The contribution of Edgar H. Schein to the field of management, organisation studies and applied behavioural science is both extensive and deep. For almost 70 years, he has creatively and systematically shaped theory and practice in areas including organisation development and change, career dynamics, the cultural dynamics of complex systems, leadership, process consultation and the clinical inquiry/research paradigm. He has written extensively on the process of organisational change and framed the construct of the clinical approach to research. With such an extensive corpus over such a long period, Schein has been termed a “transcendent thought leader” and it is in this spirit that a volume exploring his work offers a contribution how scholars and practitioners can come to understand their engagement in organisations. This singular volume adopts a reflective perspective on the work of Edgar Schein as a social scientist and shows how he developed his craft as an engaged organisational scholar-practitioner through reflexive attention to his experience in working with managers and organisations and generating knowledge out of action. The intended contribution is both to present Schein’s work to students and scholars of organisation studies and to offer a reflexive methodological framework to engage scholar-practitioner in any field.
The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.
By:
David Coghlan
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Weight: 453g
ISBN: 9781032432410
ISBN 10: 1032432411
Series: Routledge Studies in Organizational Change & Development
Pages: 24
Publication Date: 27 May 2025
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
Part I Foundations 1. Introducing Edgar H. Schein 2. Ed’s learning journey, 1928–2023 3. The social science of the scholar-practitioner 4. Interiority as a spirit of inquiry Part II Helping 5. Process consultation 6. Developing relationships through humble inquiry, consulting and leadership 7. Clinical inquiry/research Part III Core themes 8. Coercive persuasion, social influence and education 9. Organisation development, change and changing 10. The individual and the organisation 11. Organisational culture Part IV The legacy 12. Appropriating Ed’s legacy
David Coghlan is Professor Emeritus and Fellow Emeritus at the Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
Reviews for Edgar H. Schein: The Artistry of a Reflexive Organizational Scholar-Practitioner
""Coghlan's engaging analysis of Schein's work makes this book a must-have for anyone interested in becoming a more thoughtful scholar-practitioner or consultant. Coghlan's style is clear, concise, and easy to read, yet the work is highly sophisticated, offering irresistible reflections, questions, and a robust reference list in every chapter. The book addresses the impact and enormity of Schein's lifetime of work and does so in a logical and approachable way. Every chapter irresistibly draws the reader into a deep reflection about their own interiority, considered alongside that of one of the most influential thinkers of our time. We wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone—whether an academic, a business professional, or a student—interested in learning about Edgar Schein and his impact on OD and related fields."" – Pamela Kay Caldwell and Tonya L. Henderson, Organizational Development Journal, Winter 2024
