Organization Development

Book excerpt: Written by two of the leading experts in the field, Organization Development is a guide to the basic principles of effective organization development. A compendium of theories, practices, diagnostics techniques and figures, it provides practical advice for identifying an organization's needs and determining the most appropriate course of action to maximize organizational capability. It provides an overview of the history and theory of OD and addresses the various phases, the role of the practitioner, aspects of power and politics, and the human resources context. The book also discusses organizational design, culture change, managing transformational change, and developing effective leadership. Bridging the gap between theory and practice, this fully updated new edition of Organization Development now includes coverage of complexity and chaos theory, new case studies describing OD practices and attitudes in countries outside of the US and UK, and new chapters on change and culture and on employee engagement and wellbeing. The authors also have added emphasis on the collaborations between OD and HR functions. It provides a wealth of helpful advice for OD practitioners, HR professionals and those with an interest in helping develop their organization.