1. OUR FIELD ∙ OUR WORLD ∙ OUR IMPACT
Enhancing OD Capability
Across Canada – the
Canadian OD Institute
Experience
Michelle Chambers
Board President
CODI
Canada

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Agenda
• The Current State of OD in Canada
• Evolution of CODI
• CODI’s Current Mission
• Overview of the CSODP and the CODP
• Small Group Discussion
• NEXUS
• Our Journey – Key highlights
• Tensions that Emerged
• Small Group Discussion
• Key Challenges and Learnings

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The Current State of OD in Canada
• OD not easily recognized as a profession
• Limited access to OD educational opportunities in
Canada
• Only 2 OD associations left in Canada
• Complementary professional associations often promote
OD events and communities
• Need to create a standard for assessing educational
programs and experience in OD
• Limited research on OD in Canada
• Fragmented connection between scholars and
practitioners

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33.1 Million Canadians Highly Distributed

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Challenges and Opportunities for a
Multicultural Country
• Canada is a diverse melting pot (vertical mosaic) of ethnic
cultures
• 2 official languages (English and French)
• Do you know what the 3rd most spoken language is?
• Highly distributed population outside of Toronto, Ottawa,
Vancouver, Montreal
• With higher number of immigrants coming, how do we
assess their educational and experience requirements?
• How do we support OD professionals to work with
multicultural and global opportunities?

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Evolution of CODI
• Started as a business offering Masters Certificate in
Organization Development & specialized OD workshops
• Partnered with Canadian University/SEEC to increase
market penetration
• Started to develop and offer professional designation
within OD Community 5 years ago
• CODI now a non-profit with focus on professional
designations, research and partnering model to leverage
OD networks across Canada
• SEEC now offers MCOD program

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CODI’s Current Mission
We provide pathways to professional
credibility for Canadian OD professionals,
connections to other like minded
professionals and access to fresh thinking
about the field of OD and Change.

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CODI’s Mission
National
Presence &
Coherence in
the Field
Practitioner
Certification
Research on
OD Theory &
Practice
Furthering
Rigorous
Thinking
Amongst
Practitioners
Fostering
Connections to
Existing OD
Networks
Linking
Organizations
& Practitioners
Creating Spaces
for Innovation
in the Field

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What are the CODI Professional
Designations?
Certified Organization Development Professional
• Knowledge and skill path
• The right to use “CODP ” after your name
Certified Senior Organization Development
Professional
• Portfolio path for senior OD professionals
• The right to use the initials “CSODP” after your name

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What do the CODI Designations
Demonstrate?
• Met educational and training requirements
• Has relevant field experience
• Passed a knowledge and skill examination (CODP)
• Demonstrated competence through a portfolio of
documented and validated experience (CSODP)
• Obtained 3 professional references
• Agreed to uphold the CODI Ethical Guidelines
• Committed to continuing professional learning and
development

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Benefits of Designation
To the Individual
• Credibility, Career, Client Confidence, Trust
To the Client/Employer
• Confidence, Standards, Professional Development, code of Ethics
To the Profession
• Aligned expectations and awareness of the profession
• Recognized standards, code of Ethics, professional development,
networking & dialogue

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4 Key Components for Designation
1. Education component including degree
2. Experience component
3. Knowledge and skill component
4. Ethics component

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Requirements Portfolio Path (CSODP) Knowledge Path (CODP)
Experience 10 years + full time 4 years full time
Education
Knowledge
Degree in related field plus
Portfolio documentation to
provide validation of work
experience, competence and
achievements in the field
plus
Degree in related field plus
CODP Knowledge Exam
• based on knowledge and
practice dimensions
• 3 hour exam
• 150 multiple-choice questions
• 70% to pass
plus
References Provide 3 references with
validation letter from each
Provide 3
Knowledge Path and Portfolio Path
Summary

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Knowledge & Practice Dimension Categories
(CSODP)
1. Foundations of OD & Systems Change
2. Initial Stages of OD & Systems Change
3. Organization and Systems Change
Interventions

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Knowledge & Practice Dimension
Categories (CSODP)
4. Emerging & Specialized Applications of OD
5. Use of Self
6. Evaluating and Marketing OD and Systems Change

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Small Group Discussion 1 (Choose 1)
• How do we as a profession identify the challenges
leaders face and how we as OD professionals can
support them ?
• How can we support OD professionals to develop their
Business Acumen and get a seat at the strategy table?
• How can we enable more critical research to be done in
the field of OD to support the profession?

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CSODP Portfolio Assessment
CRITERIA POINTS
AVAILABLE
POINTS
CLAIMED
EVIDENCE
Knowledge Category (20 points)
Degree in Organization Development (Masters, Doctorate)
Degree in a related field e.g.:
 Social Sciences
 Adult Education
 Human Resource Management
 Organizational Psychology
 Community Development
 Social Work
 Business or Management
Points will be awarded once for the highest point earning
degree completed.
Org Dev.
Doctorate 15
Masters 10
Related Field
Doctorate 10
Masters 5
BA/BEd 3
MAX 15
Please list all pertinent earned degrees and attach copies. If you feel
that your degree deserves recognition as an OD degree, please provide
supporting evidence.
20 points (Knowledge Category)
50 points (Experience/Competence Category)
5 points (Thought Leadership Category)
75 points

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CSODP Experience Matrix
CSODP Senior Practitioner – Sample Experience Matrix (06/13)
Candidate Name: ______________________________ Email: ________________________ Primary Phone ______________
1 2 3 4 5
Calendar
year
(beginning
with current)
Position/role title
(as on resume)
Please attach a detailed,
chronological resume.
Please list the knowledge and practice
dimensions that your experience
supports. (Refer to Knowledge and
Practice Dimension document – core
areas)
% of time devoted
to OD work in
position/role as
referenced in
column 3
Full-time
equivalency
(in years)
SAMPLE
2012 OD Consultant (semi-retired) Organization/system assessment and
feedback; team effectiveness
interventions
25% .25
2011 OD Consultant (semi-retired) Organization/system assessment and
feedback; team effectiveness
interventions
50% .50
2010 OD Consultant, Private Practice Organization/system assessment and
feedback; team effectiveness
interventions
100% 1.0
2007 - 2009 Vice President, Leadership,
Learning and Organizational
Effectiveness
Business of OD & Systems Change;
Evaluating and Marketing OD &
Systems Change; Change & Leadership
100% 3.0
2003-2006 Director, Leadership Development Business of OD & Systems Change;
Evaluating and Marketing OD &
Systems Change; Change & Leadership;
Organization/System Assessment and
feedback
100% 3.0
2002 Full-Time Student (MSOD) 0 0
1997-2001 Manager, Training & Development Team Effectiveness Interventions,
Interpersonal and Group Dynamics
50% 2.5
1996 Course Trainer N/A 0 0
TOTAL OD FULL-TIME EQUIVALENCY (YEARS) 10 Years

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CODP - Exam Preparation Kit
• Brief overview of each knowledge domain
• The specific dimensions candidates need to review in order to
prepare for the exam
• Focus questions for each dimension designed to help the
candidate reflect on their knowledge and practice
• Recommended readings
• Sample exam questions to test their knowledge
• Personal reflection questions

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Ethics Component
The CODI Ethical Guidelines focus on practicing and
promoting ethical standards in 4 key areas:
1. Responsibility to the client and client system
2. Responsibility for professional development and
competence
3. Responsibility to the profession
4. Social responsibility

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NEXUS
• Gathering of OD educational professionals across
Canada to share ideas on how to develop OD in
Canada and share professional designation process.
• Initial conversation held in late 2013
• Outcomes have helped to shape CODI’s current
mission

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Our Journey – Key Highlights
• Research on other professional designation processes
• Focus on Senior Practitioners first (CSODP)
• Development & validation of knowledge and practice dimensions
(competencies)
• Code of ethics developed
• Evidence based framework assessment developed for CSODP
• Steering committee with diverse experience identified &
operationalized

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Our Journey – Key Highlights cont….
• Initial pilot to test CSODP process
• NEXUS – identification of outcomes and incorporation into CODI’s
mission
• Development of partnerships with OD associations to sponsor and
promote OD designation
• 2 subsequent application periods for CSODP
• Presentations at ODN/IODA and ISODC conferences
• Development of knowledge sharing repository

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Our Journey – Key Highlights cont…
• Sharing of learnings with ODN (US) regarding the development of
their professional designation process
• CODP – development of exam questions, study materials,
supporting processes – ready to launch late 2015
• Registration of CODI as not for profit
• Transition to not for profit model – board governance; strategic
planning process; board recruitment; administration support
• Launch of new website for CODI

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Tensions That Emerged…..
• Different approaches and philosophies about Organization Development
• Selection of the OD competencies/knowledge areas to use
• Degree requirement vs non-degree requirement
• Language and approaches used in different countries reflected in
potential learning materials
• Identification of appropriate study materials for different approaches and
philosophies

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Tensions That Emerged…..
• How to provide learning, development opportunities, exams across
the country? In French?
• How do we maintain organizational and financial sustainability
while respecting OD networks and their purpose?
• How gain alignment with education institutions and other service
providers on competencies?
• How do we gain support from the field?
• Educational organizations want to partner with us and be sole
provider or promote completion of their program leads to CODP

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Small Group Discussion 2 (Choose 1)
• What are the top 2 or 3 tensions that did/could emerge in
leadership, culture and change while developing and
implementing a OD Designation in Canada? What do
you recommend we do to work with these tensions in the
context of a designation?
• What are the perspectives from around the world in the
context of Canada’s regional differences and cultural
diversity that we should consider?

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Other Key Challenges
• Volunteer burnout
• Funding strategies – cost recovery model
• Capturing knowledge on process development as we go
along
• Technology – virtual meetings
• CODI not-for-profit board recruitment
• Engaging OD professionals that represent the diversity
of Canada
• Integrating with the global OD community

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What Have We Learned?
• People are passionate about supporting OD and increasing the
awareness of OD and the benefits that OD professionals can provide
• Need for a lot of volunteers with various degrees of expertise, both
OD and non OD
• Need for partnerships and alliances through education and OD
associations across Canada and globally
• The value of capturing learnings and developing a knowledge
repository
• The importance of working across boundaries of time, distance,
language, culture and building a “virtual support community”
• It is and will be an evolving process – good enough is great!

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• How will this session make a difference for me, my
practice and our world?
• Bring your ideas to the final plenary session!

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