Organization Development Techniques: Their Impact on Change

• Published in: Group & organization management 1977-12, Vol.2 (4), p.428-448
• Main Authors: Margulies, Newton, Wright, Penny L., Scholl, Richard W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bibliographic literature; Intervention; Laboratories; Organizational change
• ISSN: 1059-6011; 0364-1082; 1552-3993
• DOI: 10.1177/105960117700200405

Organization development (OD), as an applied arm of the field of organizational behavior, purports to facilitate organizational change through the use of a variety of change interventions. Its proponents feel that the tools and techniques of OD can improve an organization's problem-solving ability, increase its ability to adapt to rapid societal change, and provide managers an updated set of concepts and methods for managing their organizations. This article reviews and evaluates the research on the impact of organization development interventions. Although there is an abundance of literature on OD, there is very little research on its effects that can withstand the rigorous testing most social scientists would expect. Further more, there is research available on only six interventions of the wide variety re ported in the literature. Although there is a paucity of research information in this area, what is available does help to identify what is known and what is speculation about OD. More important, the review reported here indicates areas for improved research and directions for future research.