HBS’s Paul. R. Lawrence, 89
Paul R. Lawrence, a renowned sociologist and a pivotal figure in the intellectual history of Harvard Business School (HBS), died Nov. 1 in Bedford, Mass. He was 89. Lawrence was one of the world’s most influential and prolific scholars in the field of organizational behavior. At the time of his death, he was the School’s Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Organizational Behavior Emeritus. His research, published in 26 books and numerous articles, dealt with the human aspects of management. In particular, he studied organizational change, organization design, and the relationship between the structural characteristics of complex organizations and the technical, market, and other conditions of their immediate environment. “One of the early and most important figures in organizational behavior, Paul Lawrence legitimized it as a field worthy of study at a business school,” said HBS Professor Michael Tushman, who holds the chair at Harvard Business School named in honor of Lawrence in...