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  • 1.  Sad news -- Ed Schein

    Posted 02-02-2023 15:36
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    Hi, all,

     I'm so sorry to be the bearer of some very sad news.  Ed Schein passed away last Thursday.  Yesterday I received the following e-mail, with a request, from his son Peter:

    Tim,
    Ed passed away suddenly on Thursday evening.

    He and I had just finished a work gig at about 5p and were chatting after and a few hours after that he passed away peacefully, no pain, no illness, no hospitalization.  As he wanted it. Just a bit sudden for us.

     I hope it's not too much to ask that you spread the word among his revered Boston area colleagues.

    Thank you and best wishes,
    His son, Peter

    I think the last time I saw Ed  was when he and Peter  and John Van Maanen were giving a talk to the Transitions Research Group, and he looked so strong and sharp.

    He was one of the "founding fathers" of the field of organizational behavior, along with people like Herb Simon, Jim March, Warren Bennis, and Hal Leavitt.  He did pioneering research in many areas:  social influence and brainwashing, interpersonal and group dynamics, careers, leadership, and organizational culture.  He was also one of the founders of the Careers Division.

     He has definitely been my main role model for how to live and work, especially after retirement.  He was a giant, and he will be missed.  I heard him comment, in public, more than once that one concern of his was that in the future he might be forgotten.  He will not be forgotten.

      All the best,
            Tim Hall



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    Douglas Hall
    Professor Emeritus
    Boston University Emeritus
    W Newton MA
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  • 2.  RE: Sad news -- Ed Schein

    Posted 02-04-2023 16:06

    Hi Tim and everyone,

    Tim, thanks so much for putting together this thoughtful and powerful post.  Ed's passing is indeed sad news but I'm glad that he passed in the manner he wanted to as so many do not get the chance to do so.  And what a powerful positive scholarly impact role model for us to learn from through the present and on into the distant future. He certainly will not be forgotten. I am grateful everyday for the contributions of people like you and Ed who gave so much to our division impacting the very culture that we have right up to today.

    On a personal note, Tim, I am also forever grateful for the unique opportunity you gave students like me in your Careers PhD class to participate in a session facilitated by Ed Schein.  He was so insightful, so humble, such a great listener and so full of passion.  It was definitely one of the highlights of my doctoral program.  Like Jon Briscoe and so many others, through dissertation committees, I also humbly consider Ed to be a "scholarly grandfather" and you a "scholarly father" of mine.  Thank you for giving us the opportunity to learn from and about one of the Giants in our field.

     All the best,

    Rick



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    Richard Cotton
    Associate Professor
    University of Victoria
    Victoria BC
    (250) 721-8052
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