OD: past, present and future

This paper explores the journey of Organisational Development as a discipline from its roots in the middle of the 20th century to its current status. It then considers whether and how OD can continue to be relevant in the 21st century. This paper helps mark the Institute’s 40th year anniversary. January 2009 ISBN: 9 781 85184 409 8 IES Working Paper: WP22 2 OD: past, present and future The first response to a question about the role of organisational development (OD) in any organisation is normally, ʹIt depends what you mean by ODʹ. In most cases there is some activity that people can group under the general banner of ʹorganisational developmentʹ but it is not always done through an OD practitioner and where there are recognised OD people, their interventions and focus can be so varied that it is hard to link them as a ʹprofessionʹ or see immediate connections with their forerunners. The eclectic nature of OD and the abundance of conflicting definitions combined with its seeming homelessness as a profession both in a corporate and academic sense, inevitably mean it is not well understood by outsiders. Waclawski and Church (2002) for example suggest that ʹthe field itself has yet to come to agreement on its basic boundaries or parameters... thus for some, OD represents anything and everything that might be offeredʹ (p4). Its diversity is cited as both a strength and a weakness but leaves many thoroughly bemused. In addition, the lack of evaluation over the years has failed to enhance its reputation and credibility (Golembiewski & Sun, 1990; Porras & Robertson, 1992). This paper explores the journey of Organisational Development as a discipline from its roots in the middle of the 20th century to its current status. It then considers whether and how OD can continue to be relevant in the 21st century.