Abstract
Peter F. Sorensen, PhD, is professor and program chair of the Organization Development and Organizational Behavior Programs at Benedictine University just outside Chicago in Lisle, Ill. This profile contains information that emerged through numerous interviews and document searches. It confirms that Sorensen is still an emerging thinker in the field of organizational change, with his contributions spanning more than 50 years. Sorensen’s background, contributions, and insights are explored, with the intent of aligning his work and background with that of Dr. Kurt Lewin, the father of social psychology. From these sharings, it may be concluded that Sorensen follows a Lewinian approach to life – providing insights to colleagues, removing obstacles in change, exploring the global populations, teaching concepts in social psychology, and influencing students (Lewin, Field theory in social science. New York, Harper & Row, 1952; Marrow, The practical theorist: The life and work of Kurt Lewin. New York, Teachers College Press, 1977). One such student of Sorensen’s is Dr. David Cooperrider, creator of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) who wrote to Sorensen, “The Benedictine OD program you created and have built is so solid and so key to our entire field. You inspired my passion for a field that is becoming increasingly relevant and critical to human being’s lives everywhere.”
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Further Readings
Baum, B., & Sorensen, P. (1965). Influence relationships as administrative organizational data. Paper presented at the 1965 Annual Meeting of The American Risk and Insurance Association (ARIA).
Baum, B., & Sorensen, P., (1970). Contemporary student attitudes and the future of management. Paper presented at the Annual National Meeting of the Academy of Management.
Baum, B. H., Sorensen, P. F., & Place, W. S. (1970). The effect of managerial training on organizational control: An experimental study. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 5(2), 170–182.
Burack, E., & Sorensen, P. F. (1976). Management preparation for computer automation: Emergent patterns and problems. Academy of Management Journal, 19(2), 318–323.
Burack, E. H., & Sorensen Jr., P. F. (1977). Computer technology and organizational design. Organizational Design, 8, 223–235.
Cooperrider, D., Sorensen, P., Whitney, D., & Yaeger, T. (1999). Appreciative inquiry: Rethinking human organization toward a positive theory of change. Champaign: Stipes Publishing.
Cooperrider, D., Sorensen, P., Yaeger, T., & Whitney, D. (2001). Appreciative inquiry: An emerging direction for organization development. Champaign: Stipes Publishing.
Cooperrider, D., Sorensen, P., Yaeger, T., & Whitney, D. (2005). Appreciative inquiry: Foundations in positive organization development. Champaign: Stipes Publishing.
Head, T. C., & Sorensen, P. F. (1993). Cultural values and organizational development: A seven-country study. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 14(2), 3–7.
Head, T. C., et al. (2006). Chinese executives’ assessment of organization development interventions. Organization Development Journal, 24(1), 28.
Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture and organizations. International Studies of Management & Organization, 10(4), 15–41.
Jaeger, A. M. (1986). Organization development and national culture: Where’s the fit? Academy of Management Review, 11(1), 178–190.
Johnson, H., Sorensen, P., & Yaeger, T. (2013). Critical issues in organization development: Case studies for analysis and discussion. Charlotte: Information Age Publishing. ISBN-13: 978-1623963255.
Lewin, K. (1936). A dynamic theory of personality. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Lewin, K. (1945). The research center for group dynamics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sociometry, 8(2), 126–136.
Lewin, K. (1952). Field theory in social science. New York: Harper & Row.
Likert, R. (1961). New patterns in management. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Marrow, A. J. (1977). The practical theorist: The life and work of Kurt Lewin. New York: Teachers College Press.
Rogers, E. (1994). A history of communication study: A biological approach. New York: The Free Press.
Sorensen, P. F. (1971). Management development under conditions of change. Unpublished PhD dissertation, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago.
Sorensen Jr., P. F. (1976). Control and effectiveness in twenty-seven Scandinavian voluntary organizations. Journal of Management Studies, 13, 183–190.
Sorensen, P. F., Babcock, R., & Hasher, B. (1977). Some difficulties in longitudinal assessment of need satisfaction related to management by objectives. Psychological Reports, 41, 646.
Sorensen Jr., P. F., & Baum, B. H. (1977). The measure of intra-organizational power: The application of the control graph of organization development. Group and Organization Studies, 2(1), 61–74.
Sorensen, P., & Yaeger, T. (2004). Appreciative inquiry as a large group intervention: An innovation in organizational consulting. In A. Buono’s (Ed.), Creative consulting: Innovative perspectives on management consulting (pp. 229–242). Greenwich: Information Age Publishing.
Sorensen, P., & Yaeger, T. (2015). Theory X and theory Y. Oxford Press Bibliography. doi:10.1093/obo/9780199846740-0078.
Sorensen, P., Head, T., Mathys, N., & Johnson, K. (1991). International organization development. Champaign: Stipes.
Sorensen, P., Head, T., Sharkey, L., & Spartz, D. (2005). Appreciative inquiry meets the logical positivist. In D. Cooperrider, P. Sorensen, T. Yaeger, & D. Whitney (Eds.), Appreciative inquiry: Foundations in positive organization development. Champaign: Stipes Publishing.
Sorensen, P., Head, T., Yaeger, T., & Cooperrider, D. (2011). Global and international organization development (5th ed.). Champaign: Stipes Publishing. ISBN1-58874-398-5.
Straub, A., Sorensen, P. F., & Babcock, R. (1976). Organizational variables and the success of MBO: A research note. Journal of Management Studies, 13(1), 84–86.
Stroyberg, L., Yei, T., Akinyele, A., Sorensen, P., & Yaeger, T. (2005). Appreciative inquiry in bureaucratic settings. In D. Cooperrider, P. Sorensen, T. Yaeger, & D. Whitney (Eds.), Appreciative inquiry: Foundations in positive organization development. Champaign: Stipes Publishing.
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Whisler, T., Meyer, H., Baum, B., & Sorensen, P. (1967). Centralization of organizational control: An empirical study of its meaning and measurement. Journal of Business, 40(1967), 10–26.
Yaeger, T., Sorensen, P., & Bengtsson, U. (2005). Assessment of the state of appreciative inquiry: Past, present and future. In R. Woodman & W. Pasmore (Eds.), Research in organizational change and development (Vol. 15, pp. 297–319). London: Elsevier Ltd.
Yaeger, T., Head, T., & Sorensen, P. (2006). Global organization development: Managing unprecedented change. Charlotte, NC: IAP – Information Age Publishing Inc. ISBN1: 978-1-59311-559-3.
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Yaeger, T.F. (2017). Peter F. Sorensen: Influences, Influencer, and Still Influencing. 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_92
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52878-6_92
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