Michael J. Tatham

Michael J. Tatham is founder and CEO of The Tatham Group Inc. Born in Belleville, Ontario, Tatham studied Electrical Engineering at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario, and went on to work as an electrical engineer in Toronto. In 1964, he formed the company in response to a need for the design, manufacturing and implementation of custom electronic process control systems for the North American electronics manufacturing industry.

Tatham’s formal training helped develop a studied and scientific approach to problem solving, which gave his business a discernible advantage. In order to provide his customers with high technology automation, he needed to understand, document and simplify their processes before defining the design requirements for a process control system. This resulted in the need to redesign his customers’ processes, driving out complexity and non-value adding work, and with them, rework, duplication, waste, errors and cost. While growing that business, he learned that his customers received more value from the process redesign work than from the implementation of automation. This learning changed the direction of his company and lead to the creation of a systematic approach to business execution coupled with a discipline to get things done.

Process thinking and innovation are transferred to his customers’ people through the use of a business simulator called Boot Camp®. This simulator – much like an aircraft simulator – employs realistic techniques, to experience the transition from a command and control hierarchy to a customer focused, process managed organization. The business simulator, allows an organization to become independent of consultants by developing the capabilities of their own people to design new processes, redesign management systems, and create a true process organization that delivers superior value to customers.