Abraham Zaleznik, at 87, professor emeritus of Harvard Business School

Abraham Zaleznik of Palm Beach, Fla., and Boston, formerly of Lexington, a Harvard Business School professor emeritus specializing in leadership and social psychology, died Nov. 28 in Boston. He was 87.

Born in Phildelphia, Professor Zaleznik was a resident of Lexington before settling in Boston and Palm Beach.

He began his college education by working during the day at his father’s store and taking evening classes at the University of Pennsylvania.

After enlisting in the Navy in 1942 he was sent as part of the Navy’s V12 program to Alma College in Michigan, where he was awarded an economics degree in 1945, graduating magna cum laude and making Phi Beta Kappa. Harvard Business School awarded him a master of business administration degree with distinction in 1947 and a doctorate of commercial science degree in 1951.

Prof. Zaleznik began his career at the Harvard Business School as a research assistant in 1947. He became a full professor in 1962 and inaugurated the Cahners-Rabb professorship in social psychology of management.

In 1982, Prof. Zaleznik, along with his friend and colleague C. Roland Christensen, traveled to Japan to meet Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of the Matsushita Electric Co, after which Matsushita pledged the funds to the Harvard Business School to establish a chair in leadership.

Harvard University selected Prof. Zaleznik for this chair, from which he taught the psychodynamics of leadership and continued his research on leadership. In recognition of his 43 years on the faculty, the Harvard Business School Alumni Association awarded him the Distinguished Service Award in 1996.

In 1960, Prof. Zaleznik became a candidate in psychoanalysis at the Boston Psychoanalytic Institute.

He was granted a waiver of medical and psychiatric prerequisites and graduated as a clinical psychoanalyst in 1968. In 1971, he received certification for the practice of psychoanalysis from the American Psychoanalytic Association. As a member of the Harvard Business School faculty, Prof. Zaleznik wrote 16 books and many articles, including “Managers and Leaders: Are They Different?” that received the McKinsey Award for the best Harvard Business Review article in 1977.

Prof. Zaleznik served on a number of corporate boards since 1970, including King Ranch, Ogden Corp., Timberland and American Greetings. He also served as a consultant to the U.S. government and many businesses. In retirement, he continued to write, consult and serve as a director. He was an avid golfer and a member of Belmont and Banyan Country clubs.

Husband of the late Elizabeth (Aron) for 66 years, Prof. Zaleznik is survived by a daughter, Dori of Newton; a son, Ira of Lexington; and five grandchildren.

A funeral service was held Dec. 1 at Temple Isaiah, Lexington.

Burial was in Westview Cemetery, Lexington

Arrangements by Levine Chapels, Brookline.

Leave a Reply