Robert R Blake 19182004

This article focuses on Robert R. Blake, a pioneer in the field of human resource development. Blake published some 45 books, 115 chapters in anthologies, 214 articles, and half dozen monographs stretching back to 1945. But Blake is best known as co-founder of the renowned Managerial Grid Theory, a leadership theory published in 1964 that remains core reading for any MBA candidate. His work started at the University of Texas in Austin, where he received his PhD in 1947, and led to a postdoctoral Fulbright Scholarship that took him to the Tavistock Clinic in London, where he spent time studying psychoanalytic group dynamics. For Blake's second career, he formed Scientific Methods Inc. in 1961 with long-time collaborator Jane S. Mouton. Together, they co-authored nearly 140 articles and several books, including "The Managerial Grid."