Beth Gunderson

Senior Affiliate Practitioner

Beth Gunderson is the Founder of Minikahda Partners, an organization and talent architecture firm specializing in organization design and enterprise transformation initiatives. Beth is also a permanent instructor at the University of Southern California – Center for Effective Organizations – in their Strategic Organization Design Workshop and Adapting to Disruption Workshop.

Most recently Beth was Senior Director Organization Capabilities at General Mills, a $16B global food company. Beth was responsible for organization design and change management practices – consulting on large scale organization design projects as well as building capability across the organization. Examples of her work include the following:

  • Led major reorganization efforts across General Mills, including restructure of both US and International businesses.
  • Led restructure of global cereal JV with partner Nestle.
  • Implemented and managed change associated with key enterprise wide change efforts.
  • Developed organization design, change management capability building curriculum and tools for HR and line leaders.

Significant other responsibilities have included; global assessment practice for pre-employment and development, leadership coaching, enterprise learning and development and culture initiatives. She also has extensive experience in leadership and team development.

Beth has a unique perspective on organizational change and development initiatives; over the course of her 32 years at General Mills (previously Pillsbury/Diageo) she has held a variety of cross functional positions within: Research and Development, Supply Chain/Operations, and Human Resources.

Beth received her BS from the University of Wisconsin in Industrial Technology – Package Engineering and her MA in Human Resource Development – Organization Development from the University of St. Thomas.

Recent Research


Stop Naming Your Change (and Transformation) Programs!

Organizations often give catchy names to transformation initiatives to create focus and signal their importance, but this practice can unintentionally reinforce the idea that change is temporary, leading to disillusionment and cynicism when further changes arise. Instead, aligning efforts with ongoing strategies and framing them as part of a continuous process, like "LRP Activation," fosters clarity, engagement, and a culture where change becomes a normal and accepted part of organizational life.

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WEBINAR: Paying the Price: Pitfalls of Misaligned Compensation in Organization Design

with Beth Gunderson and Anne Soash In this webinar, we’ll explore the crucial intersections between organizational design, compensation frameworks, and the intended and unintended outcomes they shape. We’ll discuss a case study on incentives gone wrong, highlighting the legal and ethical pitfalls of misaligned pay plans.

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Seeing Around Corners: Emerging Trends Disrupting Organization Design

Seeing Around Corners: Emerging Trends Disrupting Organization Design with Beth Gunderson and Sarah Sonnenfeld

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Fundamental Organization Transitions: Managing Complex, Simultaneous Change at Driscoll’s

In this webinar, Dan Ritter, Senior Manager for Organization Effectiveness at Driscoll’s will share the implementation of a systemic change at Driscolls focusing on fundamental transformation in the strategy and business model, but simultaneously developing capabilities and enhancing agility.

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Adapting to Disruption: Frameworks and Lessons from the Field

In this webinar, Chris Worley and Sue Mohrman from USC’s Center for Effective Organizations and Beth Gunderson, Senior Director of Organization Capabilities at General Mills, will present field based learning and new frameworks for continual transformation. General Mills, like all processed foods companies, has been exposed to severe industry disruption. Beth will discuss approaches they have taken through the lens of the new models and frameworks that are needed to routinely respond to disruption.

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