A New Focus for The Field of Organization Development

The educational process of the field of organization development has focused on developing consultants (external and internal). These consultants work with organizational leaders toward improving the health and well being of their organizations. Even our OD membership organizations (OD Network, the Organization Development Institute, regional OD networks, NTL, etc.) have been focused on serving practitioners who work with organizational leaders. Academic programs have proliferated in the same vein.

That may be overstated but not by much: In essence, we have created an OD skill-stream that is only adjunctive to where it is most needed—our organizational leaders.

Imagine if our field really focused on developing conscious organizational leaders just as we focus on our own conscious use of self! Imagine if we focused on developing conscious organizations! Imagine if we began to emphasize the need to inculcate OD skills and sensibilities into the entire management cadre of our client organizations!

What would a conscious leader skilled in the perspective and skills of organization development be like? First and foremost the conscious leader understands that the effectiveness of his/her technical and operational systems is dependent of the effectiveness of the human systems that develop, operate, and maintain those systems. Second, the conscious leader would have feedback loops in place regarding the effectiveness and health of the human systems that are commensurate with those for technical and operational systems. Those feedback loops would monitor, for example, communication dynamics, leadership issues, the management of differences and related power dynamics as well as decision-making efficacy. In this manner, corrective action could occur before they begin to impact the technical and operational systems for which they are responsible.

Typical organizations have feedback loops regarding their sales and manufacturing in-puts and outputs that are attended to weekly if not daily. Critical machinery and computers are routinely maintained to assure their continual productivity. Conscious leaders would do the same for the effectiveness and health of their human systems as well. As the human systems go, so go the technical and operational systems. Together they drive overall productivity and fiscal success!

Pictures in this blog are from the event with Edie Seashore on September 23, 2010. Stay tuned to this blog for more about conscious leaders and the ways they impact the power dynamics which can be so harmful or advantageous to organizational dynamics. Your reactions and thoughtful responses would be welcome. Respond to this blog or contact Michael directly at michael@chumans.com. Check-out the “Resources” tab of his web site www.chumans.com as well!

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Michael F. Broom, Ph.D. is an Organizational Psychologist who as worked for over 30 years as an executive coach, organizational facilitator, and trainer. Throughout those 25 years he has also been very involved in the education of those interested in organizational and social change. At Johns Hopkins University, he has been a full-time (1978-83) and part-time (1983-2001) faculty member of the Graduate Program in Applied Behavioral Science. At Georgetown University he has been adjunct faculty for the Certificate Program in Organizational Development. He was also adjunct faculty in the American University/National Training Lab (NTL) masters programs. For NTL he has led a number of graduate programs including Personal and Organizational Power, and the Graduate Students Professional Development Program. He was on the board of directors of the NTL Institute in Applied Behavioral Science, and chaired its Transformative Social Change Committee. He is the author of two books: The Infinite Organization and Power, The Infinite Game with Dr. Donald Klein.