Organization Development Principles, Processes, Performance

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An excerpt from Organization Development Principles, Processes, Performance by Gary N. McLean Published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers 1What Is Organization Development ?CHAPTER OUTLINEDefinitions of an OrganizationDefining ODWho Is an OD Professional?Models for Doing ODRoots and History of ODWhen and Why Should an Organization Use OD?A Values-Based FieldChapter SummaryQuestions for Discussion or 10/10/05 5:03 PM Page 1OVERVIEWThis chapter presents the definitional issues, the businesscase for OD, two primary models with their strengths and weaknesses(action research, appreciative inquiry), and the importance of organiza-tional context. It also contains the historical roots of the field, as well asits values and principles.

I have just finished a 3.5-year project sponsored by the U.S. State Department in which I worked with colleagues in Kyrgyzstan, a former soviet republic in Central Asia, to work on major initiatives to change the educational system by reinstituting free kindergarten, establishing graduate degrees for school administrators, instituting

  Reform