Before his retirement in 2018, Barry Oshry worked for over 50 years with a single-minded quest to unlock the mysteries of power and powerlessness in organizations. He began his work in the 1960s at Boston University where he developed large-scale organizational simulations for undergraduates in business and at National Training Labs (NTL) where he continued his research and program development. In 1970 he created The Power Lab, and since the mid-1970’s he has developed and conducted organizational workshops with Tops, Middles, Bottoms, and Customers. These programs have been providing “system sight” to organizations throughout the world.

A pioneer in the field of human systems thinking, Barry has been invited to address numerous professional conferences. He has written extensively on power, system change, and other social system issues. Among his writing are ‘The Possibilities Of Organization,’ ‘In The Middle,’ and ‘Space Work.’ His most recent books, ‘Seeing Systems’ and ‘Leading Systems, and Context, Context, Context, have met with critical acclaim and are regularly used in graduate courses.

Karen Oshry is the former President of Power+Systems and a design partner in all of its:  publications, plays, certifications, trainer events, and workshops. Under her capable leadership, Power+Systems expanded its reach and created a global network of certified professionals.