This document discusses the history and evolution of organizational development (OD). It describes how OD emerged from laboratory training in the 1940s, survey research and feedback in the 1950s, and action research. Major contributors to early OD approaches included Kurt Lewin, Douglas McGregor, Rensis Likert, and John Collier. Over time, OD expanded to incorporate additional influences like quality of work life programs and approaches for managing strategic change. The document outlines the key stems and phases in the development of OD and profiles many important thinkers who advanced the field.

1. OD
• . Organisational Development : Definition of
Organisational Development, Evolution:
Robert Tannenbaum, Kurt Lewin, McGregor,
Herbert Shepard, Robert Blake, Foundation of
OD- T-Group, System’s theory, Parallel learning
structure, double loop learning, Action
Research. (5+2)

2. OD DEFINITION
• Organization Development (OD)is a process by which
behavioral science knowledge and practices are used
to help organizations achieve greater effectiveness,
including improved quality of work life and increased
productivity (Cummings, & Huse, 1989).
• In the 1950s and 1960s a new, integrated approach
originated known as Organization Development (OD):
the systematic application of behavioral science
knowledge at various levels (group, intergroup, and
total organization) to bring about planned change
(Newstrom & Davis, 1993)

3. • Emerges From Four Backgrounds
• According to one theory, OD emerged from four major backgrounds (Cummings, & Huse, 1989):
• Laboratory Training: The National Training laboratories (NTL) development of training groups
known as sensitivity training or T-groups. Laboratory Training began in 1946 when Kurt Lewin and
his staff at the Research Center for Group Dynamics at MIT were asked by the Connect Interracial
Commission and the Committee on Community Interrelations of the American Jewish Congress for
help on training community leaders. A workshop was developed for the leaders to learn about
leadership and to discuss problems. At the end of each day, the researchers discussed privately
what behaviors and group dynamics they had observed. The leaders asked permission to sit in on
these feedback sessions. Reluctant at first, the researchers finally agreed. Thus the first T-group was
formed in which people reacted to information about their own behavior.
• Survey Research Feedback: Kurt Lewin formed the Research Center for Group Dynamics at MIT in
1945. After he died in 1947, his staff moved to the University of Michigan to join the Survey
Research Center as part of the Institute for Social Research. It was headed by Rensis Likert, a
pioneer in developing scientific approaches to attitude surveys (five-point Likert scale).
• Action Research: In the 1940s John Collier, Kurt Lewin, and William Whyte discovered that research
needed to be closely linked to action if organizational members were to use it to manage change.
Action research has two results: 1) organizational members use research on themselves to guide
action and change, while 2) researchers were able to study the process to gain new information.
Two noted action research studies was the work of Lewin and his students at the Hardwood
Manufacturing Company (Marrow, Bowers & Seashore, 1967) and Lester Coch and John French's
classic research on overcoming resistance to change (Coch & French, 1948).
• Productivity and Quality-of-Work-Life (QWL): This was originally developed in Europe during the
1950s and is based on the work of Eric Trist and his colleagues at the Tavistock Institute of Human
Relations in London. This approach examined both the technical and the human sides of
organizations and how they are interrelated.

4. • Emerges From Three Backgrounds
• French (Varney, 1967) describes the history of OD as
emerging about 1957 and having at least three origins:
• Douglas McGregor's work with Union Carbide in an effort
to apply some of the concepts from laboratory training (see
above) to a large system.
• A human relations group at the Esso Company that began
to view itself as an internal consulting group offering
services to field managers, rather than as a research group
writing reports for top managers. With help from Robert
Blake and Herb Shepard, the group began to offer
laboratory training in the refineries of Esso.
• The Survey Research Center (see above) started using
attitude surveys.

5. • merged in the Space Age
• The years 1960-1970 was a period of rapid movement
in high technology (space race due to Soviet Sputnik
challenge). Human Resource Development (HRD)
efforts increased as we moved into project groups and
task forces to cope with the challenge of new
technologies. Behavioral science was brought into the
work place, and a new term appeared — Applied
behavioral science. This provoked a term that became
known as OD, due in part to the reaction HRD
programs appeared to be effective, but had little or no
impact on the work place. That is, HRD programs were
based upon sound learning principles, and people
learned, but the learning often failed to be applied to
the work place (Nadler, 1984).

6. • Growth of Organization Development
• OD continues to grow. Some of the first generation contributors
include Chris Argyris (learning and action science), Warren Bennis
(tied executive leadership to strategic change), Edger Schein
(process approach), and Robert Tannenbaum (sensitize OD to the
personal dimension of participant's lives).
• Second Generation contributors include Warner Burke (makes OD a
professional field), Larry Greiner (power and evolution), Edward
Lawler III, (extended OD to reward systems and employee
involvement), Newton Margulies and Anthony Raia (values
underlying OD), and Peter Vaill and Craig Lundberg (developing OD
as a practical science).
• Newer generation contributors include Dave Brown (action research
and developmental organizations), Thomas Cummings
(sociotechnical systems) self-designing organizations, and
transorganizational development), Max Elden (political aspects of
OD), and Jerry Porras (puts OD on a sound research and a
conceptual base).

7. • Definitions OD is an effort 1) planned, 2) organization wide & 3)
managed from the top to, 4) increase organization effectiveness
and health through 5) planned interventions in the organization‟s
“processes”, using behavioral–science knowledge (Beckhard, 1969)
• O.D may be defined as a systematic, integrated and planned
approach to improve the effectiveness of an enterprise. It is
designed to solve problems that adversely affect the operational
efficiency at all levels (Koontz,1980) OD is a planned process of
change in an organization‟s culture through the utilization of
behavioral science technologies, research and theory (Burke, 1994)
• Definition – French & Bell (Pg 26-29) OD is a long-term effort, led
& supported by top management, to improve the organization‟s
visioning, empowerment, learning and problemsolving process,
through an on-going, collaborative management of organization
culture – with special emphasis on the culture of intact work teams
& other team configurations – using the consultant-facilitator role &
the theory and technology of applied behavioral science, including
action research.

8. Characteristics of OD
• Focuses on culture & processes
• Encourages collaboration between leaders & other
employees in managing culture & processes
• Teams are the target of most OD activities
• Focuses on the Human & Social side of orgn
• Participation in problem solving & decision making by
all levels
• Views organizations as complex social systems
• Its goals is to make the orgn solve its own problems
through self-analysis
• Developmental view for betterment of both individuals
& the orgn

9. The 5 Stems of OD (New)
The 5 Stems of OD (New
Laboratory training
Action Research/ Survey Feedback
Normative Approaches
Quality of Work Life
Strategic Change
1950 1960 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 TODAY
CURRENT
PRACTICES

10. 1.Contributions in Laboratory training system
ROBERT TANNENBAUM
• Took sessions on team building
• Used vertically structured groups i.e. with all
managers of a given work unit present for
personal and organisational topics CHRIS ARGYRIS
• First to conduct team building sessions for CEO
and Top executive teams.
• Worked with renowned members of National
Training Laboratory (NTL) and himself contributed
to laboratory training

11. DOUGLAS MCGREGOR
• Helped in application of T-Group skills to complex
organisations.
• Used behavioural science knowledge to help line
managers be more effective in groups..
HERBERT SHEPARD & ROBERT BLAKE
• Used a combination of the case method, exrecises &
lectures with the lab method
• Focused on inter-group as well as interpersonal
relations e.g. inter-functional problem solving
• Rejected the stranger-type labs to inter-group projects

12. Contributions in Laboratory training system
• ROBERT BLAKE & JANE MOUTON
• Developed the Managerial Grid
• Focused on system rather than individuals
within tehsystem

13. 2. Survey Research & Feedback Stem
• Techniques and approach developed by staff members
at the Survey Research Center of the University of
Michigan over a period of years.
• They discovered that research needed to be closely
linked to action if the organization members were to
use it to manage change
• A key component of most action research was studies
was the systematic collection of survey data that was
fed back to the client organization
• The findings are first reported to top management &
then communicated through the organization
• The feedback sessions were conducted in task groups
with bosses & subordinates discussing the data
together

14. Contributors
RENSIS LIKERT
• Techniques for the measurement of attitudes.
• Used five – point Likert scale
Dimensions Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly
Agree
1 2 3 4 5
I am Satisfied with
the workplace
facilities
My boss
supporting me for
completing the
task

15. FLOYD MANN, RENSIS LIKERT
• Evolution of the survey-feedback
methodology
• Change occurred when managers shared
survey results with subordinates and planned
improvement actions with them

16. 3. Action Research Stem
• process
Preliminary Diagnosis
Data Gathering from client
Data feedback to the client
Data Exploration
Action Planning by client
group
Data Exploration

17. 4. Sociotechnical & Socioclinical stem
• Provided psychotherapy based on psychoanalytic theory
• Integrates social requirements of employees with technical
requirements needed to do work in provided environment
Contributors
• W R Bion, John Rickman o Group therapy o Experiment on
soldiers
• Eric Trist o Coal mine – where he applied the concept of
leaderless groups & encouraged miners to form teams and
run all processes rather than the traditional assembly–line
structure o Work redesign & semi autonomous work teams
• Tavistock o Included the non executive ranks of orgn, with
greater focus on teams o Use of action research & greater
participation