Discussion: View Thread

  • 1.  1964: [OB-LIST] Narrative history of OB

    Posted 01-29-2010 13:10
    I'll echo Pam's suggestion of Fred Luthans...Mr. OB...but add some homework. Ed Schein does not like the OB terms as I recall but he coined, along with Bernie Bass independently, the term "organizational psychology" in 1964, if memory serves. The field roots date to Taylor in the late 1800s and Ed Locke is the guy on that but I am not exactly clear when the term "OB" came into existence. That predates my entry into the field in 1973.
    _________________________________________


    -----Original Message-----
    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Perrewe, Pamela
    Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 11:03 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] Narrative history of OB

    I would like to suggest Fred Luthans, also.

    Pam Perrewe


    -----Original Message-----
    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv
    [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Boal, Kim
    Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 11:24 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] Narrative history of OB

    Dear Kevin, I would recommend, following Bruce, that you talk to Lyman
    Porter or Art Bedian.

    Kim Boal
    ________________________________________
    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU]
    On Behalf Of Bruce Hoag [b.hoag@P-ADVANTAGE.COM]
    Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 8:42 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] Narrative history of OB

    I don't mean to be cheeky, but you might try interviewing Chris Argyris,
    since he practically invented the discipline.

    Cheers, Bruce

    Bruce Hoag, PhD, CPsychol
    Work Psychologist

    ------------------------------------------------------
    Are you planning to accomplish greater things in 2010 by doing what you
    did in 2009? Sign up for my free newsletter.
    http://www.p-advantage.com/Newsletter.php

    Read Another Fine Mess: http://www.p-advantage.com/Blog/
    Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/drbrucehoag



    On 29 January 2010 03:30, Kevin Corley
    <Kevin.Corley@asu.edu<mailto:Kevin.Corley@asu.edu>> wrote:
    Hi everyone. I'm checking to see if anyone knows of a narrative history
    of the OB field - something suitable for introducing new doctoral
    students to the early years of OB research and the origins of our
    discipline. I have found tidbits of that history in various places, but
    no single narrative that captures the progression across the years
    (important people, events, and theories, but doesn't delve into the
    theories themselves).

    Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

    Kevin Corley
    kcorley@asu.edu<mailto:kcorley@asu.edu>


  • 2.  1964: [OB-LIST] Narrative history of OB

    Posted 01-29-2010 19:44
    Chris Argyris used to refer to himself as the first person ever to receive a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior.  His logic was that Cornell was the first school to offer a Ph.D. in OB and Chris was the first graduate of that program.  The context for those remarks, as I recall, was that Chris had been asked in an interview how he was able to be so prolific (publishing a book or two every year), and he responded by saying that when he was a doctoral student at Cornell he read all the important books and articles to that point in time, unlike most doctoral students, and so he never had to go back and read old material like everyone else was doing, which then gave him more time to focus on his own research and writing and publishing.

    Back in the mid-70s, about the time that Larry Cummings was Editor of AMJ, he published an article (I think in AMR, which was a spin-off of AMJ in 1975) that did a nice job of distinguishing the critical differences between OB, Org Psych, and HR.  As I recall, one of Fred Luthans' several readings books contained the Cummings article.  Fred, as some of you may know, did his Ph.D. at Iowa, and while he was an early and frequent contributor to the field he was not the first to do work in OB.  Fred's major contribution in those days was to draw attention to reinforcement theory and how it helped to explain and control behavior at work.

    Larry


    On Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 12:09 PM, Quick, Jim C <jquick@uta.edu> wrote:
    I'll echo Pam's suggestion of Fred Luthans...Mr. OB...but add some homework.  Ed Schein does not like the OB terms as I recall but he coined, along with Bernie Bass independently, the term "organizational psychology" in 1964, if memory serves.  The field roots date to Taylor in the late 1800s and Ed Locke is the guy on that but I am not exactly clear when the term "OB" came into existence.  That predates my entry into the field in 1973.
    _________________________________________


    -----Original Message-----
    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Perrewe, Pamela
    Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 11:03 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] Narrative history of OB

    I would like to suggest Fred Luthans, also.

    Pam Perrewe


    -----Original Message-----
    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv
    [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Boal, Kim
    Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 11:24 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] Narrative history of OB

    Dear Kevin, I would recommend, following Bruce, that you talk to Lyman
    Porter or Art Bedian.

    Kim Boal
    ________________________________________
    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU]
    On Behalf Of Bruce Hoag [b.hoag@P-ADVANTAGE.COM]
    Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 8:42 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] Narrative history of OB

    I don't mean to be cheeky, but you might try interviewing Chris Argyris,
    since he practically invented the discipline.

    Cheers, Bruce

    Bruce Hoag, PhD, CPsychol
    Work Psychologist

    ------------------------------------------------------
    Are you planning to accomplish greater things in 2010 by doing what you
    did in 2009? Sign up for my free newsletter.
    http://www.p-advantage.com/Newsletter.php

    Read Another Fine Mess: http://www.p-advantage.com/Blog/
    Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/drbrucehoag



    On 29 January 2010 03:30, Kevin Corley
    <Kevin.Corley@asu.edu<mailto:Kevin.Corley@asu.edu>> wrote:
    Hi everyone. I'm checking to see if anyone knows of a narrative history
    of the OB field - something suitable for introducing new doctoral
    students to the early years of OB research and the origins of our
    discipline. I have found tidbits of that history in various places, but
    no single narrative that captures the progression across the years
    (important people, events, and theories, but doesn't delve into the
    theories themselves).

    Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

    Kevin Corley
    kcorley@asu.edu<mailto:kcorley@asu.edu>



  • 3.  1964: [OB-LIST] Narrative history of OB

    Posted 01-30-2010 03:30
    Hi:

    It is good that Larry brings up Chris Argyris.

    In fact as far as I can recall, Chris Argyris coined the term
    "Organizational Behavior". See:

    Argyris, C. (1957). Personality and organization: The conflict between
    system and individual. New York: Harper & Row

    This book, by the way, was probably the most important book I read
    during my studies.

    Best,
    J.

    ____________________________________________________

    Prof. John Antonakis, Associate Dean
    Faculty of Business and Economics
    Department of Organizational Behavior
    University of Lausanne
    Internef #618
    CH-1015 Lausanne-Dorigny
    Switzerland

    Tel ++41 (0)21 692-3438
    Fax ++41 (0)21 692-3305

    Faculty page:
    http://www.hec.unil.ch/people/jantonakis

    Personal page:
    http://www.hec.unil.ch/jantonakis
    ____________________________________________________



    On 30.01.2010 01:44, Larry Pate wrote:
    > Chris Argyris used to refer to himself as the first person ever to
    > receive a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior. His logic was that
    > Cornell was the first school to offer a Ph.D. in OB and Chris was the
    > first graduate of that program. The context for those remarks, as I
    > recall, was that Chris had been asked in an interview how he was able
    > to be so prolific (publishing a book or two every year), and he
    > responded by saying that when he was a doctoral student at Cornell he
    > read all the important books and articles to that point in time,
    > unlike most doctoral students, and so he never had to go back and read
    > old material like everyone else was doing, which then gave him more
    > time to focus on his own research and writing and publishing.
    >
    > Back in the mid-70s, about the time that Larry Cummings was Editor of
    > AMJ, he published an article (I think in AMR, which was a spin-off of
    > AMJ in 1975) that did a nice job of distinguishing the critical
    > differences between OB, Org Psych, and HR. As I recall, one of Fred
    > Luthans' several readings books contained the Cummings article. Fred,
    > as some of you may know, did his Ph.D. at Iowa, and while he was an
    > early and frequent contributor to the field he was not the first to do
    > work in OB. Fred's major contribution in those days was to draw
    > attention to reinforcement theory and how it helped to explain and
    > control behavior at work.
    >
    > Larry
    >
    >
    > On Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 12:09 PM, Quick, Jim C <jquick@uta.edu
    > <mailto:jquick@uta.edu>> wrote:
    >
    > I'll echo Pam's suggestion of Fred Luthans...Mr. OB...but add some
    > homework. Ed Schein does not like the OB terms as I recall but he
    > coined, along with Bernie Bass independently, the term
    > "organizational psychology" in 1964, if memory serves. The field
    > roots date to Taylor in the late 1800s and Ed Locke is the guy on
    > that but I am not exactly clear when the term "OB" came into
    > existence. That predates my entry into the field in 1973.
    > _________________________________________
    >
    >
    > -----Original Message-----
    > From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv
    > [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU <mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU>] On
    > Behalf Of Perrewe, Pamela
    > Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 11:03 AM
    > To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU <mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU>
    > Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] Narrative history of OB
    >
    > I would like to suggest Fred Luthans, also.
    >
    > Pam Perrewe
    >
    >
    > -----Original Message-----
    > From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv
    > [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU <mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU>] On
    > Behalf Of Boal, Kim
    > Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 11:24 AM
    > To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU <mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU>
    > Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] Narrative history of OB
    >
    > Dear Kevin, I would recommend, following Bruce, that you talk to Lyman
    > Porter or Art Bedian.
    >
    > Kim Boal
    > ________________________________________
    > From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv
    > [OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU <mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU>]
    > On Behalf Of Bruce Hoag [b.hoag@P-ADVANTAGE.COM
    > <mailto:b.hoag@P-ADVANTAGE.COM>]
    > Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 8:42 AM
    > To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU <mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU>
    > Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] Narrative history of OB
    >
    > I don't mean to be cheeky, but you might try interviewing Chris
    > Argyris,
    > since he practically invented the discipline.
    >
    > Cheers, Bruce
    >
    > Bruce Hoag, PhD, CPsychol
    > Work Psychologist
    >
    > ------------------------------------------------------
    > Are you planning to accomplish greater things in 2010 by doing
    > what you
    > did in 2009? Sign up for my free newsletter.
    > http://www.p-advantage.com/Newsletter.php
    >
    > Read Another Fine Mess: http://www.p-advantage.com/Blog/
    > Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/drbrucehoag
    >
    >
    >
    > On 29 January 2010 03:30, Kevin Corley
    > <Kevin.Corley@asu.edu
    > <mailto:Kevin.Corley@asu.edu><mailto:Kevin.Corley@asu.edu
    > <mailto:Kevin.Corley@asu.edu>>> wrote:
    > Hi everyone. I'm checking to see if anyone knows of a narrative
    > history
    > of the OB field - something suitable for introducing new doctoral
    > students to the early years of OB research and the origins of our
    > discipline. I have found tidbits of that history in various
    > places, but
    > no single narrative that captures the progression across the years
    > (important people, events, and theories, but doesn't delve into the
    > theories themselves).
    >
    > Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
    >
    > Kevin Corley
    > kcorley@asu.edu <mailto:kcorley@asu.edu><mailto:kcorley@asu.edu
    > <mailto:kcorley@asu.edu>>
    >
    >


  • 4.  1964: [OB-LIST] Narrative history of OB

    Posted 01-30-2010 10:10
    For a history of OB you might look at these two sources:

    Dickinson, A.M. The historical roots of organizational behavior management
    in the private sector: The 1950s-1980s, Journal of Organizational Behavior
    Management,20, 3-4(2000), 9-58.
    [Abstract: Applications of behavior analysis in the private sector became
    visible in the late 1960s and early 1970s. By the 1980s, the field of
    Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) was a well established discipline.
    This article chronicles the people, events and publications that contributed
    to the formation of the field, beginning with the precursors in the 1950s
    and ending in the early 1980s. The contributions of individuals who have
    been honored by the OEM Network are detailed and emphasized. Although some
    historical accounts attribute the development of OEM to influences from
    traditional management fields, the present account, through documentation of
    the formative events, argues that the field developed in relative isolation
    from such influences, emanating primarily from Skinner's development of
    programmed instruction and the advent of behavioral applications in other
    settings. While application of psychology to the work place predated
    behavioral involvement, the primary force for the development and growth of
    OEM came from within the field of behavior analysis.]

    Borkowski, Nancy, Overview and History of Organizational Behavior. In Nancy
    Borkowski (Ed.) Organizational behavior in health care, pp. 3-14. Boston:
    Jones and Bartlett, 2005.
    [Abstract: Organizational behavior (OB) is an applied behavioral science
    that emerged from the disciplines of psychology, sociology, anthropology,
    political science, and economics. OB is the study of individual and group
    dynamics within an organization setting. Whenever people work together,
    numerous and complex factors interact. The discipline of OB attempts to
    understand these interactions so managers can predict behavioral responses
    and, as a result, manage the resulting outcomes. In addition to providing a
    brief overview of the discipline, this chapter places OB in a historical
    context. Several major theories and OB's relevance in the health care
    setting are considered.]

    Collegially,
    Charles Wankel
    St. John's University, New York
    http://facpub.stjohns.edu/~wankelc
    Just out: Being and Becoming a Management Education Scholar (IAP, 2010).
    Editors of AMLE, JME, etc. including Bailey, Ferris, Lewicki, Whetton,
    Arbaugh, De Carolo, Dehler, Beatty, Leigh, Fukami, Armstrong, Schmidt-Wilk,
    Gijselaers, and Milter discuss what it takes to succeed in academic
    management education. Discusses career implications of coming to be a
    researcher on management education rather than on management topics.
    http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Management-Education-Research-Development/dp/
    1607523469


    -----Original Message-----
    From: John Antonakis

    It is good that Larry brings up Chris Argyris.

    In fact as far as I can recall, Chris Argyris coined the term
    "Organizational Behavior". See:

    Argyris, C. (1957). Personality and organization: The conflict between
    system and individual. New York: Harper & Row

    This book, by the way, was probably the most important book I read
    during my studies.

    Best,
    J.

    ____________________________________________________

    Prof. John Antonakis, Associate Dean
    Faculty of Business and Economics
    Department of Organizational Behavior
    University of Lausanne
    Internef #618
    CH-1015 Lausanne-Dorigny
    Switzerland

    Tel ++41 (0)21 692-3438
    Fax ++41 (0)21 692-3305

    Faculty page:
    http://www.hec.unil.ch/people/jantonakis

    Personal page:
    http://www.hec.unil.ch/jantonakis
    ____________________________________________________



    On 30.01.2010 01:44, Larry Pate wrote:
    > Chris Argyris used to refer to himself as the first person ever to
    > receive a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior. His logic was that
    > Cornell was the first school to offer a Ph.D. in OB and Chris was the
    > first graduate of that program. The context for those remarks, as I
    > recall, was that Chris had been asked in an interview how he was able
    > to be so prolific (publishing a book or two every year), and he
    > responded by saying that when he was a doctoral student at Cornell he
    > read all the important books and articles to that point in time,
    > unlike most doctoral students, and so he never had to go back and read
    > old material like everyone else was doing, which then gave him more
    > time to focus on his own research and writing and publishing.
    >
    > Back in the mid-70s, about the time that Larry Cummings was Editor of
    > AMJ, he published an article (I think in AMR, which was a spin-off of
    > AMJ in 1975) that did a nice job of distinguishing the critical
    > differences between OB, Org Psych, and HR. As I recall, one of Fred
    > Luthans' several readings books contained the Cummings article. Fred,
    > as some of you may know, did his Ph.D. at Iowa, and while he was an
    > early and frequent contributor to the field he was not the first to do
    > work in OB. Fred's major contribution in those days was to draw
    > attention to reinforcement theory and how it helped to explain and
    > control behavior at work.
    >
    > Larry
    >
    >
    > On Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 12:09 PM, Quick, Jim C <jquick@uta.edu
    > <mailto:jquick@uta.edu>> wrote:
    >
    > I'll echo Pam's suggestion of Fred Luthans...Mr. OB...but add some
    > homework. Ed Schein does not like the OB terms as I recall but he
    > coined, along with Bernie Bass independently, the term
    > "organizational psychology" in 1964, if memory serves. The field
    > roots date to Taylor in the late 1800s and Ed Locke is the guy on
    > that but I am not exactly clear when the term "OB" came into
    > existence. That predates my entry into the field in 1973.
    > _________________________________________
    >
    >
    > -----Original Message-----
    > From: Perrewe, Pamela
    >
    > I would like to suggest Fred Luthans, also.
    >
    > Pam Perrewe
    >
    >
    > -----Original Message-----
    > From: Boal, Kim
    > Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 11:24 AM
    > Dear Kevin, I would recommend, following Bruce, that you talk to Lyman
    > Porter or Art Bedian.
    >
    > Kim Boal
    > ________________________________________
    > From: Bruce Hoag
    >
    > I don't mean to be cheeky, but you might try interviewing Chris
    > Argyris,
    > since he practically invented the discipline.
    >
    > Cheers, Bruce
    >
    > Bruce Hoag, PhD, CPsychol
    > Work Psychologist
    >
    > ------------------------------------------------------
    >
    Kevin Corley Kevin.Corley@asu.edu


    > Hi everyone. I'm checking to see if anyone knows of a narrative
    > history
    > of the OB field - something suitable for introducing new doctoral
    > students to the early years of OB research and the origins of our
    > discipline. I have found tidbits of that history in various
    > places, but
    > no single narrative that captures the progression across the years
    > (important people, events, and theories, but doesn't delve into the
    > theories themselves).
    >
    > Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
    >
    > Kevin Corley