Robert H. Waterman Jr.

Robert Hanna Waterman Jr. (November 11, 1936 – January 2, 2022) was an American non-fiction author and expert on business management practices.

Waterman was best known as the co-author, with Tom Peters, of In Search of Excellence. Waterman later directed his own company, The Waterman Group, Inc., after 21 years at the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

In Search of Excellence was published in 1982 and became a bestseller, gaining national exposure when a series of television specials based on the book and hosted by Waterman and Peters appeared on PBS. The primary idea espoused was that of solving business problems with as little business process overhead as possible, and empowering decision-makers at multiple levels of a company.

He was also the author of:

• The Renewal Factor
• Adhocracy: the Power to Change
• What America Does Right (Frontiers of Excellence in Europe and UK).