Edgar Schein
Encyclopedia
Edgar Henry Schein a former professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management
, has made a notable mark on the field of organizational development in many areas, including career development
, group process consultation
, and organizational culture
. He is generally credited with inventing the term "corporate culture". (The Oxford English Dictionary
traces the phrase "corporate culture" as far back as "1966 Acad. Managem. Jrnl. 9 362/2".)
Schein's model of organizational culture originated in the 1980s. Schein (2004) identifies three distinct levels in organizational cultures:
The three levels refer to the layers of corporate culture.
The model has undergone various modifications, such as the Raz update of Schein's organizational culture model
(2006), and others.
In Schein's original research from the mid-1970s he identified five possible career anchor constructs: (1) autonomy/independence, (2) security/stability, (3) technical-functional competence, (4) general managerial competence, and (5) entrepreneurial creativity. Follow-up studies in the 1980s identified three additional constructs: (6) service or dedication to a cause, (7) pure challenge, and (8) life style.
A 2008 study distinguishes between entrepreneurship and creativity to form nine possible constructs.
Professional
Board Member
MIT Sloan School of Management
The MIT Sloan School of Management is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, Massachusetts....
, has made a notable mark on the field of organizational development in many areas, including career development
Career development
In organizational development , the study of career development looks at:*how individuals manage their careers within and between organizations and,...
, group process consultation
Group process consultation
Group process consultation consists of activities designed to increase group awareness and understanding, so that the group or organization can take steps to improve the way that its members work together....
, and organizational culture
Organizational culture
Organizational culture is defined as “A pattern of shared basic assumptions invented, discovered, or developed by a given group as it learns to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration" that have worked well enough to be considered valid and therefore, to be taught to...
. He is generally credited with inventing the term "corporate culture". (The Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
traces the phrase "corporate culture" as far back as "1966 Acad. Managem. Jrnl. 9 362/2".)
Schein's organizational culture model
- artifacts and behaviours
- espoused values
- assumptions
The three levels refer to the layers of corporate culture.
- Artifacts include any tangible or verbally identifiable elements in an organization. Architecture, furniture, dress code, office jokes, and history all exemplify organizational artifacts.
- Values are the organization's stated or desired cultural elements. This is most often a written or stated tone that the CEO or President hope to exude throughout the office environment. Examples of this would be employee professionalism, or a "family first" mantra.
- Assumptions are the actual values that the culture represents, not necessarily correlated to the values. These assumptions are typically so well integrated in the office dynamic that they are hard to recognize from within.
The model has undergone various modifications, such as the Raz update of Schein's organizational culture model
Raz update of Schein's organizational culture model
Raz update of Schein's Organizational culture model.Schein model for describing and measuring organizational culture is a well known model which is being used variedly by organizational consulters. The model were published by Edgar Schein at the 80' of the 20th century...
(2006), and others.
Coercive persuasion
Schein has written on the issues surrounding coercive persuasion, comparing and contrasting brainwashing as a use for "goals that we deplore and goals that we accept."Schein's 'Career Anchors'
A career anchor is one's self concept, and consists of one's perceptions of one's talents and abilities, one's basic values and one's perceptions of motives and needs as they pertain to career.In Schein's original research from the mid-1970s he identified five possible career anchor constructs: (1) autonomy/independence, (2) security/stability, (3) technical-functional competence, (4) general managerial competence, and (5) entrepreneurial creativity. Follow-up studies in the 1980s identified three additional constructs: (6) service or dedication to a cause, (7) pure challenge, and (8) life style.
A 2008 study distinguishes between entrepreneurship and creativity to form nine possible constructs.
Education
- Ph.D.Ph.D.A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
, social psychologySocial psychologySocial psychology is the scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. By this definition, scientific refers to the empirical method of investigation. The terms thoughts, feelings, and behaviors include all...
, Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, 1952 - Master's DegreeMaster's degreeA master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
, PsychologyPsychologyPsychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, Stanford UniversityStanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, 1949 - University of ChicagoUniversity of ChicagoThe University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
Publications
- Brainwashing and Totalitarianization in Modern Society (1959)
- Coercive Persuasion: A socio-psychological analysis of the "brainwashing" of American civilian prisoners by the Chinese Communists (1961), W. W. Norton (publishers)
- Organizational Psychology (1980) ISBN 0-13-641332-3
- Organizational Culture and Leadership (1985) ISBN 1-55542-487-2
- Process Consultation Revisited (1999) ISBN 0-201-34596-X
Awards, honors
Awards- Lifetime Achievement Award in Workplace Learning and Performance of the American Society of Training and Development, February 3, 2000
- Everett Cherrington Hughes Award for Career Scholarship, Careers Division of the Academy of ManagementAcademy of ManagementThe Academy of Management is a professional association for scholars dedicated to creating and disseminating knowledge about management and organizations. The Academy of Management was established in 1936...
, August 8, 2000 - Marion Gislason Award for Leadership in Executive Development, Boston UniversityBoston UniversityBoston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
School of Management Executive Development Roundtable, December 11, 2002
Professional
- Fellow, American Psychological AssociationAmerican Psychological AssociationThe American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. It is the world's largest association of psychologists with around 154,000 members including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. The APA...
- Fellow, Academy of ManagementAcademy of ManagementThe Academy of Management is a professional association for scholars dedicated to creating and disseminating knowledge about management and organizations. The Academy of Management was established in 1936...
Board Member
- Advisory Board, Institute for Nuclear Power Operations
- Board Member, Massachusetts Audubon SocietyMassachusetts Audubon SocietyThe Massachusetts Audubon Society, founded in 1896 by Harriet Hemenway and headquartered in Lincoln, Massachusetts, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to "Protecting the nature of Massachusetts." Mass Audubon is independent of the National Audubon Society, and in fact was founded...
- Board Member, Boston Lyric OperaBoston Lyric OperaBoston Lyric Opera is an American opera company based in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1976.Each season, BLO produces three mainstage productions at the Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre in Boston and a fully staged, one-hour English language version of a popular opera for school...