Stephen P. Fitzgerald, PhD, is an organizational
psychologist specializing in complex collaboration for social change.
Through his award-winning applied research and consultation, Dr.
Fitzgerald provides thought leadership on the new frontiers in organizational
learning and collaboration-Appreciative
Inquiry and Collaborative Capacity. He
is the creator of the "Collaborative Capacity Framework," developed
from best research and practice in multiple disciplines with complex
collaborations in all sectors. That framework
supports organizations and alliances in translating vision into
action and measurable results. His prior experience as a corporate
human resources manager augments this expertise. For example, he
led a safety initiative in a professional services firm that reduced
workers compensation claims by 90% within a year, at an annual savings
of nearly $1 million.
Dr. Fitzgerald co-designed and facilitated the first Appreciative
Inquiry (AI) Summit for the Healthcare Industry, held in St.
Louis, Missouri in May 2003 (Summit materials are available
to the public on the AI Commons website at http://ai.cwru.edu/practice/organizationDetail.cfm?coid=4369).
Through his doctoral research, he pioneered the application
of AI via Internet in a globally dispersed virtual organization.
He provided consultation and train-the-trainer on the design
and implementation of AI in countywide public involvement
processes for the healthy development of children ages 0-5,
and designed and facilitated an AI strategic planning process
for a nationally recognized non-profit healthcare organization.
Significant outcomes of that engagement included implementation
of fundamental structural changes that addressed key organizational
issues from a place of vision generated and clarified through
the AI process.
Dr. Fitzgerald serves as an Assistant Professor
of Business Administration at Touro University International
(http://www.tourou.edu).
Previously, Asian Executive MBA students at California Management
Institute ranked him as top professor in 2002. He has authored
journal articles and book chapters on appreciative
inquiry, and numerous books, chapters, and articles on
various aspects of complex
collaboration and organizational
development and change. He is a partner in the global
Appreciative Inquiry Consulting (http://www.aiconsulting.org).
