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Organization development is the process through which an organization develops the internal capacity to be the most effective it can be in its mission work and to sustain itself over the long term. This definition highlights the explicit connection between organizational development work and the achievement of organizational mission. This connection is the rationale for doing OD work. Organization development, according to Richard Beckhard, is defined as: a planned effort, organization-wide, managed from the top, to increase organization effectiveness and health, through planned interventions in the organization's 'processes', using behavioural science knowledge.^[1] Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Shortcut: WP:WIN Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia and, as a means to that end, also an online community. ... This article does not give much verifiable information about the subject. ... Behaviorism (or behaviourism) is an approach to psychology based on the proposition that behavior is interesting and worthy of scientific research. ...

There are also a number of methodologies specifically dedicated to Organization Development such as Peter Senge’s 5th Discipline and Arthur F. Carmazzi’s Directive Communication. These are a few of more popular approaches that have been developed into a system for specific outcomes such as the 5th Discipline’s “learning organization” or Directive Communication’s “Organizational culture enhancement”. Peter Michael Senge was the Director of the Center for Organizational Learning at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and is presently (2005) on the faculty at MIT. He is the founding chair of the Society for Organizational Learning (SoL). ... Organizational culture, or corporate culture, comprises the attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values of an organization. ...

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. Warren Bennis is a lecturer, management and leadership theorist and writer. ...

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.

The term "Organization Development" is often used interchangeably with Organizational effectiveness, especially when used as the name of a department or a part of the Human Resources function within an organization. Organizational effectiveness is the concept of how effective an organization is in achieving the outcomes the organization intends to produce. ... This article is about human resources, as it applies to business, labor, and economies. ...

Organization Development is a growing field that is responsive to many new approached including Positive Adult Development. // In recent years, researchers from many theoretical backgrounds have begun to focus on positive development from late adolescence on. ...

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. An organisation (or organization — see spelling differences) is a social arrangement which pursues collective goals, which controls its own performance, and which has a boundary separating it from its environment. ...

"OD is a long range effort to improve organization's problem solving and renewal processes, particularly through more effective and collaborative management of organization culture-with specific emphasis on the culture of formal workteams-with the assistance of a change agent or catalyst and the use of the theory and technology of applied behavioral science including action research"

History

Kurt Lewin (1898 - 1947) is widely recognized as the founding father of OD, although he died before the concept became current in the mid-1950s. From Lewin came the ideas of group dynamics, and action research which underpin the basic OD process as well as providing its collaborative consultant/client ethos. Institutionally, Lewin founded the Research Center for Group Dynamics at MIT, which moved to Michigan after his death. RCGD colleagues were among those who founded the National Training Laboratories (NTL), from which the T-group and group-based OD emerged. In the UK, working as close as was possible with Lewin and his colleagues, the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations was important in developing systems theories. Important too was the joint TIHR journal Human Relations, although nowadays the Journal of Applied Behavioral Sciences is seen as the leading OD journal. Kurt Zadek Lewin (September 9, 1890 – February 12, 1947) was a German psychologist and one of the pioneers of social psychology. ... The term group dynamics implies that individual behaviours may differ depending on individuals current or prospective connections to a sociological group. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Mapúa Institute of Technology (MIT, MapúaTech or simply Mapúa) is a private, non-sectarian, Filipino tertiary institute located in Intramuros, Manila. ... The National Training Laboratories, known as NTL, is an American non-profit behavioral psychology center founded in 1947 by Kurt Lewin. ... The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations was an outgrowth of the original parent body, the Tavistock Institute of Medical Psychology, commonly referred to then as the Tavistock Clinic, which was founded in 1920 in Tavistock Square in London. ... Though human resources have been part of business and organisations since the first days of agriculture, the modern concept of human resources began in reaction to the efficiency focus of Taylorism in the early 1900s. ...

In recent years, serious questioning has emerged about the relevance of OD to managing change in modern organizations. The need for "reinventing" the field has become a topic that even some of its "founding fathers" are discussing critically. ^[2]

Important figures

• Chris Argyris
• Richard Beckhard
• Kenneth Benne
• Robert R. Blake
• Leland Bradford
• W. Warner Burke
• Tom Cummings
• Fred Emery
• Charles Handy
• Elliott Jaques
• Kurt Lewin
• Rensis Likert
• Gordon Lippitt
• Ronald Lippitt
• Jane Mouton
• William J. Rothwell
• Edgar Schein
• Donald Schon
• Peter Senge
• Eric Trist
• Saul Eisen

Chris Argyris (born July 16, 1923) is more commonly known for seminal work in the area of Learning Organizations which was later developed in the best selling The Fifth Discipline by Peter M. Senge. ... This article does not give much verifiable information about the subject. ... Dr. Robert R. Blake (January 21, 1918 – June 20, 2004) was an American management theoretician. ... In the field of Organizational development (OD), Fred Emery is an important figure, particularly in the development of theory around participative work design structures such as self-managing teams. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Running counter to many others in the field of organizational development, psychologist Elliott Jaques developed the notion of requisite organization. ... Kurt Zadek Lewin (September 9, 1890 – February 12, 1947) was a German psychologist and one of the pioneers of social psychology. ... American educator and organizational psychologist Rensis Likert is best known for his research on management styles. ... Jane Mouton, along with Robert Blake, formulated the Managerial Grid Model (1964), which attempts to conceptualize management in terms of relations and leadership style. ... Edgar H. Schein (born 1928), a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management has had a notable mark on the field of organizational development in many areas, including career development, group process consultation, and organizational culture. ... Donald A. Schon (1930-1997) was an influential thinker in developing the theory and practice of reflective professional learning Image:Schon. ... Peter Michael Senge was the Director of the Center for Organizational Learning at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and is presently (2005) on the faculty at MIT. He is the founding chair of the Society for Organizational Learning (SoL). ... In the field of Organizational development (OD), Eric Trist is a leading figure. ...

See also

OD topics

• Action research
• Appreciative inquiry
• Chaos theory in organizational development
• Collaboration
• Collaborative method
• Employee research
• Executive development
• Group process
• Knowledge Management
• Leadership development
• Managing change
• Organizational communication
• Organizational culture
• Organizational engineering
• Organizational learning
• Organizational performance
• Performance improvement
• Positive Adult Development
• Process improvement
• Quality
• Social network
• Strategic planning
• Succession planning
• Systems intelligence
• Systems thinking
• Team building
• T-groups
• Value network
• Workplace democracy
• Workplace spirituality
• Workforce planning

Milestones

• Appreciative inquiry
• Hawthorne effect
• Human Relations Movement

OD in context

• Change management
• Coaching
• Facilitation
• Human resources
• Industrial and organizational psychology
• Training and development

Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... In Organizational development (OD), appreciative inquiry (AI) is a process for engaging people across the system in renewal, change and focused performance. ... Chaos theory in organizational development refers to a subset of chaos theory which incorporates principles of quantum mechanics and presents them in a complex-systems environment. ... Collaboration is a process defined by the recursive interaction of knowledge[1] and mutual learning between two or more people working together[2] toward a common goal typically creative in nature. ... Collaborative methodologies are processes, behaviors and conversations that relate to collaboration between individuals. ... In organizational development (OD), employee research involves the use of surveys, focus groups and other data-gathering methods to find out the attitudes, opinions and feelings of members of an organization. ... Executive development is the whole of activities aimed at developing the skills and competencies of those that (will) have executive positions in organisations. ... In organisational development (OD), or group dynamics, the phrase group process refers to the understanding of the behaviour of people in groups, such as task groups that are trying to solve a problem or make a decision. ... Knowledge Management (KM) comprises a range of practices used by organisations to identify, create, represent, and distribute knowledge for reuse, awareness and learning. ... In organizational development, leadership development is the strategic investment in, and utilization of, the human capital within the organization. ... In organizational development (OD), specialists assist their clients in recognizing that the only constant is change and in acknowledging the critical role of managing change. ... Organizational communication, broadly speaking, is: the transactional, symbolic process in which the activities of a social collective are coordinated to achieve individual and collective goals. ... Organizational culture, or corporate culture, comprises the attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values of an organization. ... // Organizational Engineering is a form of Organizational Development created by Gary Salton of Professional Communications, Inc. ... Organizational learning is an area of knowledge within organizational theory that studies models and theories about the way an organization learns and adapts. ... Organizational performance comprises the actual output or results of an organization as measured against its intended outputs (or goals and objectives). ... Performance improvement is the concept of measuring the output of a particular process or procedure, then modifying the process or procedure in order to increase the output, increase efficiency, or increase the effectiveness of the process or procedure. ... // In recent years, researchers from many theoretical backgrounds have begun to focus on positive development from late adolescence on. ... Process Improvement Process Improvement is a series of actions taken to identify, analyze and improve existing processes within an organization to meet new goals and objectives. ... For the Talib Kweli album Quality (album) Quality can refer to a. ... Not to be confused with social network services such as MySpace, etc. ... Strategic planning is an organizations process SCREW YOU, RILEY of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people. ... In organizational development, succession planning is the process of identifying and preparing suitable employees through mentoring, training and job rotation, to replace key players — such as the chief executive officer (CEO) — within an organization as their terms expire. ... Systems intelligence is a concept developed in the fields of engineering sciences and applied philosophy. ... Systems thinking is an approach to integration that is based on the belief that the component parts of a system will act differently when isolated from the systems environment or other parts of the system. ... The term team building can refer generally to the selection and motivation of teams, or more specifically to group self-assessment in the theory and practice of organizational development. ... In 1947, the National Training Laboratories Institute starts up in the Bethel ME. They pioneer the use of T-groups (Sensitivity or Laboratory Training) in which the learners use feedback, problem solving, and role play to gain insights into themselves, others, and groups. ... Value networks (value webs), are the human and technical resources in a business that work together to form relationships and add value to a product or service. ... Workplace democracy is the application of democracy in all its forms (including voting systems, debates, democratic structuring, due process, adversarial process, systems of appeal, and so on) to the workplace. ... // Workplace Spirituality or Spirituality in the Workplace is movement that began in the early 1990s. ... Strategic Workforce Planning involves analyzing and forecasting the talent that companies need to execute their business strategy, proactively rather then reactively, it is a critical strategic activity, enabling the organization to identify, develop and sustain the workforce skills it needs to successfully accomplish its strategic intent whilst balancing career and... In Organizational development (OD), appreciative inquiry (AI) is a process for engaging people across the system in renewal, change and focused performance. ... The Hawthorne effect refers to a phenomenon of observing workers behavior or their performance and changing it temporarily. ... In the history of the field of organizational development, the Human Relations Movement is the name given to the period following the Hawthorne Studies, where the OD movement found its focus on topics such as social relations, motivation, and employee satisfaction. ... Change management is a structured approach to change in individuals, teams, organizations and societies that enables the transition from a current state to a desired future state. ... A coach is a person who supports people (clients) to achieve their goals, with goal setting, encouragement and questions. ... In organizational development (OD) and consensus decision-making, facilitation refers to the process of designing and running a successful meeting. ... This article is about human resources, as it applies to business, labor, and economies. ... Industrial and organizational psychology (also known as I/O psychology, work psychology, work and organizational psychology, W-O psychology, occupational psychology, personnel psychology or talent assessment) concerns the application of psychological theories, research methods, and intervention strategies to workplace issues. ... In organizational development, the related field of training and development (T & D) deals with the design and delivery of learning to improve performance, skills, or knowledge within organizations. ...

References

1. ^ Smith, 1998, p261. Training and Development in Australia
2. ^ Bradford, D.L. & Burke, W.W.(eds), 2005, Reinventing Organization Development. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

External links

• Organization Development Institute
• The Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology
• The Organization Development Network
• Academy of Management Organization Development and Change Division
• International Organization Development Association
• Fielding Graduate University