A Conversation with F. Bryon Nahser: Focusing on Values through Pragmatic Inquiry

Abstract

In 1986, when I first joined DePaul, I had the pleasure of meeting F. Byron (Ron) Nahser, as he was involved in DePaul's ethics and values advisory group when Brother Leo V. Ryan was Dean of the College of Business. I was impressed with Ron's evangelical zeal as he promoted values in life and in business. At the time, as the President of Frank C. Nahser Advertising Agency, he personally interviewed each client to ensure that their values were compatible with the values of the agency. I was flabbergasted. This advertising firm has an ethical conscious! Over the years, Ron has grown his business but has still maintained fast to his notion that values are important. The focus of this interview is how Ron works with clients through an approach called "Pragmatic Inquiry" to help them find the "soul" of their business. This helps the organization build its own unique culture and resulting behaviors. Ron has a B.A. from Notre Dame, an M.B.A. from Northwestern University, an M.A. in Religious Studies from Mundelein College, and a Ph.D. from DePaul University. Ron is currently the CEO of the Globe Group of companies and holds an "executive-inresidence" position at DePaul University. He is a board member for several business ethics groups and has lectured at a host of universities including Yokohama National University in Japan, and Cambridge and Oxford Universities in England.