Organization Development: A Practitioner's Guide for OD and HR

by Dr Mee-Yan Cheung-Judge, Linda Holbeche

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.

Genres: Professional Development, Nonfiction, Business, Management

448 pages, Paperback

First published April 3, 2011

Reviews

[AnnieM · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an indispensable guide for all organizational development practitioners! I started in this field over 25 years ago and I wish a guide such as that existed when I first was starting out. The authors do a thorough job of grounding their guidance in theory and bring forward practical tools and frameworks to guide Human Resource and Organizational Development professionals on how to approach the work to achieve systemic change, engage all stakeholders and be aware of the dynamics and politics within organizations. The chapters cover an overview of OD history and theories, competencies for OD practitioners, stages on how to contract with clients, organization design, organization health, employee engagement, etc. In addition, there are chapters addressing "living on the edge of chaos and change" - which is a fantastic guide on how we need to both follow a change process as well as be attuned to the things that emerge along the way. As an internal OD practitioner in a large organization, I really appreciate the chapter on dealing with the complicated dance between HR and OD.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in organizational development or current professionals in this space.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fairly good textbook in an area I knew little about. For a ‘small’ book it was quite dense with a lot of content packed into the chapters. However, it covers the greater part of OD without overwhelming the reader (too much).

I really appreciated Cheung-Judge’s impressive effort to present unbiased and neutral perspectives alongside her experiences in the field. It ensured a solid theoretical foundation as well as immediately practical insight into OD & HR. Also, I found the extensive use of conceptual models, summary lists and guidelines invaluable when creating an OC&D plan for my assignment.

However, I think some sections could be revised. For example, the components of OD included elements that were not necessarily mutually exclusive and some information in the chapters on diagnosis and evaluation were a bit repetitive for me and felt insufficiently supported (wrt theory). Also, in my opinion, there was an overemphasis on communication and involvement. I appreciate these are core OD principles but it really felt overdone. Finally, I think a chapter explicitly addressing resistance to change and some emphasis on the transferability of these principles into different cultural contexts would have completed the OD picture.

These issues aside, it was an enlightening and practical read.

[David Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s not all dragons and murders 🐉🔪🩸Sometimes I pick up a book that expands my thinking, gives me more to learn and (hopefully!) makes me better at my job 🤪🤣
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I first started this book years ago, when I first moved into an ‘OD’ role. Over the last few years, I’d picked it up in parts, re-read certain sections and highlighted parts within an inch of their life! But never had I started at the start and worked my way through.
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This time I have! Admittedly, I actually started it a year ago, but with my team, I read it in ‘book club’ format, reading a section at a time and discussing the content, pertinent points and challenged our own practice, assumptions and knowledge.
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To be a great OD practitioner, you have to believe and invest in life-long learning. I am by no way the finished article - nor at 33 do I want to be! Continuously committing to self-development is key…and it ain’t finishing with book 16 of the year 🤪
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Book 16 of 2024 ✅
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#readmorebooks #2024readingchallenge #readingchallenge #bookworm

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a tome. Full of great insights but so densely packed and often difficult to absorb. (This probably says more about me than it does about the book.) I didn't get all the way through it, but I expect different sections are worth revisiting as different OD needs arise.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book for anyone who works in HR. Some concepts were new and some I already know.
It's a good introduction to for anyone who works in HR.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Clare Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful but dense and more academic than practitioner based

[Darren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fairly specialist book that looks at polishing and lubricating; polishing your company and making sure that it is running as effectively and efficiently as possible through its well-lubricated operations. Or, if you prefer a dry description: “organization development is the systematic method of taking an objective look at how an organization is operating and gathering information, and then deciding on the most appropriate action to help that organization develop and improve.”

This is a revised (second) edition of a book that further ups its game, adding new chapters to include topics such as complexity and chaos theory, employee engagement, cultural issues and greater internationalisation. It is a fully restructured, renovated version rather than a marginal release, such as the typical difference between a 2014 and 2015 model car.

Collaboration is key and the authors are seeking to push greater unity between those responsible for a company’s human machines (human resources) and the more general machine structure (the organization). It does appear to offer up a fair mix of theory, good practice, guidance and thought-provoking moments: you would not get a half-decent consultant to even give you an hour of their time for the price of this book! It is never going to be a New York Times bestseller, although for those whom this book is aimed at, this would or should be a closely consulted companion.

It is plausible that even executives with no specific responsibility for this subject could get some benefit from this book, even if they will be drowning in industry jargon and unfamiliar terminology, since many of the theories and practices are not, or should not, be isolated to a chosen few, such as employee engagement, effective leadership, internal politics and behavioural changes.

As you would expect from a book of this kind, especially coming from this publisher, it has an easy-on-the-eye yet serious layout style, an excellent index and, of course, a mass of further reading suggestions through its detailed bibliography.

So, if you possibly have a need for this book, grab it with both hands.

Autamme.com

[Ingrid Haunold · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Organization Development"is a textbook for students and (aspiring) management consultants. It explains a specific approach to organizational change management - the theories and practices of Organization Development. It's not an easy read, as you need to process a lot of information while you are reading the book. I can now say that I am not a fan of "Organization Development" (the organizational change management process), but the book is OK for a textbook.

[Gautam Mehra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This journal is a must have for every OD, HR and People consultant expert. I say that, as the author takes you to travel a journey that commenced the very exsistance of OD .. T Groups .. understand the basics of development .. consultancy and change managment.

[بثينة · Rating 2 out of 5]

More on the practical side of Organization Development. Had some useful models explained. However, I would have preferred if it was even more practical with guides and tools.