Diana McLain Smith

For the past 25 years, Diana McLain Smith has studied and advised leaders and their teams on how to build relationships strong enough to master their toughest challenges. Her research-based intervention approach zeroes in on the human dynamics of strategic choice and change in organizations. Drawing on a background in family therapy, organizational change, and policy disputes, McLain Smith has a proven track record helping executives use their differences to advance, rather than stall, intelligent progress on their most difficult issues.

Throughout her career, McLain Smith has written about teams and intervention. Her books include "Divide or Conquer: How Great Teams Turn Conflict into Strength" and "Remaking the Space Between Us: How Citizens Can Work Together to Build a Better Future for All."

McLain Smith received her masters and doctoral degrees from Harvard University. While there, she worked closely with Chris Argyris and Don Schon, who chaired her thesis. Prior to graduate school, McLain Smith was trained as a family therapist by one of the field’s most influential founders, David Kantor, with whom she still collaborates. She has also worked closely with Peter Senge on questions related to organizational learning and with the Harvard Negotiation Project on questions related to consensus-building in organizations. She is the co-author of the book "Action Science," with Chris Argyris and Bob Putnam, and of numerous articles and white papers.