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.

Important figures

The OD field, which emerged in the first half of the 20th century, has been influenced by many figures including:

• 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
• organizational performance
• systems
• team building
• action research
• leadership development
• managing change
• organizational culture
• performance improvement
• employee research
• quality
• process improvement
• meetings
• organizational learning
• group process
• knowledge management
• innovation and creativity
• succession planning

Milestones

• Hawthorne studies
• Human Relations Movement
• Appreciative Inquiry

OD in context

OD is related to:

• Human resources
• Training & Development
• Facilitation
• Coaching
• Industrial and organizational psychology

Also see

• organizational behavior
• organizational commitment
• list of human resource management topics
• group dynamics

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

Linkage, Inc.

• Capability Development & Organisational Development Experts [1]