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Paul R. Lawrence: A Career of Rigor, Relevance, and Passion

The Palgrave Handbook of Organizational Change Thinkers

Abstract

Paul R. Lawrence was one of the earliest and most influential figures in the emergence of organizational behavior as a field of study. He was a pioneer in creating a body of work on organization design, leadership, and change in both the private and public sectors. Lawrence’s professional work was rooted in an aspiration to do work that was rigorous, relevant to practicing managers, and of service to society. Beyond his research, Lawrence was committed to building the field of organizational behavior at HBS and more broadly in our profession. He had a lifelong passion for participant-centered learning and for the training of doctoral students.

This essay built on Anne Lawrence’s remarkable interview with her father (Lawrence and Lawrence 1993). Bill Pasmore, Jay Lorsch, Jim Aisner, Marjorie Williams, Nitin Nohria, and Ranjay Gulati provided critical comments that substantially improved this essay.

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Further Reading

  • Battilana, J., & Lee, M. (2014). Advancing research on hybrid organizing. The Academy of Management Annals, 8, 397–441.

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  • Burgelman, R., McKinney, W., & Meza. (2016). Becoming Hewlett Packard: Why strategic leadership matters. New York: Oxford University Press.

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  • Henderson, R., Gulati, R., & Tushman, M. (2015). Leading sustainable change. New York: Oxford University Press.

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  • O’Reilly, C., & Tushman, M. (2016). Lead and disrupt. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

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  • Thornton, P., Ocasio, W., & Lounsbury, M. (2012). The institutional logics perspective. New York: Oxford University Press.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard Business School, Soldiers Field, Morgan Hall 313, Boston, MA, 02163, USA

    Michael L. Tushman

Authors
  1. Michael L. Tushman
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Correspondence to Michael L. Tushman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The George Washington University , Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

    David B. Szabla

  2. Columbia University , New York, New York, USA

    William A. Pasmore

  3. The George Washington University , College Park, Maryland, USA

    Mary A. Barnes

  4. Columbia University , New York, New York, USA

    Asha N. Gipson

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Tushman, M.L. (2017). Paul R. Lawrence: A Career of Rigor, Relevance, and Passion. In: Szabla, D., Pasmore, W., Barnes, M., Gipson, A. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Organizational Change Thinkers. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49820-1_12-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49820-1_12-2

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-49820-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-49820-1

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

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Lawrence, Paul R.: A Career of Rigor, Relevance, and Passion
    Published:
    20 November 2020

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49820-1_12-3

  2. Paul R. Lawrence: A Career of Rigor, Relevance, and Passion
    Published:
    18 March 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49820-1_12-2

  3. Original

    Paul R. Lawrence: A Career of Rigor, Relevance, and Passion
    Published:
    21 February 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49820-1_12-1

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