Daniel Katz (psychologist)

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Daniel Katz (born July 19, 1903 in Trenton , New Jersey , † February 28, 1998 in Ann Arbor , Michigan ) was an American psychologist and sociologist and taught at Princeton University and the University of Michigan . He gained particular fame through his work on Organizational Behavior published together with Robert L. Kahn .

Life

Born in Trenton, New Jersey , Katz studied at the University of Buffalo , where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1925 . He moved to Syracuse University , where he met his PhD supervisor and later co-author Floyd Allport . In 1926 he obtained his Master of Arts there and in 1928 his Ph.D. In 1928 Katz moved to Princeton University, where he would work for 15 years. In 1931 he was appointed junior professor and in 1939 professor.

Early in the 1940s, Katz joined a group of psychologists working on behalf of the US federal government to study the effects of political decisions. Towards the end of World War II, the members of this group, led by Rensis Likert, formed the core of the University of Michigan's Institute of Social Research . Katz had left the group in 1943 to head the psychological institute at Brooklyn University . He left Brooklyn in 1947 and moved to Ann Arbor to rejoin his colleagues. 1971 to 1972 he also taught in a visiting professorship at Aarhus University in Denmark.

In Ann Arbor, Katz led a series of basic research on organizational theory together with Theodore Newcomb in a program of the student councils for psychology and social sciences . The achievements of this research group have been recognized since 1970 with an annual series of lectures, the Katz Newcomb Lecture. His work The Social Psychology of Organizations (1966), published together with Robert L. Kahn, is considered one of the fundamental works of modern organizational theory.

On May 31, 1974, Daniel Katz officially retired and became emeritus.

Researches

Katz used polls to examine nationalism and various forms of prejudice . He published research results in 1935 with Kenneth Barley and later again similar research in his work with Richard L. Schank ( Social Psychology ). In his work with Robert L. Kahn, the two developed a theory of organization. The theory focuses on the people in an organization and their states of mind. They argued that the needs of employees must be met for an organization to be successful.

They also examined organizations from the system perspective, according to which organizations are composed of subsystems that are all necessary for the functioning of the whole. But they introduced the concept of an open system, in which the subsystems interact with the environment. Without this interaction with the environment, an organization would be subject to “entropy” and destroy itself. Further research by Katz and Kahn examined the relationship between the time managers spent on their employees and the success of organizations in various industries, including railroad companies, manufacturing companies, and insurance. They found that the more time was spent on employees, the more successful the organizations were.

In their theory, Katz and Kahn bring together sociological and psychological elements without playing off the disciplines against each other. On the systems theoretical side, they refer to research by Max Weber , Talcott Parsons , Robert K. Merton , James G. March and Herbert A. Simon and on the psychological side to Floyd Allport, Kurt Lewin , Rensis Likert and Eric Lansdown Trist . According to Katz and Kahn, the individual plays a role in the organization. And it's the combination of roles that defines the organization.

Further research by Katz looked at decision making, motivation, leadership, and communication.

Honors

Katz was honored with a gold medal from the American Psychological Association (1973) as well as the Lewis Award from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues , the Kurt Lewin Memorial Award (1957) and the AAPOR Award from the American Association for Public Opinion Research as well as his election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1989).

bibliography

Books

  • 1938, Social psychology , with Richard L Schanck
  • 1950, Productivity, supervision and morale in an office situation
  • 1953, Research methods in the behavioral sciences , with Leon Festinger
  • 1966, The social psychology of organizations by Daniel Katz with Robert L. Kahn
  • 1975, Bureaucratic encounters: a pilot study in the evaluation of government services
  • 1980, The study of organizations , with Robert L. Kahn and J. Stacy Adams

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Patricia Moss Wigfall and Behrooz Kalantari: Biographical Dictionary of Public Administration . Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001, ISBN 978-0-313-30203-9 , pp. 67-69 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e Martin Elbe: Key works of organizational research . Ed .: Stefan Kühl. Springer-Verlag, 2015, ISBN 978-3-658-09068-5 , pp. 371-374 .
  3. ↑ a b c d Daniel Katz. Regents' Proceedings 876. University of Michigan, 2011, accessed August 4, 2018 .
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Jacque Eccles: Daniel Katz. Faculty History Project. University of Michigan, 2011, accessed August 4, 2018 .
  5. ↑ Daniel Katz, 94, Professor of Psychology. Obituary. In: New York Times. March 18, 1998, accessed August 4, 2018 .
  6. ↑ Book of Members 1780 – present, Chapter K. (PDF; 670 kB) In: American Academy of Arts and Sciences (amacad.org). Retrieved August 4, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Katz, Daniel
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Katz, D.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American psychologist
DATE OF BIRTH July 19, 1903
PLACE OF BIRTH Trenton , New Jersey
DATE OF DEATH February 28, 1998
Place of death Ann Arbor , Michigan