The Palgrave Handbook of Organizational Change Thinkers

1. Alban, Billie: The Inclusive Organizational Development Practitioner and Scholar

   • Gary Mangiofico

2. Alvesson, Mats: A passion for Critical Reflexivity and Rational Change

   • Stefan Sveningsson, Dan Kärreman

3. Anthony F. Buono: A Practical Sociologist for a Changing World

   • Aaron J. Nurick

4. Argote, Linda: Advancing Research on Organizational Learning

   • Bill McEvily

5. Argyris, Chris: The Iconoclast

   • Lee Bolman

6. Armenakis, Achilles: A Journey of Discovery – Seeing Change Through New Eyes

   • Dennis R. Self

7. Barrett, Frank J.: The Social Construction of Organizing

   • Michael S. Lewis

8. Bartunek, Jean, and the Power of Working Across Boundaries: Dualities and the Missing Voice

   • John R. Austin

9. Beckhard, Richard: The Formulator of Organizational Change

   • Ronald Fry

10. Beer, Michael: It’s Not the Seed, It’s the Soil

    • Tobias Fredberg, Johanna E. Pregmark

11. Bennis, Warren G.: Generous Company

    • Thomas G. Cummings

12. Bion, Wilfred, and His Organization Change Legacy: “Without Memory or Desire”

    • Sarah J. Brazaitis

13. Blake, Robert R., and Jane S. Mouton: Concern for People and Production

    • W. Warner Burke

14. Block, Peter: A Prophetic Voice for Freedom

    • Gary Mangiofico

15. Boje, David M.: A Storyteller for the Post-Newtonian Era

    • Tonya L. Henderson

16. Brazaitis, Sarah J.: A Scholar, A Practitioner, An Educator

    • Danielle L. Pfaff

17. Bunker, Barbara Benedict: Her Pioneering Work in the Field of Organizational Change

    • Dick Axelrod

18. Burke, W. Warner: Learner, Leader, Scholar-Practitioner

    • Debra A. Noumair

19. Burnes, Bernard: Choices, Contexts, and Changes

    • Bill Cooke

20. Bushe, Gervase Roy: Progressing Ideas and Practices to Make the World a Better Place

    • Tom Kenward

The key developments and advancements in organizational change over the last century are the result of the research, theories, and practices of seminal scholars in the field. While most books simply outline a theorist’s model, this handbook provides invaluable insight into the contexts and motivations behind their contributions. Organized chronologically across three time periods (Early, Contemporary, and Future), this handbook presents inspiring and thought-provoking profiles of prominent organizational change thinkers, capturing the professional background of each and highlighting their key insights, contributions, and legacy within the field of organizational change. By bringing these scholars’ experiences to life, we can begin to understand the process of organizational change and analyze what remains to be done for organizations today.


This book will be the first of its kind—the go-to source for learning about the research and practice of organizational change from those who invented, built, and advanced the field. By analyzing this across time, the editors offer a schematic, impartial review of the enduring thoughts of each era and how the unique characteristics of each time period has influenced their work. 


This comprehensive handbook will help researchers, students, and practitioners to develop their change management skill sets, and provide the young professional with concepts, theories, and models that can easily be applied to the workplace to lead change more effectively.

• organizational leadership
• organizational behavior
• change management
• theorists
• organization design

• Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, USA

  David B. Szabla

David B. Szabla leads the M.A. in Organizational Change Leadership in the Department of Educational Leadership, Research, and Technology at Western Michigan University where he teaches courses in group dynamics, large-scale change, and organization design. His research and writing centers on resistance to change and the relationships among the content, process, and context of organizational change. David is recognized by executive business leaders for strong diagnostic, intervention design and evaluation skills, as well as keen communication, creative problem-solving, and program management capabilities. He has been published in Research in Organizational Change and Development, Human Resource Development Quarterly, Emergence: Complexity and Organization, and The International Journal of Knowledge, Culture, and Change Management. He is a member of the Management Consulting and Organization Development and Change Divisions of the Academy of Management, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and the International Leadership Association.


William A. Pasmore, Ph.D., is a Professor of Practice at Teachers College, Columbia University and Senior Vice President at the Center for Creative Leadership.  As a thought leader in the field of organization development, he has published twenty-eight books including Leading Continuous Change, Designing Effective Organizations,Creating Strategic Change, Relationships that Enable Enterprise Change and Sociotechnical Systems: A Sourcebook. He served as editor of the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science and, along with Richard Woodman, was the founding co-editor of the annual series, Research in Organizational Change and Development. 


Mary A. Barnes is Research and Teaching Assistant at George Washington University, USA. An organizational change expert for over 15 years, Mary has managed projects of all sizes as both an internal and external consultant and provides coaching, consulting, and training to leaders, teams, and change agents. Her unique and customizable methodology for change includes experiential change strategies and utilization of internal implementation teams. She is pursuing a PhD in Human and Organizational Learning at George Washington University, USA.


Asha N. Gipson is an independent OD consultant specializing in leadership development, group dynamics, and experiential learning. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Social-Organizational Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. Since starting her PhD program, Asha has taught, coached, trained, and consulted with undergraduates, graduate students, and executives.  Her research interests focus on social identity with an emphasis on Black, female, and/or millennial populations, group/team effectiveness, and organizational development interventions. In addition to her studies, she also teaches courses on group dynamics and industrial-organizational psychology. A past Fulbright grantee to the Czech Republic, Asha received her B.A. in psychology from Pomona College and her M.A. in organizational psychology from Columbia University. She currently serves on the executive committee of the New York Center for the Study of Groups, Organizations, and Social Systems, an affiliate of the A.K. Rice Institute.

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