benedictine university phd organizational development

Sorensen, Peter F.: Influences, Influencer, and Still Influencing

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• Therese F. Yaeger 2  

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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 beings’ lives everywhere.”

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Further Reading

Baum, B., & Sorensen, P. (1965). Influence relationships as administrative organizational data [Conference Presentation]. The 1965 annual meeting of the American Risk and Insurance Association (ARIA), Chicago, IL.

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Baum, B., & Sorensen, P., (1970). Contemporary student attitudes and the future of management [Conference Presentation]. The annual national meeting of the Academy of Management, San Diego, CA.

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.

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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, P. F., Jr. (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 . Stipes Publishing.

Cooperrider, D., Sorensen, P., Yaeger, T., & Whitney, D. (2001). Appreciative inquiry: An emerging direction for organization development . Stipes Publishing.

Cooperrider, D., Sorensen, P., Yaeger, T., & Whitney, D. (2005). Appreciative inquiry: Foundations in positive organization development . 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 . Information Age Publishing.

Lewin, K. (1936). A dynamic theory of personality . 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 . Harper & Row.

Likert, R. (1961). New patterns in management . McGraw-Hill.

Marrow, A. J. (1977). The practical theorist: The life and work of Kurt Lewin . Teachers College Press.

Rogers, E. (1994). A history of communication study: A biological approach . The Free Press.

Sorensen, P. F., Jr. (1976). Control and effectiveness in twenty-seven Scandinavian voluntary organizations. Journal of Management Studies, 13 (2), 183–190.

Sorensen, P. F., Jr., & 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., Head, T., Mathys, N., & Johnson, K. (1991). International organization development . Stipes Publishing.

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 . Stipes Publishing.

Sorensen, P., Head, T., Yaeger, T., & Cooperrider, D. (2011). Global and international organization development (5th ed.). Stipes Publishing.

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). Information Age Publishing.

Sorensen, P., & Yaeger, T. (2015). Theory X and theory Y . Oxford Press Bibliography. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199846740-0078 .

Sorensen, P. F. (1971). Management development under conditions of change . Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago.

Sorensen, P. F., Babcock, R., & Hasher, B. (1977). Some difficulties in longitudinal assessment of need satisfaction related to management by objectives. Psychological Reports, 41 (2), 646.

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 . Stipes Publishing.

Tannenbaum, A. S. (1962). Control in organizations: Individual adjustment and organizational performance. Administrative Science Quarterly, 7 (2), 236–257.

Weisbord, M. R. (2012). Productive workplaces, dignity, meaning and community in the 21st Century. 25th anniversary . Jossey-Bass.

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 (1), 10–26.

Yaeger, T., Head, T., & Sorensen, P. (2006). Global organization development: Managing unprecedented change . IAP – Information Age Publishing.

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). Elsevier.

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Yaeger, T.F. (2021). Sorensen, Peter F.: Influences, Influencer, and Still Influencing. In: Szabla, D.B. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Organizational Change Thinkers. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38324-4_92

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Rosatom Starts Production of Rare-Earth Magnets for Wind Power Generation

TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom has started gradual localization of rare-earth magnets manufacturing for wind power plants generators. The first sets of magnets have been manufactured and shipped to the customer.

In total, the contract between Elemash Magnit LLC (an enterprise of TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom in Elektrostal, Moscow region) and Red Wind B.V. (a joint venture of NovaWind JSC and the Dutch company Lagerwey) foresees manufacturing and supply over 200 sets of magnets. One set is designed to produce one power generator.

“The project includes gradual localization of magnets manufacturing in Russia, decreasing dependence on imports. We consider production of magnets as a promising sector for TVEL’s metallurgical business development. In this regard, our company does have the relevant research and technological expertise for creation of Russia’s first large-scale full cycle production of permanent rare-earth magnets,” commented Natalia Nikipelova, President of TVEL JSC.

“NovaWind, as the nuclear industry integrator for wind power projects, not only made-up an efficient supply chain, but also contributed to the development of inter-divisional cooperation and new expertise of Rosatom enterprises. TVEL has mastered a unique technology for the production of magnets for wind turbine generators. These technologies will be undoubtedly in demand in other areas as well,” noted Alexander Korchagin, Director General of NovaWind JSC.

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TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom incorporates enterprises for the fabrication of nuclear fuel, conversion and enrichment of uranium, production of gas centrifuges, as well as research and design organizations. It is the only supplier of nuclear fuel for Russian nuclear power plants. TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom provides nuclear fuel for 73 power reactors in 13 countries worldwide, research reactors in eight countries, as well as transport reactors of the Russian nuclear fleet. Every sixth power reactor in the world operates on fuel manufactured by TVEL. www.tvel.ru

NovaWind JSC is a division of Rosatom; its primary objective is to consolidate the State Corporation's efforts in advanced segments and technological platforms of the electric power sector. The company was founded in 2017. NovaWind consolidates all of the Rosatom’s wind energy assets – from design and construction to power engineering and operation of wind farms.

Overall, by 2023, enterprises operating under the management of NovaWind JSC, will install 1 GW of wind farms. http://novawind.ru

Elemash Magnit LLC is a subsidiary of Kovrov Mechanical Plant (an enterprise of the TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom) and its main supplier of magnets for production of gas centrifuges. The company also produces magnets for other industries, in particular, for the automotive

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Rosatom is a global actor on the world’s nuclear technology market. Its leading edge stems from a number of competitive strengths, one of which is assets and competences at hand in all nuclear segments. Rosatom incorporates companies from all stages of the technological chain, such as uranium mining and enrichment, nuclear fuel fabrication, equipment manufacture and engineering, operation of nuclear power plants, and management of spent nuclear fuel and nuclear waste. Nowadays, Rosatom brings together about 350 enterprises and organizations with the workforce above 250 K. https://rosatom.ru/en/

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Title : Active carbons as nanoporous materials for solving of environmental problems

However, up to now, the main carriers of catalytic additives have been mineral sorbents: silica gels, alumogels. This is obviously due to the fact that they consist of pure homogeneous components SiO2 and Al2O3, respectively. It is generally known that impurities, especially the ash elements, are catalytic poisons that reduce the effectiveness of the catalyst. Therefore, carbon sorbents with 5-15% by weight of ash elements in their composition are not used in the above mentioned technologies. However, in such an important field as a gas-mask technique, carbon sorbents (active carbons) are carriers of catalytic additives, providing effective protection of a person against any types of potent poisonous substances (PPS). In ESPE “JSC "Neorganika" there has been developed the technology of unique ashless spherical carbon carrier-catalysts by the method of liquid forming of furfural copolymers with subsequent gas-vapor activation, brand PAC. Active carbons PAC have 100% qualitative characteristics of the three main properties of carbon sorbents: strength - 100%, the proportion of sorbing pores in the pore space – 100%, purity - 100% (ash content is close to zero). A particularly outstanding feature of active PAC carbons is their uniquely high mechanical compressive strength of 740 ± 40 MPa, which is 3-7 times larger than that of  such materials as granite, quartzite, electric coal, and is comparable to the value for cast iron - 400-1000 MPa. This allows the PAC to operate under severe conditions in moving and fluidized beds.  Obviously, it is time to actively develop catalysts based on PAC sorbents for oil refining, petrochemicals, gas processing and various technologies of organic synthesis.

Victor M. Mukhin was born in 1946 in the town of Orsk, Russia. In 1970 he graduated the Technological Institute in Leningrad. Victor M. Mukhin was directed to work to the scientific-industrial organization "Neorganika" (Elektrostal, Moscow region) where he is working during 47 years, at present as the head of the laboratory of carbon sorbents.     Victor M. Mukhin defended a Ph. D. thesis and a doctoral thesis at the Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia (in 1979 and 1997 accordingly). Professor of Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia. Scientific interests: production, investigation and application of active carbons, technological and ecological carbon-adsorptive processes, environmental protection, production of ecologically clean food.   

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