discussion 1 - BU 307

Answer the following question:

Organization development is both a professional field of social action and an area of scientific inquiry. Several definitions are presented in Table 1.1. of your textbook (Cummings & Worley, p. 3).

The definition used throughout the text is as follows: "Organization development is a system-wide application and transfer of behavioral science knowledge to the planned development, improvement, and reinforcement of the strategies, structures, and processes that lead to organization effectiveness."

The professional OD role can apply to internal consultants who belong to the organization undergoing change, to external consultants who are members of universities and consulting firms or are self-employed, and to members of internal-external consulting teams. Values have played a key role in OD, and traditional values promoting trust, collaboration, and openness have been supplemented recently with concerns for improving organizational effectiveness and productivity. As a profession, OD always has shown a concern for the ethical conduct of its practitioners, and several ethical codes for OD practice have been developed by various professional associations.

• Compare the various characteristics of the organization and the role of OD.

Please be sure to validate your opinions and ideas with citations and references in APA format.