Peter Brown Vaill (November 5, 1936 – March 24, 2020) was an organizational change theorist who published widely in the fields of

organizational behavior Organizational behavior or organisational behaviour (see American and British English spelling differences, spelling differences) is the "study of human behavior in organizational settings, the interface between human behavior and the organiza ...

organization development Organization development (OD) is the study and implementation of practices, systems, and techniques that affect organizational change. The goal of which is to modify a group's/organization's performance and/or culture. The organizational chang ...

(O.D.), and

leadership studies Leadership studies is a multidisciplinary academic field of study that focuses on leadership in organizational contexts and in human life. Leadership studies has origins in the social sciences (e.g., sociology, anthropology, psychology), in huma ...

, including the intersection of spirituality and leadership.

Life

Vaill was born in

St. Cloud, Minnesota St. Cloud or Saint Cloud (; ) is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 68,881 at the 2020 census, making it Minnesota's 12th-largest city. St. Cloud is the c ...

, on November 5, 1936, to Stanley and Elizabeth (Brown) Vaill. Peter’s father, who worked for the phone company, was transferred from St. Cloud to Duluth for nine years, then later to Minneapolis. Peter attended high school in Minneapolis and earned an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

. In 1958, he entered Harvard Business School, and graduated in 1960 a with degree in General Management. In 1964 he received a Doctorate in Business Administration from Harvard Business School with field of study in Organizational Behavior. In 2001, Vaill was paralyzed from the waist down. He died on March 24, 2020, in a hospital in Minneapolis due to complications from pneumonia.

Professorships and works

Vaill is known for his innovative approaches to organizational behavior. His books include ''Managing as a Performing Art: New Ideas for a World of Chaotic Change,'' ''Learning as a Way of Being: Strategies for Survival in a World of Permanent White Water,'' and ''Spirited Leading and Learning: Process Wisdom for a New Age''. In the final months of his life, Vaill co-hosted a podcast with Dave Fearon called "Choosing a Practiced Way of Life".

References

External links

Short biography at the Antioch University website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaill, Peter American business theorists Antioch University faculty Harvard Business School alumni George Washington University faculty University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) faculty People from Yellow Springs, Ohio

Life

Professorships and works

See also

References

External links