Participants explore different organization structures and their advantages and disadvantages in varying environments. This course also includes topics such as metaphors of organization, systems thinking and views of organization from classical to leading edge. This course focuses on the individual and interpersonal level of systems. Emphasizing the key concepts of each theorist with special attention to their views on personality, development, and interpersonal communications, we explore their relevance for organizations today. Marcia Feola, Bob Devlin Skills in diagnosis, data collection, data analysis, and organizational feedback are developed.
Participants learn how to select and effectively use a variety of data collection methods.
In order to effectively work with groups, OD practitioners need skills in understanding the nature of group dynamics. This highly experiential class is designed to provide participants with the opportunity to increase their awareness of group process and dynamics as well as to explore their personal reactions to different group dynamics and growth processes. Different organizational interventions and their underlying theories will be introduced including interventions focusing on change in the structural environment of the organizations and in the interaction of people and groups. Using both case studies and data from class projects, participants practice identifying interventions and designing them to meet the needs of their client organizations. Following the intervention skills courses, participants work in teams of two or three participants to conduct an OD intervention in class.