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PB433      Half Unit
Theory and Practice of Organisational Development

This information is for the 2024/25 session.

Teacher responsible

Dr Ishan Jalan

Availability

This course is available on the MSc in Behavioural Science, MSc in Human Resources and Organisations (Organisational Behaviour), MSc in Organisational and Social Psychology, MSc in Psychology of Economic Life, MSc in Social and Cultural Psychology and MSc in Social and Public Communication. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

Course content

What is Organizational Development? Organizational Development (OD) is a field of study and practice that focuses on facilitating planned change efforts and interventions, with a view to improve an organisation’s effectiveness, health, and performance.  Drawing from a range of theories, OD adopts a systemic approach to improving its internal processes, structures, and culture. To accomplish this, it undertakes a deep analysis of needs and goals to help organisations understand their current state, and work towards their desired future state.

Why is Organizational Development important? Organisations are now operating in an increasingly complex, dynamic, and ever-changing environment, and to confront these changes, organisations need to be nimble, innovative, and effective if they are to survive and thrive. Considering the overall goal of OD is to help create healthier, more adaptive, and resilient organizations capable of thriving in today's dynamic operational landscape, OD can help organizations navigate this difficult terrain, adapt, learn about new ways of leading and managing, and stay competitive.

This course explores organisational development from a theoretical and practical perspective. While the course is strongly informed by key theoretical frameworks such as organisational behaviour, critical theory, system psychodynamics, psychological and management theories, to name a few, , OD comes into its own in application. Students will be actively encouraged to relate key OD theoretical perspectives to current organisational challenges using interactive case studies and in-class activities. The aim of the course is, therefore, twofold: first to explore theories and concepts that underpin OD and second, to learn how to apply OD through practical hands-on experience. In seminars and workshops students will gain experience on drafting organizational change interventions, thinking about their implementation, and evaluating their potential impact in organised contexts.

Teaching

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