Organization Development (OD) Definitions and Standards

The accepted standard:

"Organization Development is an effort planned, organization-wide, and managed from the top, to increase organization effectiveness and health through planned interventions in the organization's 'processes,' using behavioral-science knowledge."

-- Beckhard, "Organization development: Strategies and Models", Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1969, p. 9.

The new standard:

"Organization Development is a body of knowledge and practice that enhances organizational performance and individual development, viewing the organization as a complex system of systems that exist within a larger system, each of which has its own attributes and degrees of alignment. OD interventions in these systems are inclusive methodologies and approaches to strategic planning, organization design, leadership development, change management, performance management, coaching, diversity, and work/life balance."

-- Matt Minahan, MM & Associates, Silver Spring, Maryland

We in the Office of Professional Development want to be true to these accepted standards of OD: supporting organizational leaders and their groups to create systemic change in the course of improving the human processes through which they get their work done. We do this by acknowledging that the systemic approach to professional development can be implemented using the principles of Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs and Behaviors and Herzberg's Motivators and Hygiene Factors.

The seven levels of needs based on adaptations of Maslow's Hierarchy:

1. Biological and Physiological needs - basic life needs
2. Safety needs - protection, security, order, law, limits, stability, etc.
3. Belongingness and love needs - family, affection, relationships, work group, etc.
4. Esteem needs - achievement, status, responsibility, reputation
5. Cognitive needs - knowledge, meaning, self-awareness
6. Aesthetic needs - beauty, balance, form, etc.
7. Self-actualization - personal growth and fulfillment

Herzberg's Motivators are:

1. Personal growth
2. Advancement
3. Responsibility
4. Work itself
5. Recognition
6. Achievement

All industry indicators during this downturn in the economy are stressing, for business and industry, that this is the time to invest in the people in the organization. This is also an important time to invest in the employees of OCCC by growing the learning opportunities available to them through a variety of methods.

We in the OPD strive to be full partners with the CLT and with our internal clients, the employees of OCCC, when developing and supporting learning opportunities for faculty and staff.

We do this by accessing feedback from

• the employees through individual session evaluations,
• recommendations from Human Resources,
• formal and informal surveys,
• recruiting formal OPD advisory boards,
• researching the latest trends in organization development,
• benchmarking workforce training at other institutions of higher education,
• determination of the technology training needs of the college workforce.