Alan Briskin

Alan Briskin is author of the award-winning book The Stirring of Soul in the Workplace and coauthor of The Power of Collective Wisdom, Daily Miracles, which earned the American Journal of Nursing's Book of the Year award, and Bringing Your Soul to Work: An Everyday Practice. Alan is a pioneer in the field of organizational learning and cofounder of the Collective Wisdom Initiative.

His work with groups and collectives extends back to the early 1970s, when he was part of an international community in Israel founded on the principles of the communal kibbutz. As an educator, he contributed to the design of schools based on experiential learning and was the director of education for the Vermont group home that became the model for deinstitutionalization of confined youth. His interest in alternative educational settings continued for over ten years when he was the principal consultant to the George Lucas Educational Foundation.

As a health care consultant, he was a founding member of the Relationship Centered Care Network and developed programs at Kaiser Permanente for practicing physicians to deepen their communication skills with patients. He has continued for the past twenty years as a coach and mentor for physician and nurse leaders as well as an organizational consultant to executive teams, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. He serves as an adjunct faculty member at Saybrook Graduate School, where he helped design its doctoral program in organizational systems.

In corporate and conference settings, Alan has given keynotes and conducted workshops on collective wisdom throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, England, and South Africa. He has a doctorate in organizational behavior from the Wright Institute in Berkeley, California, and is a professional associate of the Grubb Institute in London. Alan lives in Oakland, California. Visit his Web sites at www.alanbriskin.com. www.thepowerofcollectivewisdom.com, and www.collectivewisdominitiative.org