- OD and reinventing the organization
- Organizational rerewal
- Changing the culture
- Style of OD practitioners
- The diagnostic process
- Overcoming resistance to change
- OD intervention strategies
- Process Intervention skills
- Employee empowerment
- Team development
- Intergroup development
- Goal setting
- Work team development
- High-performance systems
- Organizational transformation and strategic change and
- The challenge of future organizations
As Brown mentions "The application of OD technology is growing rapidly. New models, techniques, and approaches are constantly being developed and old techniques are being discarded. OD itself is facing future shock." (p.427).
In my opinion as organizations look to re-invent themselves so will OD. I believe that there is a great need for OD in organizations that believe and have a vision of a successful future. Will all organizations look to OD interventions to revitalize or reestablish themselves? I think the smart ones will. To quote Sir Winston Churchill "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Managers and organizational leaders should be cognizant of the fact that the future needs of organizations and individuals can benefit from the systematic solutions OD programs can offer. A plan to not have a plan is not a good plan. As technology advances, demands become greater, and the need for innovation becomes increasingly essential, OD programs can contribute to the success of organizations by offering planned methodology for attaining goals.
When I was in elementary school was was obsessed with playing soccer. I would play it every moment I could. I remember the first time I played "organized" soccer. My uncle took me to the local church and there was a group of about 10 of us. It wasn't a formal league but more of a little soccer camp. When the coach lined us up and had us chase that soccer ball I could have run forever. It was my first true love. As I got older I studied the about soccer, learned about the World Cup and became infatuated with the great Pele. I became a really great soccer player, one of the best in my county but my talent was raw. I practiced every single day on the side of my parents house kicking that ball, anticipating where it would go, becoming one with it. I eventually landed on my first all-star team and I realized how little I actually knew! Now that I reflect on it this was my first intervention. Being selected to this team opened my eyes as to how the game should be played. I had to change a lot of what I taught myself. I could no longer just chase after the ball. I learned that I needed to be part of a team. That I had to play my position in order to get others involved. I learned how to play team soccer. Before I was the one that did everything on my soccer team. I was like a bat out of hell! But I was introduced to the concepts that made the game more meaningful to me. I learned what it was like to achieve team goals and to trust others. When there are 10 other teammates on the pitch and you are all working in unison it is a thing of beauty. Kind of like working on a team for an organization an having a common goal to be better. I am proud to be on a great team in my current position and we celebrate our accomplishments together, share the same goals, and have the same virtues and values. I look back to those days on the soccer field and how I learned to be a part of a team and think that has tremendously influenced me today.
I think as long as there is a need for organizations to continue to progress, to evolve, and become better, there will always be a need for OD. I don't see it as a fad that will fade away like the short shorts in my soccer pic. I think OD has a future necessitated by the need of organizations to better themselves using the principles and methods I outlined earlier.
Brown, D. (2011). An Experiential Approach to Organization Development. (8th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.
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