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Define OD, then find the right tool for your needs.
Organization development is one of those terms that gets thrown around in the training world. Get any group of workplace learning and performance professionals together and you will get a plethora of definitions. According to the OD Portal (www.odportal.com), the definition for organization development is, and I like its succinctness, "the practice of changing people and organizations for positive growth." If you ask my nine-year-old son what OD is, he'll tell you that it's the cute little dog that makes Garfield's life..."interesting." What is crucial is that you and your colleagues are in agreement about what OD means.
Organization development includes such activities as career planning, teambuilding, organizational assessments, training, change management, leadership development, human capital management, and others, depending on the person or organization defining the term.
If someone aspires to dive deeply into the field of organization development, he or she might consider seeking a degree in the field, undergraduate or graduate. In fact, you can get a doctorate from the University of Phoenix Online in Management of Organizational Leadership.
OD e-learning courseware
If you or your team or organization is working through OD issues and initiatives and you need to gain some insights into the field or just want to get back up to speed, you might consider some of the e-learning courseware that's out there. Here's a partial list of resources:
* hbsp.harvard.edu
* netg.com
* skillsoft.com.
OD systems and tools
There are a variety of tools to help organizations with OD. Because OD practices can be diverse...