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00:00:00 – 00:13:12
Bob Marshack explores the historical development of Organizational Development (OD), underscoring the importance of understanding its roots to appreciate its current applications. Drawing on ancient Confucian and Taoist wisdom, Marshack traces OD’s evolution from the 1940s, heavily influenced by German social psychologist Kurt Lewin. Lewin introduced core principles like the field theory of behavior, the significance of small groups, and the practices of action research and the unfreezing-change-refreezing model, which became foundational in the following decades.
Through the 1960s and 70s, OD was characterized by a focus on small group dynamics, human potential, and open systems theory, influenced by humanistic psychology thinkers like Maslow. The 1980s saw innovations towards viewing organizations as meaning-making systems, emphasizing socially constructed realities and the emergence of appreciative inquiry and action inquiry, which transformed how change strategies were conceptualized.
In the following years, OD practices shifted from planned to adaptive and fluid approaches, reflecting the linguistic turn that highlighted the role of language in shaping reality. This period introduced concepts of continuous and self-organizing change, with a stronger emphasis on democracy, humanism, environmental and social impacts, and diversity. Practitioners began blending traditional and modern methodologies, leading to diverse global practices and dynamic large-group interventions like appreciative inquiry summits.
Throughout these changes, the speaker stresses the importance of understanding OD’s historical context and foundational principles. They express concern over the modern focus on contemporary methods without recognizing their roots, advocating for a deeper appreciation of the development and interconnectedness of OD practices over the past 70 years to fully leverage current innovations.
00:00:00
In this part of the video, Bob Marshack discusses the importance of understanding the historical context of organizational development (OD) to grasp its current practices. He uses ancient wisdom from Confucian and Taoist traditions to illustrate how today’s practices are rooted in the past. Marshack traces the roots of OD back to the 1940s and 50s, with its foundations in the 1960s and 70s, significant developments in the 1980s and 90s, leading to its diverse manifestations today. He emphasizes the contributions of German social psychologist Kurt Lewin, who, in the 1940s, established core values and practices integral to OD, such as the belief in democracy, the positive potential of people, and the use of scientific rationality in addressing social issues.
00:03:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker discusses three core principles of change proposed by Lewin, essential to understanding organization development (OD). Firstly, behavior results from a set of internal and external forces, and to change behavior, one must change this field of forces. Secondly, small groups are pivotal in the change process, addressing their unique needs like leadership and decision-making. Thirdly, Lewin proposed two key practices: action research, involving social system members in investigating and devising changes; and ensuring sustainable change through a process of unfreezing, movement, and refreezing. These principles were further developed in the 1950s and became the foundational values, theories, and practices of OD, which emerged as a distinct field in the 1960s and 70s.
00:06:00
In this part of the video, the focus is on the evolution of organization development (OD) theories and practices. During the initial stages, small group dynamics, influenced by social psychological theories and humanistic psychology like Maslow’s work, were central to OD. Organizations were viewed as open systems with a positive view of people’s potential and change was seen as a planned, episodic process.
However, from the 1980s onwards, significant innovations occurred, driven by practitioners and new social science influences. Social construction emerged as a key concept, promoting the idea that reality is socially constructed, leading to approaches like appreciative inquiry. Large-group interventions became common, with organizations being seen as meaning-making systems. The notion of action research evolved into action inquiry, emphasizing that change could arise from the inquiry process itself, involving a greater number of people in the process.
00:09:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the evolution of organizational development (OD) practices, highlighting the shift from planned to adaptive and fluid approaches to change. Initially guided by social science, the field evolved with the linguistic turn, emphasizing language’s role in shaping reality. This led to new understandings of change as continuous and self-organizing.
The core values of democracy and humanism persisted, but there was an increased focus on environmental and social impacts, cross-cultural interactions, and diversity and inclusion starting from the 1980s. OD has now expanded globally, incorporating both traditional small group methods and newer large group techniques, leading to a diverse array of practices.
Practitioners today mix original methods like action research with modern approaches such as social construction, creating innovative “blended” methodologies. The document also mentions the rise of appreciative inquiry summits, where large groups collaborate in dynamic ways, acknowledging the complexity and ongoing nature of organizational change.
00:12:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding the origins and foundational principles of Organizational Development (OD). While noting the emergence of new trends and blending of practices in the field, the speaker expresses concern that many people are focusing too much on contemporary methods without recognizing their roots. They argue that a deeper appreciation and knowledge of the historical context and evolution of OD over the past 70 years is essential for fully utilizing and appreciating current practices. The speaker encourages viewers to reflect on and learn more about the development and interconnectedness of OD practices through time.