Organization development

The field of Organizational Development (or 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.

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

OD Topics

Topics in OD include:

• strategic planning
• team building
• leadership development
• managing change
• organizational culture
• performance improvement
• employee research
• quality
• process improvement
• meetings

OD in Context

OD is related to:

• Human Resources
• Training
• Facilitation
• Coaching
• Industrial and organizational psychology

External Links

There are several professional associations for OD practitioners including:

• The Organizational Development Network: http://www.odnetwork.org
• The Organizational Development Institute: http://members.aol.com/odinst/
• The American Society for Training & Development: http://www.astd.org