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Herbert Shepard Foundation

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•  Herbert Allen Shepard

HERB SHEPARD was a pioneering thinker in the Organization Development movement, an engaging teacher and mentor of exceptional depth, scope and humility with a gift for recognizing and nurturing the potential of others. His unselfishness, utter sincerity, compassion and unwavering commitment touched lives, forged lasting friendships and helped shape the careers of a generation of leaders and social scientists. He held faculty posts at several universities including M.I.T., where he received his doctorate in Industrial Economics. He founded and directed the first doctoral program in Organization Development at Case Western; developed a residency in administrative psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine, and was also President of The Gestalt Institute of Cleveland.

Herb conducted the first large-scale experiments in Organization Development, while at Esso in the late fifties, and served as principal consultant to TRW Systems in its pioneering work in the application of behavioral science to organizations and teams. He has published widely in this field and was chairman of the Douglas Memorial Award Committee of the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science. His research and pragmatic work made a significant contribution to our understanding of human behavior and social systems from dyads (doctor-patient or consultant-client) to organizations (synergy, alternative dispute resolution, structure, building consensus and caring about the powerless). It opened the way for further developments in the psychology of teams, leadership and interpersonal compatibility; cognitive behavior therapy, social cognitive theory (educational psychology); choice theory; principled negotiation, positive psychology and organization development.

In management consulting, Herb's clients included Bell-Northern Research, Syncrude, Esso, TRW, Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, Union Carbide, USAID and most of the departments of the federal governments of the U.S.A. and Canada.

Herb advised clients of The Professional Development Institute and led executive seminars and workshops including “Managing in Turbulent Environment”, since 1975. He accepted the honorary title of President Emeritus for the Professional Development Institute which he held from 1977 till his death August 2, 1985. With his death, we have lost not only a mentor, but a warm person whose friendship, authenticity and values have been precious to us and are felt all the more deeply now.