Thomas C. Tuttle

Dr. Thomas C. Tuttle is an organizational psychologist who was the former Director of the University of Maryland Center for Quality and Productivity (UMCQP) for 26 years. The role of the UMCQP was to assist Maryland organizations through training, technical assistance and research to become more competitive and to protect and grow jobs in the State. After retiring from the university, he was the founder and CEO of the Tuttle Group International, a strategic management consulting firm. His latest book, "Transforming A Unionized Plant: Leadership Lessons for a Divided World" is based on his work as a "third-party" consultant to the management and UAW union of the former Mack Trucks Powertrain Plant in Hagerstown, Maryland.

The UMCQP was asked by the Governor and Secretary of Economic Development of Maryland to provide assistance to a Mack Trucks Plant in Western Maryland in 1991. The Governor knew that Mack Trucks and this plant was losing money and that Mack was in the process of being acquired by Renault Vehicles (RVI) of France. The Western part of Maryland had already experienced considerable job loss due to plant closures and the thought of losing another plant with over 1200 employees was not acceptable to the Governor. Part of the challenge facing the plant was that Mack Headquarters and the International UAW were virtually at war. The conflict from the company and union headquarters also flowed down to the plant in Hagerstown. So the Center's role in part was to act as a third party consultant to improve management and union relationship and to support the efforts to improve quality and productivity. In 1991, the plant which at one time had employed close to 3000 employees, had reduced employment down to approximately 1200. Dr. Tuttle led the consulting effort which spanned 16 years with multiple separate engagements during this period.

Between 1991 and 2007, the period described in this book, the plant moved from Mack ownership, to Renault ownership to Volvo Trucks ownership. The story described in this book is an in-depth description of how the plant was transformed so that by 2007 the plant had attracted over $450 million in new investment and employed over 2000 employees who designed and manufactured most of the diesel engines and many of the transmissions for Mack and Volvo branded heavy duty trucks. Through in-depth interviews with management and UAW union leaders and the consultant's own experiences, the book provides an in-depth look at the processes used to enable and guide the transformation of the facility, its work practices and the overall union-management relationship. The transformation was not without pain, but it was a success story for the company, the UAW, the employees, and for the State of Maryland. The book concludes with a chapter that distills lessons learned from this experience that have high relevance for business and labor leaders and for economic development policy makers today. Any community, business or not-for-profit organization that is struggling to enable its members, citizens or employees with diverse values, backgrounds and goals choose to align their efforts toward common or shared objectives can learn lessons from the experiences described in this book. With regard to what lessons can be learned from this story, Dr. Tuttle quotes Roger Johnston who was VP of Manufacturing in Hagerstown between 1999 and 2007. Roger was asked why should people be interested in this story today and he said: "As a nation can we find a way to surpass our differences and use our collective intelligence for our competitive benefit? If we don't, others will."

Dr. Tuttle graduated from Davidson College and received his Ph.D from N.C. State University. Following his graduation from Davidson he served in the U.S. Army as an Armor Officer and as an Army Aviator. Dr. Tuttle spent a year in Korea as an aviator with the Korea Military Advisory Group (KMAG). After graduate school, he worked as a research psychologist with the Air Force Human Resources Laboratory, and as a Senior Program Manager with the Westinghouse Behavioral Safety Center where he conducted research on Occupational Safety and Health. During his time at the University of Maryland, Dr. Tuttle was inducted as a Fellow of the World Academy of Productivity Science (WAPS) and later became President of WAPS for 10 years. He consulted actively in the U.S., the Caribbean Islands, Central and South America and in Asia. Dr. Tuttle was also honored by the American Productivity Center by being awarded the C. Jackson Grayson Medal as a Distinguished Quality Pioneer in 2011.

While at Davidson, he played on the baseball team and was Captain of the baseball team during his senior year. Living in Maryland he was a loyal Baltimore Oriole baseball fan and often talked about his desire to attend the Orioles Fantasy Camp to see if any of his baseball skills could be re-discovered. Tiring of hearing him talk about it, his two daughters, Lauren Sherwood and Erin Sonn finally told him at age 60 - "Dad either go to Fantasy Camp or stop talking about it.!" So in 2001 he went to the Fantasy Camp, and was fortunate enough to play on a team that won the camp championship. In addition he was able to meet and be on the field with a number of his Oriole heroes such as Brooks Robinson, Jim Palmer, Earl Weaver, Rick Dempsey, Tippy Martinez and many others.

In addition to his most recent book, his previous books include "Planning and Measurement in Your Organization of the Future" written with Dr. D. Scott Sink and "Growing Jobs: Transforming the Way We Approach Economic Development."

Dr. Tuttle and his wife Judy live in Naples, Florida where, in addition to his work as an author, he is an avid golfer, baseball fan and sometime tennis player.Since moving to Naples in 2020, he has been lucky enough to have two holes-in-one and has shot his age on the golf course twice. In this neighborhood, with the ability to be outdoors 12 months per year, those types of golf accomplishments become quite routine. So it is not hard to remain humble. He and Judy also enjoy following the growth and accomplishments of their five grandchildren and observing their achievements in person whenever possible.