Kai Alhanen is the director of Dialogue Academy and a researcher in political philosophy. He is one of Finland’s leading experts on dialogue and a respected trainer also in other parts of the world.
Alhanen’s academic research on dialogue and democratic way of life is closely linked to various practical approaches. He works as a trainer, supervisor and coach at Aretai Ltd. and co-leads the company’s Dialogue Academy. In this work, he is constantly testing his research ideas and developing their practical implications. Together with his colleagues, he has developed a theoretical and practical approach to dialogue that builds on his philosophical research published in his peer-reviewed monographs John Deweyn kokemusfilosofia Gaudeamus 2013 (John Dewey’s Philosophy of Experience) and Dialogi demokratiassa Gaudeamus 2016 (Dialogue in Democracy). This work has been widely recognized in Finland and internationally.
The research that Alhanen has done on dialogue has formed the basis of the Timeout method (Erätauko), when he was a senior advisor in the Timeout project 2017-2019 (Finnish Innovation Fund SITRA). Timeout method has had a significant societal impact. So far over 100 000 people have participated in Timeout dialogues. This has also led to the development of the National Dialogues model which was created in collaboration with the Finnish government and various civil society actors. National Dialogues help to build an understanding of different societal phenomena, challenges, and opportunities in cooperation between citizens, communities, and authorities. The same concept has also been implemented in Latvia by the Latvian State Chancellery and local NGOs. Reinforcing dialogue in society is now also one of the main goals of Finland’s Open Government Strategy 2030.
Based on his research work, Alhanen has also authored and co-authored several manuals, especially for practitioners of dialogue in various fields: Työnohjauksen käsikirja Tammi 2011 (Dialogical Supervision), Systeemisen muutoksen johtaminen lastensuojelussa THL 2019 (Leading Systemic Change in Child Protection), Timeout Instructor’s Guide Sitra 2021, Demokraattisten kohtaamisten käsikirja Sitra 2023 (Handbook of Democratic Encounters) and The Dialogue Book Into 2024.
Alhanen has been invited to speak as an expert on dialogical practices and democracy in over 100 public or training events in Finland and abroad. In Finland these include talks in The Finnish Parliament, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education and Culture, Ministry of Interior, National Health and Welfare, The Finnish Innovation Fund SITRA, Open Democracy Network and in over 20 municipalities. Internationally, he has given lectures and courses in the following contexts: Institute for Public Knowledge, New York University (USA), Philosophy of Management Conference, Greenwich University (UK), Lampa Festival (Latvia), State Chancellery (Latvia), U.O.S.D Promozione della Salute (Italy), ACLI Trento (Italy), University of Pisa (Italy), Nordic Thematic Seminar for Youth Workers (Iceland), Erasmus+ TCA/NET Meeting (Germany), Nordic Conference of Network Therapy (Norway), Radicalisation Awareness Network (European Commission), Multi-Country Project on Strategic Foresight (OECD, Italy, Malta & Lithuania), Strategic Foresight Leadership Training (OECD & Office of the Prime Minister, Malta).
toimisto@dialogiakatemia.fi