The Future of Organization Development

The Global Committee on the Future of OD

Jeana Wirtenberg, Ph.D Ted Nguyen Elena Feliz

Center for Human Resource Management Studies

Fairleigh Dickinson University
October 15, 2004
 Global Committee on the Future of OD
October 15, 2004
Objectives:

– Introduce “The Global Committee on the Future of OD” – A catalyst for

change

– Describe how we are linking OD values and contributions worldwide to

create vital, successful organizations and communities

– Present Highlights from Phase I and plans for Phase II Research:

• Assessment of the current state of OD – Key Strengths and Areas for
Development
• Global Business Challenges and Opportunities
• Implications for the OD Profession and OD Practitioners to Add Value
• Phase II Survey and Action Learning research Plans

- Describe Community Outreach and Communities of Practice – Uniting,

energizing and mobilizing OD practitioners, business leaders and
academics worldwide to advance the field of OD in an ever-changing
world
 Global Committee on The Future of OD
Strategy
VISION Linking OD values and contributions worldwide to create vital, successful
organizations and communities.

MISSION Uniting energizing and mobilizing thousands of OD practitioners, business

leaders and academics worldwide to advance the field of OD and add value
to all stakeholders, in an ever-changing world.

Accomplishments To Date
1. Literature Review
An extensive analysis was conducted synthesizing business challenges and opportunities from more than 80 recent
research documents.

2. SWOT
A survey was sent to over 6,000 OD practitioners with over 900 responses.

3. Business Leader Interviews

Business leaders from the companies represented by the Advisory Board members were interviewed one-on-one.

4. Business and Academic Advisory Board Interviews

OD Leaders represented on the Business and Nonprofit Advisory Board as well as the Academic Advisory board
members were interviewed one-on-one.

5. Knowledge Management Portal

An electronic tool has been developed to connect people worldwide in the creation and sharing of knowledge.
.
6. Established Advisory Board of OD Executives from business, government and non-profit sectors.

7. Established Communities of Practice for business, government and non-profit sectors.

 Global Committee on the Future of OD
Chair: Ted Nguyen
Sponsors: Don Cole, President, The O.D. Institute
Mila Baker, Chair of Board of Trustees, OD Network
Rita Aloni, President of International OD Association

Global Research
Survey Competencies

Literature Review
Action Learning

Knowledge Information
Management Technology
Community
Integration
Outreach
Marketing Communications

Liasion Change
Management

Country/Region Teams Global Communities of Practice Sector/Industry Teams

Non-Profit Government
Business
(USA) (USA)
 OD Global Committee Current Progress
and Future Plans
Appointment Communities
Advisory KM
OD “Research Portal of Practices
Boards
Global Comm.

Q3-03 Q4 - 03 Q1 - 04 Q2 - 04 Q3 - 04 Q4 - 04 Q1 - 05

SWOT
Survey Knowledge Management Knowledge Management
Portal Design OD Body of Knowledge
Set up Boards:
Business/Academic Knowledge Management
Government/Non-Profit
Portal Launch
Business Advisory Board Mtgs.
Board Mtgs.

Business/Academics Phase II Client Survey

Interviews
Communities of
Literature Review Practice

Marketing
Marketing&&Communications
Communications

Change
ChangeManagement
Management

Business/Academic
Business/AcademicPartnerships
Partnerships
 Global Committee on the Future of OD

• Action Plan:

– Conducting Global Research with clients in every sector and region of the
world, to understand their business challenges, and co-create ways for OD
to help their businesses succeed.

– Establishing Global Communities of Practice in every sector and region of

the world to support OD practitioners in the collaborative creation, sharing,
and application of best practices and knowledge.

– Building a Knowledge Management strategy to identify the OD body of

knowledge and provide technology tools (KM Portal) and infrastructure for
the virtual sharing of information and best practices globally.

– Designing and implementing a targeted Communications and Marketing

strategy to build greater understanding of the field of OD.

– Strengthening business and academic partnerships to research and create

new models and theories to solve business problems.
 Research
(Jeana Wirtenberg, PhD)
 Phase I OD SWOT Survey – Over 900 Responses

Top Three Strengths

♦ Systemic Orientation/Change Management

♦ Techniques and Processes – Teamwork/Leadership Development
♦ Values OD Brings to Practice

Top Four Areas For Improvement

♦ Lack of Definition and Distinction of the Field of OD

♦ Lack of Quality Control of Practitioners
♦ Insufficient Business Acumen of Practitioners/Insufficient
Emphasis on Customer Needs
♦ Insufficiently Clear ROI/Value of the Work
 Phase I Action Research - Integrated Key Themes (#1)
♦ Globalization, Multi-Cultural, and Whole System Perspective
■ Industry Consolidation, M/A, and Strategic Alignment
■ Business and Product Life-Cycle
■ Global Economy, Market and Shareholder Demands
♦ Implications
■ OD Profession
► Build collaborative global/multicultural OD networks and partnerships
► Support business leaders in becoming “whole system thinkers”
► Address business issues appropriately at each stage of the life cycle
► Partner with other OD and non-OD professional associations
► Teach business theory in OD Academic programs
► Identify best practices for industry consolidations, M&A, strategic alignment, and different
phases of business life cycles
■ OD Practitioner
► Build skills and competencies in multi-cultural sensitivity and diversity
► Focus on addressing most formidable business challenges and adding value (based on
understanding of basic business theory)
► Foster collaborative relationships across traditional organizational
boundaries
♦ Value to Business Leaders and Businesses
■ Strategies are aligned and executed in a way that meets both financial goals
and core values
■ More positive results from organizational realignments, industry consolidations,
M&A’s, by understanding and addressing cultural dimensions
■ Increased market share and shareholder value, due to effective application of
change management principles to business and product life cycles
 Phase I Action Research - Integrated Key Themes (#2)
♦ Building Great Workplace, Productivity, and Performance Culture
■ Organizational Alignment
■ Speed, Innovation, and Flexibility
■ Capturing Elusive Customers

♦ Implications
■ OD Profession
► Embed and Leverage OD strengths to foster employee engagement
► Enhance skills around fostering innovation and flexibility in workforce
► Increase focus on what it takes to build a performance culture (e.g., training in
productivity and quality methods)
■ OD Practitioner
► Partner with business leaders to build great workplaces
► Focus on enhancing productivity and performance
► Ensure work is linked to business imperatives around speed, customers,
innovation, etc.

♦ Value to Business Leaders and Businesses

■ Enhanced productivity and profitability through organizational alignment
■ Enhanced commitment of workforce for better overall performance
■ Clarity of purpose and mission to inspire and engage workforce
■ Improved ability to attract and retain top talent
Phase I Action Research - Integrated Key Themes (#3)
♦ Leveraging Technology and Worldwide Integration
■ Leveraging and aligning technology with business strategies
■ Speed, flexibility and innovation
■ Learning and Knowledge Management

♦ Implications
■ OD Profession
► Marry capabilities of technology with individual and organizational needs
► Understand best practices in technology integration and implementation
► Model virtual training and learning in professional activities
► Recognize and address challenges of technology from a people perspective
(e.g., virtual teams and meetings)
■ OD Practitioner
► Support business leaders in implementing new technologies
► Build resiliency into organizations as they integrate new technologies
► Foster continuous learning and knowledge sharing in organizations
► Stay current with technology advances and incorporate them in our practice

♦ Value to Business Leaders and Businesses

■ Leveraging and alignment of technology with business and people
strategies
■ Exploit technology and readily adapt to the latest technological advances for
competitive advantage
■ Use technology to support learning and innovation for better results
 Phase I Action Research - Integrated Key Themes (#4)
♦ Corporate Social Responsibility is Increasing
■ Greater accountability for business ethics and governance
■ Corporate role in human rights and widening economic gaps
■ Accountability for the use of natural resources

♦ Implications
■ OD Profession
► Identify best practices in socially responsible business practices
► Develop skills and competencies in supporting socially responsible business
practices, ethics and governance
► Embed socially responsible values and associated results in corporate
drivers and key metrics (e.g., balanced scorecard)
► Use our values based heritage to create a paradigm shift in the way
business is perceived and conducted
■ OD Practitioner
► Coach and support business leaders in shifting/enhancing socially
responsible orientation and actions (show them what’s in it for them)
► Build expertise in skills, competencies and understandings re ethics,
governance, and socially responsible practices
♦ Value to Business and Business Leaders
■ Improved reputation among citizenries, consumers and investors
■ Enhanced commitment of employees as they find increased meaning in work
through focus on corporate citizenship and contributions
■ Mitigate/reduce costs and negatives associated with litigation
■ Enhanced sustainability of Enterprises through responsible use of natural
resources
 Phase I Action Research - Integrated Key Themes (#5)
♦ Building Leadership and Organizational Capabilities for the Future
■ Changing Work and Workforce
■ Leadership Talent Identification, Development, and Retention
■ Leadership Courage, Decision Making and Problem Solving

♦ Implications
■ OD Profession
► Ensure business leaders have basic understanding of OD theory and
practice
► Build competencies in leveraging diversity for business advantage
► Leverage conflict mediation and appreciative inquiry skills and
competencies among OD professionals around the world
► Create HR/OD collaborative relationships and partnerships
■ OD Practitioner
► Coach leaders to find meaning and purpose and provide an environment
that supports the whole person
► Work with HR and business leaders to actively advocate our beliefs and
values for individuals and workplaces
► Model leadership courage, decision making and problem solving

♦ Value to Business Leaders and Businesses

■ Greater leadership bench strength to build long-term business success
■ Enhanced ability to make difficult decisions and address paradoxes
■ Access to wide array of choices around models for building organizations,
careers and learning
 Phase I Action Research - Integrated Key Themes (#6)
♦ Regulatory Environment and New Organizational Forms
■ Business and Government Partnerships are creating both challenges and
opportunities
■ In U.S., increasing government regulations pose competitive challenges
■ New organizational models emerging across traditional sectors (public-private)
♦ Implications
■ OD Profession
► Research best practices and new models in public-private partnerships

► Stimulate interest and awareness about emergent organizational forms

► Do action research/action learning with pioneers in collaborative cross-sector
emergent organizational forms
■ OD Practitioner
► Be open and opportunistic in identifying emerging organizational forms
► Explore new organizational forms through experimentation (e.g., high potential
experiences on special projects)
► Leverage high potential talent to fuel interest and awareness
► Use OD win-win values to shift paradigm from adversarial to partnerships across
traditional boundaries (organizations, sectors, industries)
♦ Value to Business Leaders and Businesses
■ Intractable problems that can only be addressed at the “systems level” are
understood and ameliorated
■ Better results through enhanced “win-win” collaborative relationships and
partnerships among public, private and nonprofit sectors
■ Reduced costs and faster speed to market for critical products (e.g., drugs) as
 Phase I Action Research – Visioning Themes
♦ The field of Organization Development is clearly defined, well understood, recognized
and valued by practitioners and clients alike. OD professional associations speak with one
voice and have a common identity. OD professionals demonstrate competencies and
practices that are distinguishing hallmarks of excellence.
■ “OD profession easy to recognize and differentiate from others.”

♦ OD Practitioners demonstrate business savvy. OD supports strategy identification,

execution and measurement. The focus of OD is on enhancing productivity and
profitability, and we use metrics to monitor our progress. The OD field is clear about its
ROI and OD professionals are credible partners to leaders.
■ “Practical - business focused - able to move from the conceptual to application and bring others
along.”

♦ Academia and Business partner synergistically. This partnership develops practical

applications of OD, new models, research and theory. The next generation of OD
practitioners are prepared to succeed in all sectors.
■ “Business and academia partner to research and create new models and theories to solve
business issues.”

♦ We create sustainable and humane Enterprises, embedding values, and creating a

positive work environment. We build bridges, help to find common ground, and address
organizational and cultural divides. We manifest our belief that social responsibility and
business results can successfully co-exist.
■ “I feel satisfied in my work. I feel cared about. I want to stay.”
 Phase II Research
Client Survey Research Goals
1. Validate Business Success Factors:

Understand the relative importance of the factors driving business

success from a people and organizational perspective, and current
organizational effectiveness in each of the key areas

2. Determine Future Intentions to Utilize OD in key areas

3. Identify Preferred Sources of Expertise and Support

4. Ensure Capacity to sort Data by Key Demographics

e.g., Industry, Size, Region, Function
 Phase II Research
Action Learning: Guiding Questions
• How can we create the conditions for collaborative deep
inquiry and learning from our actions and activities on an
ongoing basis?
• How can we leverage Action Research and Action Learning
both as:
– A SERIES OF EVENTS marked by inclusivity, reflection, and
feedback
– A transformational PROCESS that creates and embeds the
conditions and competencies for inquiry and continuous
learning?
• To what extent would viewing OD practice as
transformational Action Learning create the requisite
paradigm shift for OD practice in organizations in a diverse,
interdependent world?
 Phase II Research
Action Learning Outcomes
• Design and implement a plan to identify and capture learning
relative to:
– The process of reinventing the profession
– Lessons learned along the way
– Translating tacit learning / knowledge to explicit recorded knowledge
– Identifying and sharing successes that can be replicated
– Learning from mistakes that can be avoided
– Creating vehicles, conditions, and processes for continuous reflection
and learning from OD practice

• Create vehicles that enable all components of the Global

Committee (COP’s, Communications and Marketing, Change
Management, Integration and Liaison, Knowledge Management,
Research) to:
– Develop insight and capture learning on a regular basis (within group)
– Share insights and learning (within group and across groups).
Communities of Practice

(Elena Feliz)
 The Global Committee on the Future of OD
Landscape of our Communities of Practice...

THE BUSINESS SECTOR – Jenny Flowers, Chair

Strategy: Grow the grassroots industry teams and contacts, maximizing

the Team Leader, Volunteer and Advisory Board relationships
to achieve world-wide participation in assessing challenges,
state of OD, best practices, and competencies in that specific
industry.

Four teams, with Team Leaders and members identified, are working
toward objectives:

•Pharmaceutical/BioTech/Medical Device (PBM) – Linda Klug, Aventis

•High Tech/Telecom (HTT) – David Lipsky, Sony
•Financial Services (FS) – Dorothy Obeirne, UBS
•Energy/Manufacturing/Utilities (EMU) – Lucille Maddalena, Morris Business Group, Inc.

Three Teams need Team Leaders and volunteers:

•Healthcare and Hospitals (HH)

•Consumer/Food Products (CFP)
•Retail
 The Global Committee on the Future of OD
Landscape of our Communities of Practice...

Government Sector – Genevieve Jones, Chair

Strategy: Leverage key stakeholders, advisory board and membership

to focus on federal, state and local/municipal in the U.S. to
grow grassroots team to renew our focus and to evolve our
approach to OD in this sector.

Nonprofit Sector – Terri McNichols, Chair

Strategy: Explore how OD as a profession can add value to U.S.-based

nonprofit organizations. The Nonprofit sector team will look
at how OD can empower the sector to deliver their missions
more effectively.

Country/Region – Elena Feliz, Chair

Strategy: Belief in the Power of One – designate Country Liaison in

countries like Canada, Thailand, Finland, Germany, India, Africa,
etc., who will create local team linking with ODI, ODN, IODA as
appropriate. In the U.S., leverage OD regionals and network.
 Usingthe
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 The Future of Organization Development
Three Thought Questions on the Future of OD

1. Should OD be considered a Profession and/or Discipline? If so, how

should standards and qualifications for OD practitioners be determined?

2. Does/should OD have a unique identity that OD practitioners “own”

and/or is our focus more on transferring OD competencies and
knowledge to business leaders and/or project managers so that can
be more self sufficient? What are the implications for the OD
profession?

3. Can and should OD practitioners leverage our values-based OD heritage

to support fundamental shifts in the way business is perceived and
conducted (i.e., building more humane, sustainable enterprises)?

If so, what are the key results we want to achieve? What are the most
effective ways we can influence others in these areas?
The Future of Organization Development

Comments?

Questions?

Suggestions?
The Future of Organization Development

Thank you!!!