Influence

Werner Erhard, creator of est (Erhard Seminars Training) became a cultural icon, a force for change that has shaped human consciousness since the early 1970’s. In 1971, Erhard introduced the breakthrough notion of "transformation" to the American public – a notion that redefined how people saw their lives and continues to be seen as a powerful, practical, and relevant resource in contemporary society. To this day, people report remarkable, sustainable benefits in their personal and professional lives – in their families, careers, organizations, and communities.

Millions of people have been influenced by Werner Erhard's ideas through direct participation in programs he developed, the consulting he has personally done for hundreds of corporations and non-profits, and the approximately one hundred management consulting firms that license his approach to management and organizational development. Thought leaders in universities, training organizations, governmental entities, and non-governmental-organizations have used and built on his ideas, and have drawn on them in their books and other publications.

Werner Erhard is acknowledged in the following publications:

Harvard Business Review on Change:
"We are indebted to numerous philosophers, scholars, and thinkers who have inquired into the nature of being, especially Werner Erhard." 

Community: The Structure of Belonging, Peter Block:
"For over 30 years, Werner Erhard has created thinking and learning experiences that have affected millions of people's lives. Many of the ideas he has worked with derive from the work of others, but Werner has named and integrated them into something more powerful than where the thinking began."

True Partnership: Revolutionary Thinking About Relating To Others, by Carl Zeiss: "From Werner Erhard's work I learned the power of context that we bring to the table in each and every interaction we have with others."

Dave Logan, Associate Dean and Executive Director of Executive Development, USC, Marshall School of Business:
"You can’t have a Master’s Degree in organizational development or human resources without picking up some of Werner Erhard’s ideas… his stuff is just out there in the world."

Trimtabs Investing: Using Liquidity to Beat the Stock Market, by Charles Biderman:
"After obtaining everything I ever thought I wanted by the age of 30, I realized I knew less than nothing about life.  I owe a great deal to the people who taught me, including Ole Larsen, Robert Monroe, Jack Schwartz, Buckminster Fuller, Michael Murphy, and Werner Erhard.  I volunteered at Werner Erhard and Associates, where I learned about the being part of human being."

Handbook of Strategic Management, Second Edition, (Public Administration and Public Policy), by Jack Rabin and Gerald J. Miller:
"According to Werner Erhard (Pascarella, 1987), once management has created a future through 'conversation for possibility,' action and creative resource allocation will follow. That is to say, the later stages of strategic management take care of themselves once a vision is embedded in the minds of the employees."

The Age of Miracles: Embracing the New Midlife, by Marianne Williamson:
"According to Werner Erhard, founder of the est organization,  we can live our lives either acting out of circumstances or acting out of a vision.  And when it comes to midlife, we can forge a new vision, a new conversation, to take us beyond the limited thought-forms that have defined its parameters for generations.  The circumstances are fixed, but our experience of them is not. Every situation is experienced within the context of the conversation surrounding it, both in our heads and in our culture."

Handbook for Humans: A Comprehensive Synthesis of Paths to Personal Growth, by James Sloman:
"Werner Erhard - A courageous pioneer who has contributed greatly to the lives of many." 

Re-create Your Life : Transforming Yourself and Your World With the Decision Maker Process, by Morty Lefkoe: "Werner Erhard - thanks for my first exposure to transformation, for assisting me to shift my life from a focus on "what's in it for me" to a focus on contributing to others, and for the immeasurable difference you have made in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people through the est training and the Hunger Project."

I Know Something and So Do You, by J. Diane Bechtle: "I honor and acknowledge Werner Erhard for the dedication and service he has given to me and to humanity. Werner is one of this generation's great and unacknowledged thinkers. He was the creator of EST (The Erhard Seminar Training) a powerful weekend training and a seminar series which transformed the lives of thousands of people who perhaps would never have come to know and respect their inner being."

Werner Erhard: The Transformation of a Man,
by William Warren Bartley III:
"Werner Erhard is at once a thoughtful student of, and important contributor to, the continuing philosophical dialogue that has crafted the world civilization in which we all dwell today. Unlike many philosophers and students of philosophy, he not only originates and develops ideas, but also profoundly touches people with them – thereby transforming people’s experience of what is possible for human beings and their ability to act on that possibility." Professor W.W. Bartley, III, was a Professor of Philosophy at California State University, Senior Research Fellow at Harvard University, and biographer of Ludwig Wittgenstein and Werner Erhard.

Transformation: The Life and Legacy of Werner Erhard
Everyone should see this documentary created by the independent filmmaker and two-time Emmy Award Winning Producer for PBS, Robyn Simon.  The film is about Werner Erhard and the impact of his ideas through transformational thinking.  The documentary features numerous professional and academic experts who discuss the ideas of Werner Erhard and how they continue to dramatically impact society today.

Werner Erhard's Ideas at Work in Business