David John Hickson (20 April 1931 – 22 June 2016) was a British organizational theorist and Emeritus Professor of International Management and Organization at the

Bradford University School of Management University of Bradford School of Management is an international business school located in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1963 and is one of the oldest business schools in the UK. The school is triple-crown accredi ...

, known for his work in the field of

organisational development Organization development (OD) is the study and implementation of practices, systems, and techniques that affect organizational change, the goal of which is to modify an organization's performance and/or culture. The organizational changes are ...

(OD).

Life and work

Hickson obtained his MA at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, after he had started working. There he was spotted by the academic professor

Reg Revans Reginald William Revans (14 May 1907 – 8 January 2003) was an academic professor, administrator and management consultant who pioneered the use of Action learning. He was also a long jumper who represented Britain at the 1928 Summ ...

, who recognized his potential as researcher.Honorary Member 1998: David Hickson
European Group for Organizational Studies, EGOS. Accessed 27.01.2015. Later in his career he received an Honorary Ph.D. from the

University of Umea A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which rou ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. In the 1950s, Hickson had started his career in financial administration, and had become Assistant Secretary of the Bristol Stock Exchange. After graduation in the late 1950s, he became research assistant at the then Birmingham College of Advanced Technology, later the Aston University. in the 1960s, he joined the

Aston Group Aston Group is the designation of a group of organizational researchers who pursued their research between 1961 and 1970 under the leadership of Derek S. Pugh. The official name was ''Industrial Administration Research Unit of the Birmingham College ...

, a group of organizational researchers under the leadership of

Derek S. Pugh Derek Salman Pugh (31 August 1930 – 29 January 2015) was a British psychologist, business theorist and Emeritus Professor of International Management at the Open University, known for his work in the field of organisational development (OD), and ...

. In collaboration with Canadian scientists they developed the contingency approach. In the 1970s, Hickson was co-founder of the European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS). He became Professor of International Management and Organization at Bradford School of Management,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He was served as a Visiting professor in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, and the

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. And he was founding Editor-in-Chief of '' Organization Studies,'' an international research journal.

Work

Hickson's research interests "are how societal culture affects managerial decision making in different nations and what influences the success of major decisions. His previous research has included processes of managerial decision making, power in organizations, and bureaucratization."David J. Hickson
profile at ''sagepub.com.'' Accessed 27/01/2015

Selected publications

* Hickson, David J., and

Derek Salman Pugh Derek Salman Pugh (31 August 1930 – 29 January 2015) was a British psychologist, business theorist and Emeritus Professor of International Management at the Open University, known for his work in the field of organisational development (OD), and ...

. ''Management worldwide: The impact of societal culture on organizations around the globe.'' London: Penguin Books, 1995. ;Articles, a selection * Pugh, D. S., Hickson, D. J., Hinings, C. R., Macdonald, K. M., Turner, C., & Lupton, T. (1963). "A conceptual scheme for organizational analysis." ''Administrative Science Quarterly,'' 289-315. * Pugh, D. S., Hickson, D. J., Hinings, C. R., & Turner, C. (1968).
Dimensions of organization structure
" ''Administrative science quarterly,'' 65-105. * Pugh, D. S., Hickson, D. J., Hinings, C. R., & Turner, C. (1969). "The context of organization structures." ''Administrative Science Quarterly,'' 91-114. * Hickson, D. J., Hinings, C. R., Lee, C. A., Schneck, R. E., & Pennings, J. M. (1971).
A strategic contingencies' theory of intraorganizational power
" ''Administrative Science Quarterly,'' 216-229.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hickson, David J. 1931 births 2016 deaths British business theorists Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Alumni of Aston University Academics of the University of Birmingham Academics of the University of Bradford