Steven Alan ROSELL

STEVEN ALAN ROSELL MS, PhD At his home in San Rafael, California on December 9, 2018 at age 68, peacefully, of a heart attack. A remarkable mind is gone, but his impact endures in the many organizations in the public and private sector he helped shape, in individuals he touched and in his four major books and many articles. Born in Montreal, Steve attended McGill, completing his undergrad studies at Carleton in Ottawa while working full time from age 19 for the Government of Canada as the youngest Special Assistant to a Federal Minister. He earned his PhD in Organizational Behaviour at Cornell University, studying under renowned scholar, William Foote White. His thesis was widely viewed as an important contribution to the literature. Steve returned to Canada for a career in the federal Government, to eventually lead Machinery of Government at the Privy Council Office under four successive Prime Ministers (starting with Pierre Trudeau). As a member of the Clerk's executive team he routinely assisted in fostering common ground amongst Ministers and senior officials. His personal impact on the Government of Canada - its organizational culture and policies - was substantial, as it was on governments abroad, on major corporations and non-profits. In 1990, Steve made his home in San Rafael and founded a think tank, The Meridian International Institute Inc. He also co-founded, with Daniel Yankelovich, Viewpoint Learning, Inc. in the US and Canada - which focused on engaging the public, leaders and stakeholders in dialogue that allowed participants to grapple with hard choices and to build shared understandings. He advised corporate and public sector leaders worldwide. Importantly, it was in Berkeley that he met his beloved soul mate and wife, Frances (Funtz) Michener, who continued working with him for the rest of his life. Between 1990 and 1997, Steve led an innovative series of roundtables in Canada for senior federal public servants and leaders outside governments. It was organized as an experiment in participatory action research with the goal to develop governance and decision- making systems that can respond to rapid societal change. This process is captured in three of Steve's books and many articles. In 1995, Michael Adams (Environics), led a national charitable effort, 'Scenarios for the Future Inc.,' to promote dialogue and engagement among a diverse group of Canadians. He asked Steve to intellectually drive the effort. Janice Stein et al wrote that this was a first, and an important model of citizen engagement. A recent project in Canada was the federal Minister of Finance's Payments Task Force, chaired by Dr. Pat Meredith, and leading to Steve's last book, Catalytic Governance (2016), written with Pat Meredith and Ged Davis. Throughout his career, Steve pursued the question of 'how groups, organizations and societies learn, and how that affects the way we organize and govern ourselves.' His leadership has helped countless leaders to better shape our world. Steve is survived by his wife, Funtz Michener; brothers, Robert (Pat) and Ron; niece, Shannon; nephew, Ryan; and sister-in-law, Rose.