Organisation development Theory and practice

Contemporary organisations increasingly find themselves grappling with rapidly evolving and dynamic global settings. The focused, systematic and pragmatic approach of Organisation Development (OD) is invaluable when it comes to navigating organisational and larger systems change.
Organisation development – theory and practice provides a thorough account of this discipline and practice field from both an international and a more localised perspective. It explains but also moves beyond the fundamentals, demonstrating and applying relevant theory in practical situations. It highlights contemporary and emerging challenges, as well as long-standing historical and/or classical debates.
Organisation development – theory and practice is structured around the key stages and considerations of the action research and intervention process. Examples and illustrative case studies are provided to further develop conceptual skills in the areas of analysis, interpretation and application.
Topics include the following:
Local and international history, and defining features, values and ethics
Intervention theory, action research and appreciative inquiry
Nature, structure and categories of interventions
Organisational diagnosis and feedback
Individual, group, comprehensive and sociotechnical interventions
OD in multicultural and multinational contexts
Role and competencies of the consultant and change agent
Challenges and requirements for effective OD
 
Organisation development – theory and practice will appeal to novice and seasoned practitioners, managers, and senior undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Prof. Chris van Tonder is a registered industrial psychologist with lecturing responsibilities in the areas of change management, organisation development and consulting psychology. He is also a registered consultant with the US-based Organization Development Institute (ODI), and a serving member of the International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP) and the Business Ethics Network of Africa. In addition to serving on the review board of the international journal Emergence: Complexity and Organization, he has authored multiple publications including the postgraduate text Organisational change: theory & practice.
Prof. Gert Roodt is a registered industrial psychologist and personnel practitioner. He heads the Centre for Work Performance, an applied research centre, at the University of Johannesburg’s Department of Human Resource Management. He also serves as managing editor of the SA Journal of Industrial Psychology and the SA Journal of Human Resource Management, and is on the editorial boards of several other local and international management journals.