Our Culture

Our people are the reason for our success. For more than 40 years, we have dedicated ourselves to fulfilling our mission as we serve our members around the globe. Guided by a values-driven work ethic that originated with our founder, the late Jack Grayson, we continue to develop world-renowned research, frameworks, tools, and services.

40th Staff Pic

Living the Grayson Guarantee

Founded by Jack Grayson, APQC is a team of around 70 thought leaders, researchers and business experts, marketers, and others who are passionate about productivity and quality improvement. We embrace a core set of values known as the Grayson Guarantee℠ - helping organizations and individuals around the world work smarter, faster, and with greater confidence.

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Our Mission and Vision

Our vision is to be a catalyst for change.

Our mission is to help organizations around the world improve productivity and quality by:

  • discovering effective methods of improvement,
  • broadly disseminating findings, and
  • connecting individuals with one another and with the knowledge they need to improve. 
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Our Values and Brand Promise

The Grayson Guarantee℠

Jack Grayson was known for his enthusiasm, altruism, and goal of helping our members and their organizations around the world improve productivity and quality. Inspired by Grayson’s life and actions, APQC embraces a core set of values. These values are collectively known as The Grayson Guarantee℠. The Grayson Guarantee is APQC's commitment to help organizations and individuals around the world work smarter, faster, and with greater confidence with our expertise and services.

Trustworthy answers
We will always conduct unbiased research and never compromise the integrity of our data.

Lasting solutions, not quick fixes
APQC focuses on providing long-term solutions that solve current problems and anticipate future needs. 

Fearless creativity, structured innovation
We use structured processes to foster and channel creativity. From our airy, open workplace to the unique ways we work with each other and our members and clients, we generate leading-edge ideas and put them into practice.

Individual contribution for collective achievement
Our individual contributions are part of a greater whole. The success of our members and clients depends on our ability to combine independent ideas to design lasting solutions.

Continual learning, sharing, and growth
As the business environment evolves, so does APQC. We have thrived for more than 30 years because we respect our heritage and embrace new information, new perspectives, and change.

The Grayson Guarantee is our promise to our clients and members – and to ourselves – to continue to be the catalyst for change for our members around the world. It guides everything that we do as an organization and as individuals.

Lisa Higgins, President and CEO, APQC

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Our “Tree House”

When the APQC complex was being built in 1980, our founder Jack Grayson had a vision for the kind of space he wanted to create for APQC. He envisioned a space that was not only functional, but also inviting for visitors and inspiring for the people who worked there. 

The result was a unique, elegant, and highly functional building with open offices that encourage teamwork and collaboration. With its sweeping views of surrounding trees and a wooded walking path that traces the complex, our headquarters have become known as “the Tree House.”