Introduction

 

 

Kurt Lewin (1890–1947) was a visionary psychologist and social scientist who used rigorous research methods to establish an approach to planned change that is both practical and reliable. He mentored and inspired most of the early professionals who came to identify themselves as practitioners of organization development (OD). He also fostered the emergence of the experiential learning method known as the T-group, which uniquely structures group dynamics into a laboratory for dramatic individual and team development. In the early days, most OD professionals learned much about themselves and about group dynamics through T-group experiences.

Lewin’s methods, though little known, yield consistent business results such as increased performance and morale. His methods have the rare impact of not just changing behavior, but of changing the beliefs that underlie behavior.

Sadly, most OD professionals today, business and organizational leaders, community organizers, and people in general, have never read any of Lewin’s actual writing beyond a quote or two. Indeed, some in the OD profession have rejected or distanced themselves from what they think Lewin taught, even though they and many others seem to know very little about his methods or history.

This problem is not for lack of material. Lewin was a prolific writer. On the other hand, even for someone who deeply admires Lewin, reading his material isn’t always easy. His multi-disciplinary approach integrates scientific research methodology, sociology, anthropology, physics, and topography as well as other subjects into an experimental framework that can be overwhelming at a glance. Some of his writing, however, such as Experiments in Social Space (Lewin, 1939, 1997, p59–67), is easy enough to understand and apply, and should be a requirement in any OD education.

Although Lewin held a doctorate in psychology and most of his publications are in psychological journals and books, this book is written from the perspective of an organization development practitioner. Having said that, my secondary field is psychiatric social work. In studying for my MSW and for certification to practice I was educated in psychology. That was a long time ago, but I don’t recall ever hearing of Lewin during that time. Whether you are familiar with Lewin or not, if you are a psychologist, I hope this kindles your interest in his writing. Although my focus here is on planned change, in Lewin’s universal frame work that includes individual change, and absolutely includes psychology.

With that in mind, this book is aimed at introducing Lewin in a new way, both simplified yet substantial enough to guide anyone who is trying to plan change, whether at the individual, group/team, organizational, or societal level.

Lewin often used graphics to illustrate his findings. My hope is that by interspersing them along with other pictures and drawings the concepts will be brought to life in a way that speaks to a wide audience. If it says “Crosby” after a drawing, that one is mine!

A wide audience is important because Lewin was not trying to create methods for OD professionals alone (or for social scientists as he regarded himself). In his interventions he taught everyone he could how to continue to do their own version of planned change. He believed social science might be the light that helps create a brighter future for humanity. I have the same hope. Transferring this knowledge to a broader audience is my intention here, as it has been taught to me by my Lewinian mentor.

I became an OD practitioner in 1984, following in the footsteps of my father, Robert P. Crosby. Dad was in his first T-group in 1953, and was mentored by one of Lewin’s primary proteges, Ronald Lippitt, for decades. I had a vague idea that I was practicing Lewinian OD all these years, but that heritage has become much clearer to me recently, as I became motivated to explore the writings of Lewin in a much more disciplined way. What I have discovered has taught me, an old dog, new tricks. I am determined to spread the wealth.

I have relied heavily on Lewin’s writing, organized with the intention of weaving together his thinking in a manner that paints a clear picture for the reader. There are many quotes and citations. Many of Lewin’s papers are collected in two wonderful anthologies published by the American Psychological Association (APA). The first, Resolving Social Conflicts & Field Theory in Social Science, was published in 1997, the second, The Complete Social Scientist, in 1999. To acknowledge these anthologies, I have chosen to cite the original source by year, and add the APA dates and pages (since the two APA books are where most readers are likely to access the material). Hence you will see citations like this throughout this manuscript: (Lewin, 1943, 1997, p__).

Please also note that if a quote runs more than one page, I am only citing the starting page.

I have bolded what I consider to be key phrases and concepts throughout the text, many of which are summarized in Chapter 1. These are identified by the annotation (my bolding).

Most quotes, of course, are in quotation marks. Long passages, such as those with their own heading, are separated from the surrounding text rather than being placed in quotation marks.

My father’s approach to Lewinian OD is important to this text. That left me with the awkward choices of either always referring to him by name (as if he were not my father, which is something that I don’t actually do), referring to him as father, which is more formal than I prefer, or calling him dad, which is what I actually do. For better or worse, I decided to intermix all three.

Finally, although it may hurt the acceptance of my work by bucking up against established norms of “serious scholarly writing” in some circles, I none-the-less prefer a sense of humor in my reading and have tried to instill it in my writing. I also believe a bit of levity is true to Lewin’s character, so as Jimmy Buffet would say, “that is my story and I am sticking to it.”

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