Frequently Asked Questions About the OD Program at SSU
A: It is a facilitative approach for creating positive transformative change in organizations, based on their strategic mission and the shared vision of the organization's participants and stake-holders.
A: We schedule classes in the evening to accommodate working students. There are some all-day Saturday meetings. The OD Program is for mid-career people rather than students with no work experience. But it is also an intensive and demanding graduate program, requiring significant preparation outside of class, including student team meetings and supervised client engagements with real organizations; these most often meet during the day. Working less than full time, and having schedule flexibility is ideal. You should also talk with your family and friends to get their support for this significant involvement for two years.
A: Our interns and graduates have received excellent acceptance from employer organizations. There is no guarantee that everyone will get the job they want. Our alumni are working at places like
A: This isn't a standardized field, and every program is unique. Our strengths are our emphasis on field experience and mentoring. We were featured as an exemplary program in a recent issue of Vision/Action, the Journal of the Bay Area OD Network, because of these characteristics. We also have a strong emphasis on personal awareness and interpersonal competence as a core of effective professional work and leadership.
A: No. The program has a definite and important sequence. Each cohort group works through the sequence together.
A: The structure of class meetings has evolved and will continue to change to make the best use of student and faculty meeting time. The current pattern is as follows:
Semesters I and II require meetings two nights per week, plus one Saturday (all day) per month. Semester III and IV require one evening meeting per week plus one Saturday per month.
A: You should plan for 16 to 20 hours of required preparation per week, in addition to class meetings.
A: Human Resources is primarily about managing the recruitment, selection, training, and compensation of employees. Organization Development is about leading whole organizations in self-managed improvement in areas such as strategic change, competitive effectiveness, innovation in products and technology, responsiveness to changing markets and social environments, etc.
A: Training is aimed at increasing the ability of individuals to perform job-related functions. It is often part of an OD project. But not all problems are solved by training. Often people know how to do the work, but they don't do what they know. Other factors get in the way, such as work flow, technology, organizational structure, the reward system, and the corporate culture. OD addresses these too.
A: It's hard to say who is or isn't an OD consultant. Covey's framework, the seven habits of successful people, is a useful resource for personal and professional development.
A: Too many to list. OD has been used to improve organizations since the 60s. One of the pioneering efforts was at TRW Systems, in Redondo Beach, California. Another was at Esso in Texas. A third was at the State Department in Washington, DC. Today, most large corporations and many medium-sized ones have an internal OD function or use OD consultants, though they don't always call it OD.
A: OD knowledge and skills are equally useful for internal staff specialists and for managers who have leadership responsibilities in organizations that are changing--and in today's world, all organizations are changing!
A: Again, these terms are not universally defined. OD consultants often work with
managers (and others), so they are management consultants. Their work often results
in improved management systems and methods, as well as other changes.
But there are many management consultants, business consultants, and others, whose
orientation and methods are very different from ones used in OD. They use a "doctor-patient"
approach, in which the client tells them what the problem is, and the consultant
performs some kind of analysis, delivers recommendations, and leaves.
OD uses a "process consulting" approach, in which we join with members
of the client organization to define the goals of the work, and then we guide a participative
sequence, including joint data-gathering, problem-solving, action-planning, implementation,
and assessment of the project. "We don't just feed the hungry--we also teach
people how to grow their own food."
A: About half and half. Some work externally on a contract basis, others work internally on a salaried basis--often as part of an internal OD function.
A: Yes:
A: None of the classes in this program focus primarily on the business aspect of organizations--such as accounting, finance, or marketing. That is more typical of an MBA program. Our goal is developing understanding and skill in guiding self-directed change in organizational settings, including businesses, non-profit organizations, schools, hospitals, etc. We require foundational understanding of the business aspect of organizations as a pre-requisite for admission, through employment experience and course work.
A: Each cohort group of students takes all classes in the same sequence. The first semester emphasizes core skills and knowledge. In the second semester teams of students apply that knowledge in a supervised consulting engagement. A class on interpersonal and group process dynamics spans the first and second semesters. In the third and fourth semesters students participate in classes focusing on advanced theory and practice, and carry out internship work. An analytical case study is due at the end of the first year, and a publishable quality professional paper is due at the end of the second year.
A: In addition to class-related advising during office hours, each student works individually with a faculty advisor on the internship and the culminating paper.
A: No. Graduates from this program are employed in businesses, non-profit organizations, schools, government agencies, etc.
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