Part I Fundamentals and Practices in Organization Development

In Part I of this handbook, a framework of organizational change and development is presented. In this framework, the history and development of theories on organizational change and development are described, the implications of these theories are discussed, and a critical overview is given of widely used methods and tools. Helpful insights are given for choosing change strategies and intervention methods in specific situations and organizational contexts. In Chapter 1, Thomas Cummings describes the roots of Organization Development (OD). OD is an evolving field of applied social science with an increasing diversity of concepts and applications. In more than 50 years, OD has evolved a complex and diverse body of knowledge. This expertise derives mainly from reflections by practitioners and action research. The enormous growth of new approaches and methods has broadened the scope of organization change and development. OD can be defined as a systems-wide process of applying behavioural-science knowledge to the planned change and development of policies, business strategies, design components, and processes that enable organizations to be effective. OD treats change as a process, not a discrete event. It involves an ongoing series of diagnostic, action-planning, implementation, and evaluation actions. It rests on a core set of psychological concepts that guide how it is conceptualized and applied. The focus of OD has expanded beyond social processes that occur mainly between individuals and between groups to include strategies and design components of the total organization. It draws on a variety of disciplines and concepts, including social processes, work designs, human relations, structuring of organizations and work processes, relations between organization and environment, and organization learning. The application of OD closely follows its historical roots and psychological foundations. According to Cummings, and many other scholars, the processes and activities used to initiate and carry out organizational change are deeply embedded in values of openness, trust, and collaboration among organization members; they are grounded in the belief that members should be actively involved in change. Action research and action learning are helpful because they serve as methods for action and change, and also produce new knowledge about organizations and change. The implications of the theoretical and historical roots of OD are elaborated by Merrelyn Emery in Chapter 2. The choice of a theoretical framework has momentous implications for the management of change, particularly the psychological aspects of it, as nothing less than the very definition of a human being and human behaviour is at stake. Conceptual frameworks and assumption of human behaviour underlie the choice of methods, tools, and practices. In this chapter, Emery suggests examining the systems of ideas and the assumptions which lie behind change strategies and intervention methods, before applying them in practice. She elaborates on diagnosing organizational problems, with respect to human behaviour, human motivation, leadership, communication, organization design, relationships in interactions, and the strategy process. To redesign and change organizations effectively and with humility, change strategies and intervention methods must be carefully considered. Changing organizations in an unpredictable environment requires active adaptive change strategies, which are not top-down