Abstract
Marvin Weisbord’s work – as professional author, business executive, organizational consultant, researcher, Future Search method founder, and cofounder of its global network – spanned 50 years. He was a partner in the esteemed consultancy, Block Petrella Weisbord Inc., and he was a prolific writer and thinker, as well as practical craftsman, in the field. He is widely known for his multi-edition, Productive Workplaces: Dignity, Meaning and Community in the 21st Century (2012), chronicling the history of organizational improvement, the rise of its seminal concepts, and how he absorbed them in his own personal and professional development and in case studies. He worked and learned from many of the greatest names in organization development (OD) and was influenced intellectually most profoundly by Kurt Lewin. He saw in Lewin’s “action research” less of a technical change methodology than a way of thinking about and addressing organizational life and its dilemmas, using one’s own and others’ experience as the major source of change. This chapter describes the arc of his professional, conceptual, and practice development as an embodiment of action research. It also covers six enduring contributions of his – value-based perspectives, principles, and practices – and explores limitations and renewed possibilities of Weisbord’s legacy to the future of the field.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Argyris, C. (1970). Intervention theory and method: A behavioral science view. Reading: Addison-Wesley.
Bunker, B. B., & Alban, B. T. (2006). The handbook of large group methods: Creating systemic change in organizations and communities. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Goldberg, M. D. (1993). Characteranalytic organization consultation. Journal of Orgonomy, 27(2), 218–231.
Janssen, C. (2011a). The four rooms of change, part I: A practical everyday psychology. Stockholm: Ander & Lindstrom.
Janssen, C. (2011b). The four rooms of change, part II: Fifteen years of more experience. Stockholm: Ander & Lindstrom.
Law, C. (Producer), Goldberg, M. D. (Writer/Interviewer), & Pile, S. (Videographer/Editor). (2015). Pepperdine university MSOD founders video series: Marvin Weisbord (Electronic video). Available from Pepperdine MSOD Alumni Council, c/o 4520 E. Rocky Slope, Phoenix, AZ 85044.
Likert, R. (1961). New patterns of management. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Likert, R. (1967). The human organization: Its management and value. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Marrow, A. F. (1969). The practical theorist: The life and work of Kurt Lewin. New York: Basic Books.
McGregor, D. (1960). The human side of enterprise. New York: McGraw-Hill.
McGregor, D. (1967). The organization of work at the worker level. In W. G. Bennis & C. McGregor (Eds.), The professional manager (pp. 83–96). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Shaw, P. (2002). Changing conversations in organizations: A complexity approach to change. New York: Routledge.
Shepard, H. A. (1975). Rules of thumb for change agents. Organization Development Practitioner, 7(3), 1–5.
von Bertalanffy, L. (1952). An outline of general systems theory. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 1, 114–129.
Weir, J. (1975). The human growth laboratory. In K. Benne, L. P. Bradford, J. R. Gibb, & R. D. Lippitt (Eds.), The laboratory method of changing and learning: Theory and application. Palo Alto: Science and Behavior Books.
Weisbord, M. R. (1966). Campaigning for president: A new look at the road to the White House. New York: Washington Square Press.
Weisbord, M. R. (1968). Some form of peace: True stories of the American friends service committee at home and abroad. New York: Viking.
Weisbord, M. R. (1976). Why organization development hasn’t worked (so far) in medical centers. Health Care Management Review, 1(2), 17–28.
Weisbord, M. R. (1978). Organizational diagnosis: A workbook of theory and practice. Reading: Addison-Wesley.
Weisbord, M. R. (1985a). Participative work design: A personal odyssey. Organizational Dynamics, D13(4), 17–28.
Weisbord, M. R. (1985b). Team effectiveness theory. Training and Development Journal, 5, 27–29.
Weisbord, M. R. (1987). Productive workplaces: Organizing and managing for dignity, meaning and community. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Weisbord, M. R. (2005). Techniques to match our values. An address to the organization design forum. San Francisco: MarvinWeisbord.com.
Weisbord, M. R. (2012). Productive workplaces: Dignity, meaning and community in the 21st century (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Weisbord, M. R., & Janoff, S. (2007). Don’t just do something, stand there! Ten principles for leading meetings that matter. San Francisco: Barrett-Koehler.
Weisbord, M. R., & Janoff, S. (2010). Future search: Getting the whole system in the room for vision, commitment, and action (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Barrett-Koehler.
Weisbord, M. R., & Janoff, S. (2015). Lead more, control less: Eight advanced leadership skills that overturn convention. San Francisco: Barrett-Koehler.
Further Reading
Beckhard, R. (1969). Organization development: Strategies and models. Reading: Addison-Wesley.
Bennis, W. G. (1969). Organization development: Its nature, origins, and prospects. Reading: Addison-Wesley.
Blake, R. R., & Mouton, J. S. (1969). Building a dynamic corporation through grid organization development. Reading: Addison-Wesley.
Lawrence, P. R., & Lorsch, J. W. (1969). Developing organizations. Reading: Addison-Wesley.
Schein, E. (1969). Process consultation: Its role in organization development. Reading: Addison-Wesley.
Walton, R. E. (1969). Interpersonal peacemaking: Confrontations and third-party consultation. Reading: Addison-Wesley.
Weisbord, M. R. (2004). Productive workplaces revisited: Dignity, meaning and community in the 21st century (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Weisbord, M. R., Lamb, H., & Drexler, A. (1974). Improving police department management through problem-solving task forces. Reading: Addison-Wesley.
Weisbord, M. R., Lawrence, E. R., & Charns, M. E. (1978). Three dilemmas of academic medical centers. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 14(3), 284–304.
Weisbord, M. R., et al. (1992). Discovering common ground. San Francisco: Barrett-Koehler.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 The Author(s)
About this entry
Cite this entry
Goldberg, M.D. (2017). Marvin Weisbord: A Life of Action Research. In: Szabla, D.B., Pasmore, W.A., Barnes, M.A., Gipson, A.N. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Organizational Change Thinkers. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52878-6_63
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52878-6_63
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-52877-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-52878-6
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences