In this course, we develop a solid overview of the theories and history that support Organization Development (OD) and Change. 

We start with a brief overview of what OD is and a review of the historical evolution of the field of OD and its connection to changes in the external environment. This leads to a conversation about the theory and practice of Organization Development and its relation to attitudinal, behavioral, and skill requirements of an organization’s human resources (HR).  Then, we explore how to use this information and knowledge effectively by challenging, authenticating and applying models to specific personal, team, function, and corporate scenarios. 

This course serves to enable the OD practitioner to identify assumptions, evaluate statements, review evidence and identify values within the organizational system.

Course Series

This course is included in the following series:

5 CoursesOrganizational Development

  1. History and Evolution of Organization Development (OD) and Change
  2. Organization Development (OD): The Evaluation Phase
  3. Organization Development (OD): The Diagnostic Phase
  4. Designing Organization Development (OD) Interventions
  5. Organization Development (OD) in Practice
Learning Objectives
  • Explore the historical evolution of the field of Organization Development (OD) and its connection to changes in the external environment.
  • Identify the theory and practice of Organization Development (OD) and its relation to attitudinal, behavioral, and skill requirements of an organization’s human resources (HR)
  • Discover how to use information regarding the theory and practice of Organization Development (OD) in different scenarios.

 

Last updated/reviewed: March 24, 2024

Included In Certifications

This course is included in the following Certification Programs:

11 CoursesOrganization Development Certification

  1. History and Evolution of Organization Development (OD) and Change
  2. Organization Development (OD) in Practice
  3. Organization Development (OD): The Diagnostic Phase
  4. Designing Organization Development (OD) Interventions
  5. Appreciative Inquiry in Practice
  6. Organization Development (OD): The Evaluation Phase
  7. Organizational Frameworks
  8. Organization Design Theory and Practice
  9. Leading Change and the Use of Self
  10. Ethical and Professional Practice
  11. Organizational Development: A Tool Kit for People-Led Change (Article)
23 Reviews (44 ratings)

Reviews

4
Member's Profile
So far so good. This is the first course for the OD Certificate. I found the instructor easy to listen to. I figured out quickly that she was adding much more information that what was listed on the slides. Many times, it worked best for me to pause the lecture and take slide notes, then unpause and take additional notes.

3
Member's Profile
This course was extremely dense. It took me about 6 hours total to get through and take notes. I wish the PowerPoint was a better guide to what the presenter is actually teaching rather than not very helpful phrases and words.

4
Anonymous Author
one of the answers in the final exam doesn't match up to the content. when asked when what era was the general systems theory introduced, correct answer is marked as 1960's but slides content present it in the 1980s

4
Anonymous Author
Good overview of the OD history. One potential area of improvement would be the highlight which theories / historical concepts are still often used by contemporary OD practitioners

5
Anonymous Author
This was an interesting course with a lot of facts and details. The instructor did a great job in presenting the massive amount of information and kept the audience engaged.

4
Member's Profile
An excellent introduction into OD. Well structured, good content providing an excellent summary of origins of OD and explanation of the work of the founding fathers of OD.

4
Anonymous Author
The course gave a good first overview of the field and its historical developments. Good start to gain a first understanding of organizational development!

5
Anonymous Author
I found this to be a good introduction for people unfamiliar with OD. Those who are practitioners can use it as a refresher of the history of OD.

5
Anonymous Author
This was a lot of new and helpful information for me in the course. I enjoyed learning about the models of planned organizational change.

4
Member's Profile
There was a lot of content for the duration of the webinar. Although it was good for a high level overview to get into what OD is.

3
Member's Profile
Content was good, but could have gone in a little more depth. Instructor was not engaging and sounds like she read a script.

5
Anonymous Author
It would be nice to know what the correct answer is of questions that we got wrong on the exam (after passing it of course).

3
Anonymous Author
Too theoretical, a short background information is sufficient. As a learner, i prefer knowing tools that i can apply.

5
Anonymous Author
Fascinating to understand the history of OD and thus, its place in time now and how it is implemented as a framework.

5
Member's Profile
Very good content here. I can see how it is progressively building foundations to our understanding of OD.

2
Anonymous Author
Very monotone and boring presentation. Topics and content were fine, but delivery was poor in my opinion.

4
Member's Profile
I like that the course gave an intense overview of what OD is about. Gave me alot to go read about.

4
Anonymous Author
Good breakdown on the history of OD. Learned a lot to see how OD evolved over the years.

5
Anonymous Author
This is a thorough course on organizational development theory and causes of change.

3
Anonymous Author
It was good. The models were good to go through. Will have to see how useful it is

3
Anonymous Author
good work liked the instructors who provided the course content.

4
Member's Profile
Comprehensive, provided information, stress key principles.

5
Anonymous Author
I appreciate that part of the organizational iceberg.

Prerequisites
Course Complexity: Intermediate

No advanced preparation or prerequisites are required for this course.

Education Provider Information
Company: Illumeo, Inc., 75 East Santa Clara St., Suite 1215, San Jose, CA 95113
Contact: For more information regarding this course, including complaint and cancellation policies, please contact our offices at (408) 400- 3993 or send an e-mail to .
Instructor for this course
Course Syllabus
INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
  Introduction to History and Evolution of Organization Development and Change13:02
History
  History of OD Part 19:27
  History of OD Part 1 (Continued)11:30
  History of OD Part 214:18
Theory and Practice
  Overview of Theory and Practice of OD9:07
  Causes of Organizational Change7:14
CONCLUSION
  Conclusion3:22
CONTINUOUS PLAY
  History and Evolution of Organization Development and Change 1:08:01
SUPPORTING MATERIALS
  Slides: History and Evolution of Organization Development and ChangePDF
  History and Evolution of Organization Development and Change Glossary/IndexPDF
REVIEW AND TEST
  REVIEW QUESTIONSquiz
 FINAL EXAMexam