Chris Argyris

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Chris Argyris (born July 16, 1923) in Newark, New Jersey, a Professor Emeritus at Harvard Business School, is more commonly known for seminal work in the area of Learning Organizations which was later developed in the best selling The Fifth Discipline by Peter M. Senge. The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook is now a well-regarded resource for tools to implement and implant learning systems.

Action Science, the title of one of Argyris' collaborative works with Robert Putnam, and Diana McLain Smith, advocates for an approach to research that focuses on generating knowledge that is useful in solving practical problems. Other key concepts developed by Argyris include: Ladder of Inference, Double-Loop Learning, Theory of Action/Espoused Theory/Theory-in-use, High Advocacy/High Inquiry dialogue.

These concepts are all rigorously and meaningfully expressed in his many published books.

Chris Argyris received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Toronto at the convocation ceremony (MBA & BComm) on June 13, 2006.

[edit] References

Argyris, C., Putnam, R. and Smith, D. M. (1985) Action Science: Concepts, Methods and Skills for Research and Intervention. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. ISBN 0875896650