also acknowledged his innovative and impactful work on effective leadership.
As a prolific author and thought leader, Smallwood has co-authored eight influential books that have significantly shaped the fields of leadership and organizational development. These include Leadership Sustainability: Seven Disciplines to Achieve the Changes Great Leaders Know They Must Make, Real-Time Strategy, Results-Based Leadership, How Leaders Build Value, Change Champions Field Guide, Leadership Brand, Leadership Code, and Agile Talent. He has also authored over one hundred articles in leading publications, further solidifying his reputation as a key voice in the industry.
What is Norm Smallwood's background and experience?
Norm Smallwood's extensive career is marked by a deep commitment to identifying and correcting organizational dysfunction at its root. Prior to co-founding The RBL Group, he was a founding partner of Novations Group Inc. from 1985 to 1999. In this role, he led projects focusing on business strategy, organization design, professional career development, and survey research across diverse industries.
Earlier in his career, Smallwood gained valuable experience as an internal organization development consultant. He served as an OE Advisor at Imperial Oil/Esso Resources Canada Ltd. in Calgary and held a position in Organization Effectiveness at Procter & Gamble in Georgia. During his time at Procter & Gamble, he was instrumental in designing technician systems and delving into socio-technical systems design. Smallwood holds a Master's degree in Organization Behavior and a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and English from Brigham Young University. He also served as a faculty member in executive education at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Management from 2001 to 2003.
Beyond his professional endeavors, Smallwood has demonstrated a strong commitment to service. He was a board member of HRCI (HR Certification Institute) from 2019 to 2022 and serves on the board of HELP, an organization dedicated to economic empowerment through sustainable development programs aimed at helping individuals rise out of poverty.
What topics does Norm Smallwood speak and write about?
Norm Smallwood's expertise encompasses a broad range of critical topics in leadership and organizational development. His speaking engagements and extensive writings cover organizational design, talent management, leadership development, and strategic human resources. He explores how to build "outside-in" capabilities that increase business value, emphasizing people-centered approaches and the creation of distinctive organizational capabilities. He is particularly focused on strategy clarification, identifying and building unique business capabilities, enhancing leadership quality, and developing robust strategic HR capabilities.
His work delves into how leaders can build sustainable change, improve organizational effectiveness, and drive performance. Through his numerous books and articles, Smallwood provides frameworks and insights on how to foster strong organizational cultures, engage employees, and ensure that leadership aligns with strategic objectives to deliver consistent business results.
How does Norm Smallwood contribute to the Best Practice Institute?
Norm Smallwood is an expert faculty member at the Best Practice Institute (BPI), contributing his extensive knowledge and insights on leadership, organization design, and human resources. He shares his expertise through various platforms, including webinars and presentations designed to help BPI members and the broader professional community. For instance, he has presented a webinar at BPI titled "Leadership Sustainability: 7 Disciplines That Get Things Done," co-presented with Dave Ulrich. This webinar described critical transitions necessary for building customer-focused leaders who drive performance and create lasting value, directly aligning with BPI's mission to disseminate best practices in organizational and leadership development. Through his contributions, Smallwood helps BPI members implement effective strategies for leadership excellence and organizational transformation.