Organization development can be distinguished from change management and organizational change.
- OD and change management both address the effective implementation of planned change
- They are both concerned with the sequence of activities, processes, and leadership issues that produce organization improvements.
- OD’s behavioral science foundation supports values of human potential, participation, and development in addition to performance and competitive advantage. Change management focuses more narrowly on values of cost, quality, and schedule
- OD’s distinguishing feature is its concern with the transfer of knowledge and skill so that the system is more able to manage change in the future. Change management does not necessarily require the transfer of these skills
- All OD involves change management, but change management may not involve OD
- Organizational change is a broader concept than OD
- Organization Development is intended to change the organization in a particular direction, toward improved problem solving, responsiveness, quality of work life, and effectiveness. Organizational change, in contrast, is more broadly focused and can apply to any kind of change, including technical and managerial innovations, organization decline, or the evolution of a system over time
OD Series | Part 3 | The Growth and Relevance of Organization Development