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Laine

Trad climber

Reno, NV

Jan 24, 2014 - 05:45pm PT

True hero shot, and a wannabe.

NutAgain!

Trad climber

South Pasadena, CA

Jan 24, 2014 - 05:58pm PT

Magic Ed

Trad climber

Nuevo Leon, Mexico

Jan 24, 2014 - 05:58pm PT

NutAgain!

Trad climber

South Pasadena, CA

Jan 24, 2014 - 05:59pm PT

Norwegian

Trad climber

dancin on the tip of god's middle finger

Jan 24, 2014 - 08:22pm PT

hero fart,

Marlow

Sport climber

OSLO

Jan 29, 2014 - 07:23am PT

Chris Argyris, one of my most important role models, died November 16th 2013.

“When a sage dies all are his kin and should mourn the passing.”

Argyris was part of the human relations school of the late 1950s and involved in the work of the National Training Laboratories which had a mesmeric attraction for a host of other important thinkers. ‘He was bespectacled, dark-complexioned, and slender, with a narrow face that tended, almost despite himself, to break into a delighted grin when arguments grew hot, as if he was overjoyed at the chance to test himself,’ says Art Kleiner in The Age of Heretics. ‘His voice was distinctively mild-mannered and reedy with a slight European tinge. His style of debate was analytical – indeed, his approach to life was passionately devoted to inquiry, reasoning, and theory. But he was drawn to the kinds of problems that most analytical people eschew, the riddles of human nature. In particular, why did people fail to live up to their own professed ideals? Why was so much human behavior so self-frustrating, particularly in organizations?’

Thinkers 50

Biography
Chris Argyris was born in Newark, New Jersey, and grew up in Irvington. In World War II he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. After his service he studied psychology at Clark University, where he met Kurt Lewin. He obtained his MA in 1947, and joined the Kansas University, where he obtained his MSc in Psychology and Economics in 1949. In 1951 he received his PhD from Cornell University, with a thesis on the behavior in organizations supervised by William F. Whyte.

In 1951 Argyris started his academic career at Yale University, where he became appointed Professor of Management science. In 1971 he moved to Harvard University, where he was Professor of Education and Organizational Behavior, until his retirement. Argyris was active as director of the consulting firm Monitor in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Chris Argyris received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Toronto in 2006. He also received a Doctor of Science award from Yale University in 2011.

Work
Chris Argyris’ early research explored the impact of formal organizational structures, control systems and management on individuals and how they responded and adapted to them. This research resulted in the books Personality and Organization (1957) and Integrating the Individual and the Organization (1964). He then shifted his focus to organizational change, in particular exploring the behaviour of senior executives in organizations (Interpersonal Competence and Organizational Effectiveness (1962); Organization and Innovation (1965).

From there he moved on to an inquiry into the role of the social scientist as both researcher and actor (Intervention Theory and Method (1970); Inner Contradictions of Rigorous Research (1980) and Action Science (1985) – with Robert Putnam and Diana McLain Smith). His fourth major area of research and theorizing – in significant part undertaken with Donald Schön – was in individual and organizational learning and the extent to which human reasoning, not just behavior, can become the basis for diagnosis and action (Theory in Practice (1974); Organizational Learning (1978); Organizational Learning II (1996) – all with Donald Schön). He has also developed this thinking in Overcoming Organizational Defenses (1990) and Knowledge for Action (1993).

Action Science
Argyris' collaborative work with Robert W. Putnam and Diana McLain Smith advocates 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 (Argyris & Schön 1974), Theory of Action/Espoused Theory/Theory-in-use, High Advocacy/High Inquiry dialogue and Actionable Knowledge and the study of Adult Personality.

Argyris' concept of Action Science begins with the study of how human beings design their actions in difficult situations. Human actions are designed to achieve intended consequences and governed by a set of environment variables. How those governing variables are treated in designing actions are the key differences between single loop learning and double loop learning. When actions are designed to achieve the intended consequences and to suppress conflict about the governing variables, a single loop learning cycle usually ensues. On the other hand, when actions are taken, not only to achieve the intended consequences, but also to openly inquire about conflict and to possibly transform the governing variables, both single loop and double loop learning cycles usually ensue. (Argyris applies single loop and double loop learning concepts not only to personal behaviors but also to organizational behaviors in his models.)

Wikipedia

Obituary for Chris Argyris(1923 –2013), father of Organisational Learning, by Diana Smith

On November 16th 2013, Chris Argyris died peacefully, surrounded by his family after living a full and meaningful life. During his 90 years, Chris served in World War II, produced over 30 books and 150 articles, taught at Yale’s School of Management and at Harvard’s Business School and Graduate School of Education, served on the Boards of the Monitor Group and Greenwich Research Associates, and earned 14 honorary doctorates. He leaves behind a body of work and a community of inquiry that will forever shape how we think about leaders, organizations, theory-building, research, and practice.

As the father of organizational learning, Chris exemplified what he taught: the curiosity and courage it takes to sustain learning, even in the face of threat; the hope and humility it takes to create a better world; and the unbounded generativity and generosity it takes not just to create new ideas, but to forge collaborations across disciplines and to mentor a wide range of scholars and practitioners.

But it was Chris’s unique ability to empathize with people’s experiences and circumstances—while still holding them accountable for changing them—that affected me most. This was his ticket into the hearts and minds of thousands of people around the world—government and corporate leaders, students, professors, and colleagues alike.

In the days since Chris’s death, his family has been deeply moved by the outpouring of love and respect for him from all over the world. They are comforted by the fact that he will live on through his students and colleagues.

They are honored to know that he was part of the Greatest Generation that served in WW2.

They are deeply proud of his 14 honorary doctorates, 30+ books and 150+ articles, and long and distinguished career at Yale and Harvard Universities.

What they are most proud of, however, is that he lived a very simple life, free from pretense. He valued the same qualities in anyone whether they were a cabinet member of the US government, a first grade teacher or a janitor. If you could look honestly at yourself and others, if you were engaged with life, if you were ready for a good debate, he was on your side.

While Chris was known as a tough teacher, his students often spoke of his personal kindness. As one student said, “I had to tell him my paper was going to be late because my father had just been diagnosed with cancer. I went in feeling incredibly nervous. He was so compassionate that I burst into tears and left feeling cared for and comforted.”

Chris grew up in urban New Jersey to found great comfort in the outdoors. He was an Eagle Scout. He loved nothing better than to take his son Phill and his friends to the White Mountains, up the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, or on overnight trips to the Hutsman’s Cabin, just south of Mount Washington, in February!

Chris loved tending to his yard. On any given weekend, he could be found raking, mowing the lawn, chopping wood and weeding. He seemed to have an uncanny knack for never getting poison ivy, and the more roots he pulled up the better.

Chris walked or jogged 3–5 miles every day of his life until he was 89. It was his best venue for thinking through tough problems. Long before walking became fashionable, Chris became known in the neighborhood as “that professor who walks.”

Chris shared with his family his love of music and movies. To hear Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald or Andres Segovia gave him enormous pleasure. Movies were another great love, especially the old classics. For Chris and his family, a perfect evening was one spent with Casablanca, Singing in the Rain, the Marx brothers’ Night at the Opera, or High Noon. Movie nights could become competitive – who was that actor or actress, and where had they seen her before? Chris’ enjoyment of movie night was always enhanced with his favorite ice cream, Fudge Ripple. If you topped it off with grapes, so much the better.

Above all, Chris loved his family. He met his wife Renee when they literally bumped into each other at a wedding, at which point he announced to all his friends that she was the woman he would marry. They celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary this year.

From an obituary by Andrew McAfee

Chris Argyris was not only clear about organizational failure modes, but also about how much time and effort were needed to get past them. He didn’t offer quick fixes or ‘the 4-hour organization.’ Instead, he stressed that it was a real slog to make things legitimately better. I think his honesty cost him some attention, probably even a lot of it, but that’s a tradeoff I’m sure he was happy with. Chris was the most intellectually honest scholar I’ve met; watering down his medicine to make it go down easier would have been anathema to him.

And Marlow will add - if he had watered down his medicine, he knew better than anyone else that he would have fallen into one of the traps he was warning us all about.

A life well lived…

Enty

Trad climber

Jan 29, 2014 - 09:24am PT

wstmrnclmr

Trad climber

Bolinas, CA

Feb 3, 2014 - 12:19am PT

Vitaliy M.

Mountain climber

San Francisco

Feb 3, 2014 - 01:24am PT

micronut

Trad climber

Fresno/Clovis, ca

Feb 3, 2014 - 11:37am PT

Nice shots kids.

Here's a couple of my faves.

Alabama Hills

Top of Matthes Crest

Toppin out Nutkraker in style

Topping out The Regular Route on Fairview. Holding up the savage skies.

Sam E

Boulder climber

Malibu

Feb 5, 2014 - 02:19pm PT

Reilly

Mountain climber

The Other Monrovia- CA

Feb 5, 2014 - 02:46pm PT

I am a hero in my own mind...but I try not to think about it too much, especially after lunch.

Marlow

Sport climber

OSLO

Feb 5, 2014 - 03:28pm PT

Here's another smoking duck... on the barn roof with his father some years ago... showing off and doing something useful at the same time... duck tape on the nose...