Paul Lawrence

Paul Lawrence

Professor, Harvard Business School

Paul R. Lawrence is a Professor Emeritus of Harvard Business School, where he served nine years as chairman of the Organizational Behavior area and also as chairman of both the MBA and AMP programs. His research, published in 25 books and numerous articles, has dealt with the human aspects of management, organizational change, organization design, human nature, and leadership. His 1967 book, Organization and Environment (written with Professor Jay Lorsch), added "contingency theory" to the vocabulary of students of organizational behavior. Recently he has, with others, made a comparative study of Soviet management practices that was published in 1990 as Behind the Factory Walls: Decision Making in Soviet and U.S. Enterprises.

6mins
People without a conscience don’t need to satisfy the drive to bond and can focus entirely on the drive to acquire, making them more likely to seek leadership positions.
3mins
Rather than embracing agency theory, which promotes only rational self-interest, leaders should try to foster a structure of trust in the workplace
5mins
According to Renewed Darwinian theory, conscience is necessary for balancing man’s four basic drives as well as leading effectively.
4mins
Academics tend to focus on “The Origin of Species,” but Darwin’s later work “The Descent of Man” has fascinating insights into human behavior.
19mins
A conversation with the Harvard Business School professor.