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Chapter One
What Is Organization
Development?
Richard Beckhard
Organization development is an effort (1) planned,
(2) organization-wide, and (3) managed from the top, to (4) increase
organization effectiveness and health through (5) planned interventions
in the organization's "processes," using behavioral-science knowledge.
1. It is a planned change effort.
An OD program involves a systematic diagnosis of the organization,
the development of a strategic plan for improvement, and the
mobilization of resources to carry out the effort.
2. It involves the total "system."
An organization-development effort is related to a total organization
change such as a change in the culture or the reward systems or
the total managerial strategy. There may be tactical efforts which work
with subparts of the organization but the "system" to be changed is a
total, relatively autonomous organization. This is not necessarily a total
corporation, or an entire government, but refers ... read full excerpt from Organization Development: A Jossey-Bass Reader ebook
