Organizational development

Organization development, according to Richard Beckhard, is defined as: (Smith, 1998, p261. Training and Development in Australia.)
 * (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"

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.

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:


 * William J. Rothwell
 * Richard Beckhard
 * Robert R. Blake
 * Peter Block
 * William Bridges
 * W. Warner Burke
 * Don Cole
 * David Cooperrider
 * Kathie Dannemiller
 * Peter Drucker
 * Fred Emery
 * Roger Harrison
 * Dee Hock
 * Elliott Jaques
 * Kurt Lewin
 * Rensis Likert
 * Jane Mouton
 * David Nadler
 * Edgar Schein
 * Peter Senge
 * Robert Stringer
 * 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 communication
 * Organizational culture
 * Organizational learning
 * Organizational performance
 * Performance improvement
 * Process improvement
 * Storytelling
 * Strategic planning
 * Succession planning
 * Systems thinking
 * 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
 * Change Management

Professional associations for OD practitioners

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

Desarrollo organizacional