Thomas Allen

Thomas J., 89, of Marblehead, Professor of Management and Organizational Psychology at MIT died on November 13, 2020, after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Joan M. Allen, children Thomas J. Jr. and Fleur Allen of Avondale Heights, Australia, Susan M. and Michael Golden of Marblehead, MA and Máirín A. and Jason Friday of Marshfield, MA, grandchildren, Éamonn, Declan and Niamh Golden and Molly, Meg and Aislinn Friday and brother, John M. Allen of Newark, NJ.



Prof. Allen was born in Newark, NJ, son of the late Thomas J. & Margaret (Conley) Allen. He graduated from St. Benedicts Prep and Upsala College (BS in Physics in 1954) where he wrestled and played football, developing the work ethic which underlay his subsequent professional success. From 1952 to 1960, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served overseas on active duty from 1954-1956 in Japan. He subsequently spent nine years with the Boeing Aircraft Company in Seattle, WA and Lexington, MA as a research engineer engaged in weapon control system analysis and design.



Following receipt at MIT of a SM in Electrical engineering in 1963 and a PhD in Organizational Management in 1966, Professor Allen received his initial appointment to the MIT faculty in the Sloan School of Management in 1966. He was later appointed as Gordon Y. Billard Professor of Management in 1985 and as Howard W. Johnson Professor of Management in 1993. Professor Allen served in a number of significant administrative roles at MIT including Research Director for the Management in the 1990's Program, Director of the International Center for Research on the Management of Technology, Co-director of the Program on the Pharmaceutical Industry and the Lean Aerospace Initiative, Associate Chairman of the Faculty at MIT from 1983 to 1985 and Senior Associate Dean of the Sloan School from 1993 to 1998. He continued to teach at MIT until his retirement in 2013 at the age of 81. In 1993, MIT recognized his superior teaching performance with appointment as a MacVicar Faculty Fellow. A strong advocate of the importance of student participation in intercollegiate athletics as part of the university educational experience, he also served as Chair of the MIT Athletic Board for 25 years.



Prof. Allen's research was known for ground-breaking studies on the problem solving and communication behaviors of engineers and scientists, on the interaction of organizational structure and behavior, the role of technological gate-keepers in effective technological knowledge and information transfer, the influence of architectural layout on human communication behavior, international technology transfer, reward systems for technical professionals, and the impact of organizational structure on project performance. It was during this research that he first explicated the role of the technological gatekeeper in technology transfer and developed the Allen Curve which quantified the exponential drop in frequency of communication between engineers as the distance between them increases. These principles have had a strong influence upon the evolution of commercial architectural design with signature examples being the BMW Research Center in Munich, the Decker Engineering Building in New York, the Steelcase Corporate Development Center in Michigan and the Volkswagen Assembly and Delivery Center in Dresden. In addition to work with the defense aircraft industry as part of the Lean Aircraft Initiative, he also engaged in long-term research targeting the pharmaceutical industry, addressing issues which confront these industries including project management, changing industry structure and the impact of government regulations on innovation.



Professor Allen spent many rewarding decades working in Ireland as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University College Dublin from 1993 and serving as the founding Director of the National Institute of Technology Management (NITM) at the Smurfit School of Business from 1997 to 2004 and Chairman of its Academic Advisory Board to 2011.



Professor Allen is the author of over 56 professional publications including the book, Managing the Flow of Technology, co-author of The Organization and Architecture of Innovation, Lean Enterprise Value – Insights from MIT's Lean Aerospace Initiative and Architectural and Organizational Design, and co-editor of Information Technology and the Corporation of the 1990's : Research Studies, and Building Technology Transfer Within Research Universities : An Entrepreneurial Approach. He has been recognized for professional achievement with multiple honorary degrees in Europe including a Dr. Mgt (Hon) from the Rijksuniversiteit Gent, Belgium in 1990, a ScD (Hon) from the Chalmers Tekniska Högskola, Sweden in 1992, a PhD (Hon) from the Linköpings Universitet, Sweden in 2001 and a PhD (Hon) from the Universitat Ramon Llull, Spain in 2002.



Professor Allen will also be fondly remembered by those whose lives he touched through his many years of volunteer service to youth sports in Lexington, MA and at Rosary Academy in Watertown, MA as an ice hockey and soccer coach and to Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Boston through participation in numerous advisory committees at Rosary Academy, Malden Catholic and Mt. St. Joseph's Academy. A devout Roman Catholic, Professor Allen was an active member of the Parish Pastoral Councils at several parishes in Massachusetts, chaired the Faculty Advisory Committee of the Tech Catholic Committee at MIT and served as a member of the Archdiocese of Boston Ecumenical Council, chairing the Catholic/Jewish Committee.



A man of quiet humility and deep inner confidence, Prof. Allen used his God-given gifts not to self-enrich or self-aggrandize, but rather to improve the world and lift up those around him. He will be best remembered for his generous heart, giving of himself without restraint, and for his complete dedication to his family. His worldwide network of academic colleagues will remember him for outstanding professional achievements and a lifelong commitment to academic integrity.



Due to the COVID crisis, funeral services will be private. Interment will be in Springfield Cemetery, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. Remembrances may be made in Tom's name to the MIT Tech Catholic Community (www.tcc.mit.edu/donate) or the Franciscan Food Center (www.stanthonyshrine.org/giving/gift). To sign online condolence visit www.gatelyfh.com



View the online memorial for Thomas Allen