Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Kurt Lewin: Organizational Change

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
The Palgrave Handbook of Management History

Abstract

I cover the life, career, and contributions of the German-born and trained psychologist Kurt Lewin, whose primary contribution to management thought was describing the process of organizational change. I argue that Lewin, despite the time in which he lived, was a deeply committed idealist and democrat. I argue that these values permeated his work. The merits and weaknesses of his work are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Argyris C (1997) Kurt Lewin award lecture, 1997 field theory as a basis for scholarly consulting. J Soc Issues 53(4):811–827

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bargal D, Gold M, Lewin M (1992) Introduction: the heritage of Kurt Lewin. J Soc Issues 48(2):3–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnard CI (1938) The functions of the executive. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Brinkley A (1998) Liberalism and its discontents. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Burnes B (2004a) Kurt Lewin and complexity theories: back to the future? J Chang Manag 4(4):309–325

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burnes B (2004b) Kurt Lewin and the planned approach to change: a re-appraisal. J Manag Stud 41(6):977–1002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burnes B (2009a) Reflections: ethics and organizational change–Time for a return to Lewinian values. J Chang Manag 9(4):359–381

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burnes B, Bargal D (2017) Kurt Lewin: 70 years on. J Chang Manag 17(2):91–100

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drucker (1973) Management: tasks, responsibilities, practices. Harper & Row, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans RJ (2003) The coming of the Third Reich. Allen Lane, London, p 2003

    Google Scholar 

  • Finger M, Asún JM (2001) Adult education at the crossroads: learning our way out. NIACE, Leicester

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenbaum RL, Hill A, Mawritz MB, Quade MJ (2017) Employee Machiavellianism to unethical behavior: the role of abusive supervision as a trait activator. J Manag 43(2):585–609

    Google Scholar 

  • Haggbloom SJ, Warnick JE, Jones VK, Yarbrough GL, Russell TM, Borecky CM, McGahhey R et al (2002) The 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century. Rev Gen Psychol 6(2):139–152

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamby A (1995) A man of the people. Oxford University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Hendry C (1996) Understanding and creating whole organizational change through learning theory. Hum Relat 49(5):621–641

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Homans GC (1949) The perspectives of Elton Mayo: some corrections. Rev Econ Stat 31(4):319–321

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • http://infed.org/mobi/kurt-lewin-groups-experiential-learning-and-action-research/

  • Kippenberger T (1998a) Planned change: kurt lewin’s legacy’, 77M? Antidote 3(4):10–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kippenberger T (1998b) Managed learning: elaborating on lewin’s model. Antidote 3(4):13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewin K, Lippitt R, White RK (1939) Patterns of aggressive behavior in experimentally created social climates. J Soc Psychol 10:271–301

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewin K (1943) Defining the “field at a given time”. Psychol Rev 50:292–310

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewin K (1947) Frontiers in group dynamics: concept, method and reality in social science; social equilibria and social change. Hum Relat 1(1):5–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewin GW (1948b) Preface. In: Lewin GW (ed) Resolving social conflict. Harper & Row, London, pp xv–xviii

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewin MA (1977) Kurt Lewin’s view of social psychology: the crisis of 1977 and the crisis of 1927. Personal Soc Psychol Bull 3(2):159–172

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewin M (1992) The impact of Kurt Lewin’s life on the place of social issues in his work. J Soc Issues 48(2):15–29

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Locke EA (1982) The ideas of Frederick W. Taylor: an evaluation. Acad Manag Rev 7(1):14–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marrow AJ (1969) The practical theorist: the life and work of Kurt Lewin. Basic Books, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Miner JB (2002) Organizational behavior: foundations, theories and analysis. Oxford University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Muldoon J (2017) The Hawthorne studies: an analysis of critical perspectives 1936–1958. J Manag Hist 23(1):74–94

    Google Scholar 

  • Muldoon J, Liguori EW, Bendickson J, Bauman A (2018) Revisiting perspectives on George Homans: correcting misconceptions. J Manag Hist 24(1):57–75

    Google Scholar 

  • Nyland C (1998) Taylorism and the mutual gains strategy. Ind Relat 37:519–542

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Papanek ML (1973) Kurt Lewin and his contributions to modern management theory. In: Academy of management proceedings, vol 1. Academy of Management, Briarcliff Manor, pp 317–322.10510

    Google Scholar 

  • Pettigrew AM (1987) Context and action in the transformation of the firm. J Manag Stud 24(6):649–670

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pettigrew AM (1997) What is a processual analysis. Scand J Manag 13(1997):4

    Google Scholar 

  • Sansone C, Morf CC, Panter AT (2003) The Sage handbook of methods in social psychology. Sage, Thousand Oak, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneider B (1987) The people make the place. Pers Psychol 40(3):437–453

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schlesinger AMJ (2000) A life in the twentieth century. Houghton Mifflin, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith JH (1998) The enduring legacy of Elton Mayo. Hum Relat 51(3):221–249

    Google Scholar 

  • Teece D, Pisano G, Shuen A (1997) Dynamic capabilities and strategic management. Strateg Manag J 18(7):509–533

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tett RP, Burnett DD (2003) A personality trait-based interactionist model of job performance. J Appl Psychol 88(3):500

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tett RP, Guterman HA (2000) Situation trait relevance, trait expression, and cross-situational consistency: testing a principle of trait activation. J Res Pers 34(4):397–423

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trahair RCS (1984) The humanist temper. Transaction Books, New Brunswick

    Google Scholar 

  • Weick KE (1984) Small wins: redefining the scale of social problems. Am Psychol 39(1):40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weisbord MR (2004) Productive workplaces revisited: dignity, meaning and community in the 21st century. Jossey-Bass/Wiley, San Francisco

    Google Scholar 

  • Whittington R (2001) What is strategy — and does it matter? 2nd edn. Intl, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolf WB (1973) The impact of Kurt Lewin on management thought. In: Academy of management proceedings, vol 1973(1). Academy of Management, Briarcliff Manor, pp 322–325

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolf WB (1996) Reflections on the history of management thought. J Manag Hist 2(2):4–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Zimbardo PG (2016) Carrying on Kurt Lewin’s legacy in many current domains Lewin award 2015. J Soc Issues 72(4):828–838

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Emporia State University, Emporia, KS, USA

    Jeffrey Muldoon

Authors
  1. Jeffrey Muldoon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jeffrey Muldoon .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Muldoon, J. (2019). Kurt Lewin: Organizational Change. In: The Palgrave Handbook of Management History. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62348-1_32-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62348-1_32-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-62348-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-62348-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Business and ManagementReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation