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Harry LevinsonAmerican psychologist and work and organizational consultant
Date of Birth: 16.01.1922
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Harry Levinson
Early Life and EducationHarry Levinson, an American psychologist and consultant on work and organizational issues, was born on January 16, 1922, in Port Jervis, New York. He was the eldest of three children in a family of immigrants. Growing up during a time when anti-Semitism was widespread, Harry faced significant challenges in his journey to become a teacher and writer. From a young age, Levinson had a passion for reading and writing, winning his first writing award in seventh grade. He obtained his Bachelor's degree in 1943 and Master's degree in Natural Sciences in 1947 from Emporia State University. In 1952, he earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Kansas.
Career and Contributions
In the 1950s, Levinson played a pivotal role in reforming the healthcare system in Kansas by establishing the Mental Health Department for Industrial Workers at The Menninger Foundation in 1954. He served as a visiting professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management in 1961-1962 and the University of Kansas School of Business in 1967. In 1968, he joined the Harvard Graduate School of Business, where he founded The Levinson Institute, an organization dedicated to studying leadership and revising the role of leadership in organizational processes. From 1968 to 1972, Levinson was a visiting professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.
Throughout his career, Levinson held leadership positions in various psychological and consulting organizations, including the Kansas Psychological Association (KPA), Kansas Advisory Committee (KAC) of the Civil Rights Commission (CRC), Society of Consulting Psychology (SCP), and the International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organizations (ISPSO). He participated in every symposium of ISPSO during its early years. In 1985, he helped establish the Society of Psychologists in Management (SPM). Levinson was an honorary research associate at the Center for the Study of Organizational Change (CSOC) from 2010 until his death.
Personal Life and Legacy
Levinson was married to his first wife, Roberta, from 1946 to 1970, and they had four children together. He met his second wife, Miriam, in 1989, and they founded two scholarships together. They remained married until Levinson's death.
In 2001, Levinson began to lose his eyesight. Despite this setback, he continued to provide consultation to colleagues and students over the phone, even though he could no longer read or write. Levinson passed away at the age of 90 on June 26, 2012. He was buried in his hometown of Port Jervis.
