The nature of contemporary Organisation Development (OD) is often written about by both scholars and practitioners, yet there is little evidence of these descriptions (or debates on key issues) having been based on reliably collected data. This book compares academic and practitioner perspectives on the profession of OD in the UK and how it has evolved over four decades. The research which informs this book was designed to investigate similarities and differences in the perspectives between these two communities. Where practitioners and academics views varied in the data, reasons for this are explored in this book, through the theory lens of Institutionalism, Fashions, Fads and the Dissemination of Management Ideas. The empirical data in how OD has evolved in the UK in the underpinning research to this text was gathered through content analysis of job advertisements from over a four-decade period. This provided information on changes in the magnitude in the take up of the profession in the UK as well as significant developments in the content of the job roles over the period. It will not come as a surprise to find that American thinking dominates in OD as it does in many other domains of management. What is a surprise is the extent to which OD practice in the UK is so very different from what the academics tell us it is. This book also identifies the extent to which institutional theory is at play in the development of professions; with agency is a driver in shaping professions. This manifests itself in terms of the perceived interests of what will give leverage for success in practitioner and academic careers. The Nature of Contemporary Organization Development is key reading for researchers, scholars an practitioners alike of Organizational change and development, organizational studies, management philosophy and related disciplines

The contributors reflect the field of organizational development's rapid growth and success since its inception 50 years ago into a far more complex study than it was just a few decades ago. They show how organizational development has expanded from dealing with internal problems to the need to address more strategic issues.

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Journal of African Business, this book delves into contemporary issues in business and business knowledge development in Africa. This collection of eight chapters—by fourteen distinguished scholars based in Africa, Europe, and North America—covers anticorruption strategies; domestic credit and export diversification; the challenges of doing business in African countries; the emergence of African endogenous businesses; board gender diversity; governance and performance of strategic alliances; customer-centric marketing in Africa; and the intellectual development of the Journal of African Business as the premier research outlet for African business since its inception in 2000. Each chapter offers a cogently differentiated perspective about business growth or business knowledge development in Africa. Made up of contributions which are vividly and ingeniously written to be accessible to decision-makers and other non-experts, this book will be of interest to all those researching the development of business in Africa. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of African Business.

Organization Development: The Process of Leading Organizational Change, Fourth Edition offers a comprehensive look at individual, team, and organizational change, covering classic and contemporary organization development techniques. Today's practitioners seek a solid foundation that is academically rigorous, but also relevant, timely, practical, and grounded in OD values and ethics. In this bestselling text, author Donald L. Anderson provides students with the organization development tools they need to succeed in today’s challenging environment of increased globalization, rapidly changing technologies, economic pressures, and evolving workforce expectations.

This is the third book in the Jossey-Bass Reader series, Organization Development: A Jossey-Bass Reader. This collection will introduce the key thinkers and contributors in organization development including Ed Lawler, Peter Senge, Chris Argyris, Richard Hackman, Jay Galbraith, Cooperrider, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Bolman & Deal, Kouzes & Posner, and Ed Schein, among others. "Without reservations I recommend this volume to those students of organizational behavior who want an encyclopedia of OD to gain a perspective on the past, present, and future...." Jonathan D. Springer of the American Psychological Association.

The purpose of this book is to address one of the most rapidly growing and important areas in the field of organization development. Despite its importance, relatively little is known about international and global organization development. This book is designed to summarize and apply the existing knowledge in international and global organization development in such a fashion as to provide insight, knowledge, and application in a way that is most helpful to the organization development professional who is interested in, or working in, the field. The book incorporates models of cultural differences, which are identified and expanded in terms of the implications for the practice of organization development. (1) It explores cultural values in terms of differences in resistance to change, the nature of leadership roles, organizational structure and the application of such organization development techniques as team building, survey feedback, job redesign, and large group methods. (2) It explore successes in both developed and developing countries. (3) It provides a list of competencies both for basic knowledge and skills and their extension to international work. It explores the match between organization development interventions and national cultural values. (4) It explores the role of economic development and legal and political structures for global organization development practitioners. It deals with the issue of culture specific versus universal organization development techniques. (5) It incorporates stories from pioneers in the field as well as more recent members of the organization development community. (6) It uses illustrations from award-winning international projects. (7) It draws on a substantial amount of work undertaken by the authors including over one hundred interviews with leading organization development professionals, surveys of organization development professionals, articles and books on international/global organization development and the authors’ own international research including an award winning international case.

THIS BOOK IS A PRIMER AND GUIDE FOR THOSE WHO ARE BEGINNING THEIR PRACTICE IN THE FIELD OF ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT. IT IS ALSO INTENDED TO BE USEFUL FOR THOSE WHO ARE EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS IN OD AND THOSE WHO MANAGE ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE.

"This book offers readers a one-stop resource for contemporary issues, developments, and influences in e-commerce"--Provided by publisher.

This engaging and accessible textbook shows the importance and role of organizational development around the world, within the context of organizational change. Fostering an analytic approach to organizational issues, it charts the evolution of the field and shows how today OD fosters organizational effectiveness and individual wellbeing. Firmly grounded in a global perspective, it provides a contemporary analysis of OD and highlights the key diagnostic and intervention techniques that can be used to build organizational effectiveness. With a range of critical perspectives, skills development exercises, and practitioner insight, this book blends theory and practice to show OD's conceptualization and its application to contemporary issues faced by organizations. Suitable for upper undergraduate, postgraduate and MBA level, this is the ideal textbook for anyone studying organizational development.