Three of the most important topics about the inner-workings of organizations currently are psychological safety, organizational culture, and humility. One common factor among these concepts is the pioneering research and writing by the psychologist, researcher, author, and longtime MIT Sloan School of Management professor Edgar H. Schein, who passed away in January 2023 at the age of 94.
Dr. Schein conducted research, and wrote books (in recent years written with his son Peter A. Schein, a former Silicon Valley executive), until virtually the end of his life. He had a strong influence on the likes of MIT Sloan School senior lecturer Peter Senge, author of the seminal 1990 book The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization; and Amy Edmondson, Harvard Business School professor and author of The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation and Growth, who is probably today’s most influential scholar on psychological safety.
For instance, Dr. Schein wrote an eight and a half page entry in Senge’s 1999 book The Dance of Change: The Challenges of Sustaining Momentum in Learning Organizations; A Fifth Discipline Resource. The introduction to his contribution notes that “Ed was one of the founding governors of the Center For Organizational Learning and has been an ongoing friend and guiding spirit for the Fifth Discipline books.”
Schein wrote the foreword for Edmondson’s 2012 book Teaming: How Organizations Learn, Innovate, and Compete in the Knowledge Economy. In chapter four, she writes: “In 1965, MIT professors Edgar Schein and Warren Bennis (later a professor at the University of Southern California), discussed the need to create psychological safety to make people feel secure and capable of changing.”
Berrett-Koehler published the second edition of Edgar and Peter’s book Humble Leadership: The Power of Relationships, Openness, and Trust, last August. It’s the latest in BK’s series of the ‘Humble’ book series (see below), with the second edition of Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling, and Humble Consulting: How to Provide Real Help Faster.
Last April, Wiley published a newly revised, fifth edition ofCareer Anchors Reimagined: Finding Direction and Opportunity in the Changing World of Work, by Edgar Schein, John Van Maanen (the Erwin H. Schell Emeritus Professor of Work and Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management), and Peter Schein.
Edgar Schein remains an inspirational role model and wisdom figure, with his work being carried on by The Organizational Culture and Leadership Institute. I have curated 30 resources below, including articles, books, interviews, and videos, demonstrating the reach, influence, and importance of his long career and extraordinary life.
Academy of Management MC Management Consulting: On the Passing of Edgar Schein
ATD: In Memorium: Edgar H. Schein
Berrett-Koehler Publishers: Edgar Schein’s Page
The Boston Globe/Legacy.com: Edgar H. Schein: 1928-2023
Boundless by Paul Millerd: Edgar Schein’s Anxiety & Assumptions: Powerful Ideas On Culture
Khuyen Bui: Know Yourself, Generally.
David Coghlan: Edgar H. Schein: The Artistry of a Reflexive Organizational Scholar-Practitioner
Conversational Leadership: Edgar Schein
Culture Brained: In Conversation with Edgar Schein: Answering Three Common Questions about Culture
Duke Corporate Education: Culture Shift with Ed and Peter Schein
EgonZehnder: In conversation with Ed Schein
The Enneagram in Business: Edgar Schein: The art of being real
Indiana University Tobias Leadership Center: Edgar Schein
International Leadership Association: Edgar Schein 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
Global Peter Drucker Forum: Ed Schein An Influential Management Thinker by Annika Steiber
Lawton Associates: Remembering Ed Schein
LeaderFactor: The History of Psychological Safety
Lean Enterprise Institute: In Honor of Dr. Edgar Schein: A Tribute to a Giant in Organizational Theory
MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Remembering Professor Emeritus Edgar Schein, an influential leader in management
MIT Sloan School of Management: 5 enduring management ideas from MIT Sloan’s Edgar Schein
Organizational Culture and Leadership Institute: Edgar H. Schein A Great Life!
Organizational Development Network: On the Passing of Edgar Schein
The Power of OD: Edgar Schein, Ph.D.: OD Pioneer/Teacher/Writer
Psychological Safety: Edgar Schein’s Three Layers of Organisational Culture
Michael Rucker Ph. D.: Interview with Edgar Schein about Organizational Culture
Edgar H. Schein: Becoming American: My First Learning Journey
Peter Senge (via Gerhard Fatzer): Edgar H. Schein: The helper of the helpers/update
Talks at Google: Humble Leadership Edgar Schein
Think Insights: Schein’s Organizational Culture Model
Thinkers50: Edgar H. Schein: 1928-2023