The Organization Development Institute Getting Your O.B./O.D. Program Accredited with the O.D. Institute

In the early 1980’s we began hearing from students who had graduated from OD/OB academic programs who were unable to get a job in OD/OB and who had not been well prepared for entering the field. The American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) does not accredit OD/OB academic programs and was not interested in doing so. We were concerned that OD/OB students were not taught The International OD/OB Code of Ethics or the knowledge and skill necessary for being competent in OD/OB. So, Dr. Terry Armstrong, RODC organized a committee (now headed by Dr. Art Freedman, RODC) of national and international OD/OB academics and practitioners to develop criteria for the accreditation of OD/OB academic program. This group organized back in 1985  by The O.D. Institute is the only organization in the world that accredits OD/OB academic programs.

Purpose or Mission

• To provide schools an opportunity for self examination
• To enhance the credibility of programs within their own institution and externally.
• To help crystalize what O.D. is as an evolving profession.
• To provide students with program quality assurance.

• The Institution must be accredited by a regional accrediting association.
• The Institution must demonstrate that is provides adequate resources for the program.
• The curriculum must:
1. Have a written statement of purpose or mission. This must include a justification or rationale for the program.
2. Include ethical statements concerning  the profession, ethical issues in applied settings, and confront students with ethical delemmas faced by practitioners. It should teach the O.D. Code of Ethics.
3. Be clear about its guiding conceptual theory and intent. Students should have an understanding of major theoretical thrusts in O.D.: Individual, group, organization.
4. Give attention to practical activities, e.g., students should be able to do O.D. as well as talk about it. Experiential learning including field work should be included as a significatn element of the program.
5. Have an internship or work/study component so that each graduating student has functional practical O.D./O.B. experience in addition to O.D./O.B. theory.
6. The library must subscribe to The O.D. Journal and other journals in the field.
7. Students should be able to write publishable papers, not just academic papers. And, The O.D. Journal is a resource for the publishing of worthy papers. We would like programs to keep track of the percentage of their student body that in a given year have had papers published.
8. O.D./O.B. students should be encouraged to present a paper at a national or regional conference. Opprotunities for that are available at the Annual Information Exchange, held every May at George Williams College in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. These can be student competitions. The Jack Gibb Award of $500 cash is given for the best presentation by a full-tie student not working full-time.
9. O.B./O.B. student should have had the practical experience of helping to plan and organize a regional or national conference. This opportunity is also available through the O.D. Institute and through other organizations. The concern here is to help students develop experience with conference activity.
10. Faculty members must hold at least a masters degree with background in the social and organizational sciences and have practical work experience in O.D. At least one faculty member should be an RODC (Registered Organization Development Consultant.)
11. Students should be informed in advance whether they will be taught the full range of OD/OB competencies from the list being developed  by Roland Sullivan, RODP and a group of national and international practitioners and academics since 1985 and/or from an “entry level” list of competencies being developed by the Academy of Management O.D. and Change Division starting in 1998 and/or from a list of competencies that various OD/OB  programs have developed on their own.

   The procedure for accreditation is a process designed to meet the above-stated purpose. Each school should provide four packet of material to the chair of the accreditation committee. The chair will have three members of the accreditation committee review the material and will either provide a written response or have one of the comittee members write a response.
   There is no requirement for a review team to visit the campus thought the school may request such a team if it feels that such a visit would be beneficial to the review process. It is possible that the committee will request added matieral or ask for clarification. This interactive process is help the Institution evaluate its efforts.

   The American Assemply of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) does not currently accredit O.B./O.D. academic programs which it regards as "specialty programs," and as of 8/12/83 was not interested in doing so. Our concern is that O.D./O.B. students are not being provided with information The O.D. Code of Ethics, or the knowledge and skills necessary for competence in O.D. So, this committee was formed and has been meeting every year since 1985 at the Annual Information Exchange.