Organization development

From Freepedia

Organization development, according to Richard Beckhard, is defined as:

• (1) a planned effort
• (2) organization-wide
• (3) managed from the top
• (4) to increase organization effectiveness and health
• (5) through planned interventions in the organization's 'processes', using behavioural-science knowledge"

(Smith, 1998, p261. Training and Development in Australia.)

According to Warren Bennis, organization development (OD) is a complex strategy intended to change the beliefs, attitudes, values, and structure of organizations so that they can better adapt to new technologies, markets, and challenges.

Warner Burke emphasizes that OD is not just "anything done to better an organization"; it is a particular kind of change process designed to bring about a particular kind of end result. OD involves organizational reflection, system improvement, planning, and self-analysis.

Contents 1 Definition 2 Important figures 3 OD topics 4 Milestones 5 OD in context 6 External links 6.1 General 6.2 Professional associations for OD practitioners

Definition

At the core of OD is the concept of an organization, defined as two or more people working together toward one or more shared goals. Development in this context is the notion that an organization may become more effective over time at achieving its goals.

Important figures

The OD field, which emerged in the first half of the 20th century, has been influenced by many figures including:

• Richard Beckhard
• Robert R. Blake
• William Bridges
• W. Warner Burke
• Don Cole
• David Cooperrider
• Kathie Dannemiller
• Fred Emery
• Roger Harrison
• Elliott Jaques
• Kurt Lewin
• Rensis Likert
• Jane Mouton
• Edgar Schein
• Peter Senge
• Eric Trist
• Marv Weisbord

OD topics

Topics in OD include:

• Action research
• Diversity management
• Employee research
• Group process
• Knowledge management
• Leadership development
• Managing change
• Meetings
• Organizational culture
• Organizational learning
• Organizational performance
• Performance improvement
• Process improvement
• Storytelling
• Strategic planning
• Succession planning
• Systems
• Team building
• T-groups
• Quality

Milestones

• Hawthorne studies
• Human Relations Movement
• Appreciative Inquiry

OD in context

OD is related to:

• Coaching
• Facilitation
• Human resources
• Industrial and organizational psychology
• Training & Development

External links

General

• www.odinstitute.org — The most frequently cited OD publication in the world
• www.mnodn.org — An intro to OD
• www.orgdct.com — reading list
• Is OD still relevant? by Chris Worley

Professional associations for OD practitioners

• The Organization Development Network
• The Organization Development Institute
• The American Society for Training & Development