Edgar H. Schein: Reflections on his Life and Career

Abstract

My relationship with Ed Schein began with informal encounters during the summers of the late 1960s in Bethel, Maine, where the National Training Laboratories (NTL) held its programs. Our initial work together was co-training at NTL's Management Work Conference where I learned from a consummate professional in the sensitivity training world. Ed's contributions to the T Group movement were prolific, a significant example being the Addison Wesley Series of books on organization development. He defined the field of organizational psychology, provided the definitive work on organizational culture, and was the master of process consultation. A mild-mannered professor at MIT's Sloan School for his entire career, Ed was a copious writer, dedicated teacher, and skillful consultant.