Online Encyclopedia
Organizational development
The field of organizational development (OD) is concerned with the performance, development, and effectiveness of human organizations. An organization is defined as two or more people brought together by one or more shared goals.
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Important figures
The OD field, which emerged in the first half of the 20th century, has been influenced by many figures including:
- Kurt Lewin
- Edgar Schein
- Fred Emery & Eric Trist
- Richard Beckhard
- Roger Harrison
- Rensis Likert
- Robert R. Blake & Jane Mouton
- William Bridges
- Kathie Dannemiller
- David Cooperrider
- Elliott Jaques
- Peter Senge
- Marv Weisbord
- Don Cole
- Olusegun Samuel
OD topics
Topics in OD include:
- strategic planning
- systems
- team building
- action research
- leadership development
- managing change
- organizational culture
- performance improvement
- employee research
- quality
- process improvement
- meetings
- organizational learning
- group process
Milestones
OD in context
OD is related to:
- Human resources
- Training & Development
- Facilitation
- Coaching
- Industrial and organizational psychology
Also see
External links
There are several professional associations for OD practitioners including:
- The Organizational Development Network: http://www.odnetwork.org
- The Organization Development Institute: http://members.aol.com/odinst/
- The American Society for Training & Development: http://www.astd.org
The most frequently cited O.D. publication in the world is THE O.D. JOURNAL published by Dr. Donald Cole of the Organization Development Institute:
- http://www.odinstitute.org
An intro to OD can be found here:
- http://www.mnodn.org/members/speakers/OD_101.pdf
A great reading list is provided here:
- http://www.orgdct.com/OD%20reading%20List.htm
An article by Chris Worley on the future of OD as a profession:
- Is OD still relevant? http://www.consultingtoday.com/downloads/Consulting%20Todayarticle%20-Is%20OD%20Still%20Relevant.pdf
Last updated: 10-24-2004 05:10:45