O.D. Institute Newsletter

September 2009

OD & the OD Institute are Alive and Well

The August issue of this newsletter, “Where Have All The O.D. Programs Gone?,”  created quite a response.  It certainly generated a lot of discussion at the Academy of Management and I have received a number of e-mails from around the world from practitioners and academics alike.  What follows are several responses that I received via e-mail to that newsletter.  As you read them I believe you will say OD and the OD Institute are alive and well.  However, I would also like to encourage you to read the latest issue of the Organization Development Journal. If you haven’t already read it, it’s a must read.  The editor, Joel Finlay, has done a fantastic job editing the ODJ for the last two years, but the latest issue certainly address some critical issues facing OD some of which taken even a more critical view than this last issue of this newsletter. 

In a special OD&C session of legendary leaders in the field at the Academy of Management in Chicago Bob Golembiewsk said that OD is at a critical stage in its development as a field. We are at a stage in the development of a profession where we will either turn it over to the emerging generation or we will simply become irrelevant, he mused. If I am misrepresenting you Bob G. please speak up.  After returning home from the Academy meeting and receiving numerous e-mails and phone calls I am sure that OD and the OD Institute are very much alive and well.  Keep reading and you’ll see why am so upbeat.

 Terry, first of all, thank you for your leadership and thoughtful inquiry into the current state of OD.  As an OD practitioner for 25years, I would like to make some observations: OD has been an open system and, for whatever reasons, has not established standards, certified practices or governing bodies (ODI not

withstanding).This has allowed others (HR, Quality) to co-opt OD methodologies into their own offerings.  For example, Total Quality Management codified team building and Six Sigma codified business process redesign. In spite of the fact that OD began as a set of quantified business initiatives, OD has increasingly shied away from delivering business results and ROI. .Many OD practitioners have become self-absorbed into pet methodologies and have become disconnected from the business (reengineering for many was the decoupler). Consequently, business leaders lost sight of the value of OD and OD practitioners lost the value of keeping their sights on the business. Academic programs supply OD practitioners to meet the demand created by business leaders, which have, as you point out, been drying up. For OD to continue its viability, OD practitioners must get back to the basics of the profession, which means building a business case for leaders make in these initiatives.  We know what we do add value, it¹stime we get client-focused and demonstrate this value.

Best regards Merrill C. Anderson, Ph.D., RODC merrill@cylient.com www.cylient.com

WHERE HAVE ALL THE PROGRAMS GONE: A BENEDICTINE RESPONSE

By Peter Sorensen and Therese Yaeger

In the latest O. D. Institute newsletter, Terry Armstrong delivered a considerable service to the field. Terry’s work has been at the heart of OD for a long, long, long time and has served the field in an exceptional manner, which includes raising important issues for our reflection, evaluation, and action.

Terry’s concerns include:

·         The OD market has dried up

·         OD has been taken over by HR

·         O.D. is no longer “the in thing” in the US

·         OD has been dead for a long time

·         AI has taken over

Our response to Terry is based on our experience at Benedictine University. Our experience indicates that:

The market is stronger than ever for qualified practitioners, as our PhD grads are highly mobile and in demand.

HR has become more interested in, and dependent on change management, and is more involved in acquiring change management skills. In fact, a number of our MSMOB and PhD students have always come from HR.

OD is stronger than ever. A number of management bestsellers have been OD; for example, Axelrod’s work, the work at USC’s Center for Organizational Effectiveness, etc.  In addition, Edgar Schein stills draws standing-room-only, as indicated by this year’s AOM conference in Chicago and OD Network’s annual conference in Seattle.

We at Benedictine are looking at the strongest interest ever in our PhD program.

At the same time that OD was pronounced dead, the OD&C Division was becoming one of the largest divisions in the Academy of Management, and the ODNetwork and Linkage were growing. OD professor Michael Beer was the invited speaker for the Management Consulting Division of AOM relating his work on managing change and creating high performance organizations with no mention that OD was dead.

Another session at the Academy of Management involved the founders of the OD&C Division of the Academy, with no mention that OD is dead. Instead, quite the opposite, Bob Golembiewski cited extensive and very impressive data on the success of OD (see his latest article in the recent OD Journal).

Appreciative Inquiry has taken over.  A recent survey of the leadership of the OD field reported Appreciative Inquiry (AI) as the most important recent addition to the field of OD. Let’s not forget that AI came out of Case Western Reserve University and that David Cooperrider came out of the George Williams/Benedictine program before going to Case Western -- two of the oldest programs in the field.

In addition we would like to make the following observations:

First, a quick review of the World Wide Web indicates that the long term programs which we have always identified with OD are still with us; namely, Pepperdine University, Case Western Reserve University, American University/NTL, Bowling Green State University, George Mason University, University of St. Thomas, and of course Benedictine University. There are some new programs including Alliant International University and Colorado Technical University. Although we have lost several important programs such as the CORD program at Loyola, other programs seem to be doing quite well.

Second, OD has we believe expanded its influence and can frequently be seen as playing an increasing role in leadership, organization management, human resources management programs, etc. This is probably a very good sign and again, is an illustration of Phil Mirvis’ observation that OD has won.

Third, another illustration of the expanding influence of OD is the recent discussion at the Academy of Management related to the question “should OD be taught to undergraduates?”

Fourth, Terry’s comment on new programs outside of the U.S. reflects a new and growing reality. Part of this reality is the now five-year long relationship between the Academy of Management’s OD&C Division and the University of Lyon in the international conference and doctoral consortium for OD students. At Benedictine, we have a new Taiwan PhD OD program and are preparing to initiate an OD program in China.

Fifth, the most important point in Terry’s newsletter, we believe, is that OD programs have not gone but they may give the appearance that they have gone. In other words, OD programs, and we believe the field, has not done a very good job of presenting itself. In fact, any other field that has spent as much time as OD in asking what is OD or better still, OD is dead would have been gone -- dead long ago. We not only survive but thrive, unfortunately in spite of ourselves. What if we really took ourselves seriously and took promotion of what we do seriously through what we preach but do not do too well -- that is collaborate and combine our efforts. In fact, that is exactly what a number of us are trying to do. The OD program directors are working closely with the OD Network on a number of projects designed to increase the visibility of OD and OD programs, which has been a part of the O. D. Institute initiatives for some time.

In addition, the international conference in Lyon with the Academy of Management for doctoral students in the field is a wonderful example of what is possible. The 3^rd International Conference and Doctoral Consortium of the OD&C Division will be held June 14-16, 2010 in Lyon, France. It is organized in partnership with the ISEOR and the OD&C Division and Management Consulting Division of the Academy of Management. Presentations are communicated in English, French or Spanish.

The presentation format consists of two kinds of presentations: Papers by academics and workshops where doctoral students are invited to present their research project in an effort to debate and exchange. Participation from U.S. will include AOM OD&C and Management Consulting members, and doctoral students.

At a time when the OD&C Division has become one of the major divisions of the Academy, the OD Network and Linkage also continue to grow. At a time when our graduates are running OD operations for global Fortune 100 organizations, we need to do a better job of presenting ourselves as the great programs we are and will continue to be.

Oh, and by the way, we are now accepting applications for our 8^th PhD cohort at Benedictine University. For more information on the Lyon conference, please contact Dr. Marc Bonnet at bonnet@iseor.com

Thanks you again Terry for raising the question. We know that you and the O.D. Institute will, as you always have, championed the continued growth and success of the field.

Good morning Dr Armstrong!!

First of all great to hear that you're still alive and kicking! Talking of hearing, it was great to hear your voice when you were on the call to OE Group at Boeing, I was there but decided not to intervene as we would have spent too long reminiscing about "rusty nails and Ed Schein," and would probably have embarrassed ourselves.

Having read you Ed / Article: "Where Have All the O.D. Programs Gone?", I was just wondering whether the question is valid. Is what really concerns you the OD Programs (your academic bias is showing?), the OD jobs or the OD functions (that are done wherever in the Org Chart). I see that as possibly a different and are much less interested in where the provider of those services is based. I know there are good arguments (basically -

Independence) as in the case of Quality for certain reporting relationships for OD but, if the worst comes to the worst........

If you are interested, we can keep this conversation going go well,

ian barber Senior OE Advisor ERMEA

Sounds like insider trading!!

I'm working with Peter Sorensen to set up a session with him and Therese Yaeger for our OD group.

The "Grey Wolves" are coming back, and we'll take over the world

Ian Barbar

 I also received a number of e-mails from Deb Pagel concerning job openings in OD.  All those found on the job page were generated by Deb.  Thanks Deb.

I also received a call from Jeanne Maes who canceled the conference last summer because of Don Cole’s car accident. She is all excited and highly motivated to have the Information Exchange at the Beckridge Conference Center on Mobile, Bay.  You will be hearing more about her plans for that conference next month.

To top it off I received the following e-mail about the this year’s 29th World OD Congress in South African and the plans that were made for next year’s World Conference from Louw Du Toit, RODC.  Here is the report direct from South Africa.  I think you can see why I believe The OD Institute and OD are alive and well.  The concern that Bob G. had is also of no concern.  Bob, you and I may be long in the tooth, but we need not worry, the torch has been passed. 

29^th OD WORLD CONGRESS

Minutes of Business meeting held on Thursday 23 July 2009 at 16h00 in Johannesburg, South Africa

In attendance:

Susan Bezuidenhout (SB)                      -           (South Africa)

                                                                        Congress convenor and chair person

                                                                        Email: Susan.Bezuidenhout@KIOLTD.COM

Louw Du Toit, RODC (LduT)  -           (South Africa)

                                                                        Member of the ODI Advisory Board

                                                                        Email:  louwduto@mweb.co.za

Dr James Johnson, RODP (JJ)  -           (USA)

                                                                        Central Michigan University

                                                                        Email:  johns6ja@cmich.edu

Dr Grant Regan (GR)               -           (United Arab Emirates)

Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, Centre of Business Excellence

Email:  Grant.Regan@zu.ac.ae

Dr Beverley Deets (BD)                       -           (United Arab Emirates)

Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, Centre of Business Excellence

                                                                        Email: 

Andrew Westrum (AW)                       -           (Germany)                                                        

                                                                        Email:  awestrum@gmail.com

Dr Frank Cardelle (FC)                        -           (China)

                                                                        Email:  cardellegs@yahoo.com

LOUW DU TOIT, RODC

JULY 27, 2009