Organizational

Development
Practitioner
• Who is the OD practitioner
• Competencies of an effective OD
practitioner
• The professional OD practioner
 1. Professional Organization Development
Practitioner

The people specializing in OD as a

WHO IS THE profession. They may be internal or external

consultants who offer professional services to

ORGANIZATION organizations. OD professionals share a common

set of humanistic values promoting open

DEVELOPMENT communications, employee involvement, and

personal growth and development.

PRACTITIONER?
 2. Specialized fields in OD

People who are specializing in the fields related to OD, such

as reward systems, organization design, total quality,
information technology, and business strategy. The
organization development is being integrated with business
WHO IS THE strategy.

ORGANIZATION For example, most of the large accounting firms diversified

into management consulting. In most cases, professionals in
these related fields do not subscribe fully to traditional OD
DEVELOPMENT values, nor do they have extensive OD training and
experience. Rather, they have formal training and experience

PRACTITIONER?
in their respective specialties. They are OD practitioners in the
sense that they apply their special competence within an OD-
like process, typically by engaging OD professionals and
managers to design and implement change programs.
WHO IS THE ORGANIZATION
DEVELOPMENT PRACTITIONER?

3. Managers and administrators

Managers and administrators who have gained

competence in OD and who apply it to their own work
areas. managers and employees have become “change
masters.” They have gained the expertise to introduce
change and innovation into the organization.
COMPETENCIES OF AN EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT
PRACTITIONER

INTRAPERSONAL SKILLS OR INTERPERSONAL SKILLS GENERAL CONSULTATION ORGANIZATION

“SELF-MANAGEMENT” SKILLS DEVELOPMENT THEORY
COMPETENCE
THE PROFESSIONAL OD PRACTITIONER
Role of Organization Development Professionals:
• Position - Organization development professionals have positions that are either internal or external to
the organization.
• Marginality - The marginal person is one who successfully straddles the boundary between two or
more groups with differing goals, value systems, and behavior patterns.
• Emotional Demands - Research and practice support the importance of understanding emotions and
their impact on the practitioner’s effectiveness.
• Use of Knowledge and Experience - The professional OD role has been described in terms of a
continuum ranging from client centered (using the client’s knowledge and experience) to consultant
centered (using the consultant’s knowledge and experience).