Organizational Development and Design Course

Lesson 1 • The OD Practitioner Role

Examines the competencies, ethics, and positioning of internal versus external OD practitioners. Students assess their own readiness and professional identity.

Lesson 2 • Theoretical Roots of OD

Foundational theories from behavioral science, systems thinking, and psychology underpin OD practice. Students connect theory to practical OD interventions.

Lesson 3 • OD in Organizational Context

Situates OD within broader organizational strategy and governance. Students recognize how context shapes OD scope and practitioner influence.

Lesson 1 • Environmental Forces and Adaptation

Analyzes how external forces—competitive, technological, and social—drive internal organizational adaptation. Students link environmental scanning to OD planning.

Lesson 2 • Power, Politics, and Informal Systems

Examines informal networks, political dynamics, and power distribution as system components. Students map informal influence to complement formal structural analysis.

Lesson 3 • Organizational Culture and Climate

Distinguishes culture from climate and explains how each influences behavior and performance. Students identify cultural levers relevant to OD interventions.

Lesson 4 • Organizational Models and Frameworks

Surveys major diagnostic models that map organizational components and their relationships. Students select appropriate models for different diagnostic contexts.

Lesson 1 • Diagnostic Process and Entry

Covers contracting, entry, and scoping as prerequisites to effective diagnosis. Students negotiate diagnostic agreements that protect data integrity and trust.

Lesson 2 • Data Analysis and Sense-Making

Applies thematic coding, gap analysis, and triangulation to synthesize mixed-method data. Students translate raw findings into coherent organizational narratives.

Lesson 3 • Feedback and Reporting Findings

Structures diagnostic feedback sessions that engage stakeholders and build commitment to action. Students craft reports that balance candor with constructive framing.

Lesson 4 • Quantitative Data Collection Methods

Introduces surveys, pulse checks, and existing metrics as quantitative diagnostic inputs. Students construct valid survey instruments aligned to diagnostic questions.

Lesson 1 • Sustaining and Embedding Change

Addresses reinforcement mechanisms, cultural anchoring, and relapse prevention to sustain change gains. Students design sustainability plans integrated into normal operations.

Lesson 2 • Classical Change Theories

Reviews Lewin's three-step model, Kotter's eight steps, and related frameworks as foundational change logic. Students compare models on applicability and limitations.

Lesson 3 • Organizational Readiness for Change

Assesses capacity, commitment, and capability as readiness dimensions before launching change. Students use readiness tools to calibrate intervention timing and scope.

Lesson 4 • Individual Responses to Change

Examines psychological and emotional responses to change, including resistance and grief cycles. Students design interventions that address individual transition needs.

Lesson 1 • Technostructural Interventions

Addresses job redesign, workflow restructuring, and structural realignment as technostructural tools. Students apply these to improve efficiency and role clarity.

Lesson 2 • Human Resource Management Interventions

Examines performance management, career development, and talent systems as HRM-level interventions. Students align HRM interventions with broader OD strategy.

Lesson 3 • Human Process Interventions

Covers team building, process consultation, and interpersonal conflict resolution as process-level tools. Students facilitate these interventions with structured agendas and clear outcomes.

Lesson 4 • Strategic and Whole-System Interventions

Introduces large-group methods, open space, and future search as whole-system change tools. Students design large-scale events that mobilize broad organizational participation.

Lesson 1 • Facilitation Skills for OD Practitioners

Builds core facilitation competencies including agenda design, group process management, and intervention timing. Students practice adaptive facilitation in simulated group scenarios.

Lesson 2 • Navigating Resistance and Conflict

Equips practitioners to recognize, name, and work productively with resistance and conflict in OD work. Students apply reframing and dialogue techniques to transform defensive dynamics.

Lesson 3 • Influencing Without Authority

Develops influence strategies for OD practitioners who lack formal positional power. Students build credibility, coalition, and persuasion skills relevant to OD contexts.

Lesson 4 • Evaluating and Closing Engagements

Covers evaluation design, disengagement planning, and knowledge transfer as engagement closure activities. Students create evaluation frameworks that demonstrate OD impact.

Lesson 1 • Roles, Accountability, and Governance

Defines role clarity, decision rights, and governance mechanisms as design components. Students use RACI and similar tools to eliminate accountability gaps.

Lesson 2 • Classic Structural Forms

Surveys functional, divisional, matrix, and flat structures with their respective strengths and weaknesses. Students match structural form to organizational size, strategy, and environment.

Lesson 3 • Fundamentals of Organizational Design

Introduces design as a deliberate choice linking strategy, structure, and work processes. Students distinguish design from reorganization and understand design's strategic intent.

Lesson 4 • Contemporary and Agile Design Models

Examines network, platform, and agile organizational models emerging in dynamic environments. Students assess when contemporary models outperform traditional hierarchies.

Lesson 1 • Building Internal OD Capability

Focuses on institutionalizing OD capacity through practitioner development, communities of practice, and OD infrastructure. Students design capability-building programs for internal OD teams.

Lesson 2 • OD as a Strategic Business Partner

Positions OD as a strategic function contributing to competitive advantage and long-term viability. Students articulate OD's value proposition to senior leadership in business terms.

Lesson 3 • Mergers, Acquisitions, and Integration

Applies OD principles to the human and cultural dimensions of mergers and acquisitions. Students design integration plans that preserve talent and accelerate cultural alignment.

Lesson 4 • Culture Transformation at Scale

Addresses the unique challenges of shifting culture across large, diverse, or geographically dispersed organizations. Students design culture change architectures with reinforcing mechanisms.