SheChanges: What is OD?

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What is OD?

Organization Development (OD) consulting is about planned, systemic, and sustainable change. It is a practice based in behavioral science that relies upon active participation of the people impacted by the change, committed and highly visible top-down ownership, and the use of theories and models to create a framework of understanding.

The primary objective of OD consulting is to strengthen organizational effectiveness and health, while transferring skills that will increase internal capacity to diagnose, problem-solve and intervene. To that end, OD consulting places a significant emphasis on relationships and processes between and among individuals and groups.

OD does not offer a “quick fix” for short-term problems, but is meant to bring about complex change that is sustainable.

As an OD consultant, I presume a number of different things:

Ultimately, you know what is best for your business

You might be too busy, moving too fast, or be too distracted to tune into that part of you (or the organization) that knows what’s best for the business

When you’re swirling around in a situation, it’s pretty hard to know which end is up and it’s very tempting to just “do something” to make it go away

You don’t have time to create changes that don’t stick

You don’t want to be told what to do; you want a guide, a sounding board and an opportunity to increase your own knowledge and effectiveness

You care deeply about the health, profitability and vitality of your business along with the associates that work within it

You are willing to be curious, learn from others, experiment and open yourself up to new ways of thinking or doing things