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Kurt Lewin (1890–1947): The Practical Theorist

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The Palgrave Handbook of Organizational Change Thinkers

Abstract

Few social scientists can have received the level of praise and admiration that has been heaped upon Kurt Lewin. Edward Tolman, one of the most distinguished psychologists of his day, put his contribution to psychology on a par with that of Sigmund Freud (Tolman, Psychological Review 55:1–4, 1948). The distinguished scholar Edgar Schein (Organizational psychology, 3rd edn. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, p 239, 1988) called Lewin “the intellectual father of contemporary theories of applied behavioural science.” Recently, the Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman (Foreword. E Shafir: The behavioral foundations of public policy. Princeton University Press, Princeton, p viii, 2013) declared that “We are all Lewinians now.” Tributes such as these, from such distinguished figures, show that Lewin made an outstanding and enduring contribution to the field of psychology. He is now best known for his work in the field of organizational change, but, as this chapter will show, he had a wider agenda aimed at resolving social conflict. Among the main factors that influenced and motivated his work were his application of Gestalt psychology to child psychology and the impact of the anti-Semitism he encountered growing up and working in Germany. On moving to the USA, he gravitated from studying child psychology in the laboratory to bringing about social and organizational change in the real world. His key contributions were the creation of planned change, his work on participative management, and countering religious and racial discrimination. He was also responsible for establishing important institutions, such as the National Training Laboratories and the Research Center for Group Dynamics. Lewin’s lasting legacy consists not just of his groundbreaking scholarly work but also of his example as a “practical theorist” who wanted to make the world a better place.

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Further Reading

  • With any writer, a good place to start is usually their own work. However, for those unfamiliar with Lewin’s background and theories, I would suggest starting with Marrow’s biography of Lewin:

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  • Though this is out of print, it can be obtained through most libraries and can be bought from second-hand book sites such as Amazon, Abe Books, or Barnes & Noble.

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  • I would then advise moving on to some of the critiques of his work, notably the special issue of the Journal of Social Issues, 48 (2) (The Heritage of Kurt Lewin: Theory, Research and Practice) published in 1992 To mark (belatedly) the 100th anniversary of Lewin’s birth. The following articles should also prove useful:

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  • Burnes, B. (2009). Reflections: Ethics and organisational change – time for a return to Lewinian values. Journal of Change Management, 9(4), 359–381.

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  • In terms of Lewin’s own work, there are three collections of his papers that provide a good coverage of his interests and contributions, as follows:

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  • The collections edited by Dorwin Cartwright and Gertrud Lewin are out of print, but like the Marrow’s biography of Lewin, they can be obtained through most libraries and bought from second-hand book sites.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stirling Management School, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK

    Bernard Burnes

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  1. Bernard Burnes
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Correspondence to Bernard Burnes .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Education and Human Development, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, USA

    David B. Szabla

  2. Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    William A. Pasmore

  3. The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA

    Mary A. Barnes

  4. Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Asha N. Gipson

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Burnes, B. (2017). Kurt Lewin (1890–1947): The Practical Theorist. In: Szabla, D.B., Pasmore, W.A., Barnes, M.A., Gipson, A.N. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Organizational Change Thinkers. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52878-6_13

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