1. Future Directions in Organization Development23
Future Directions in Organization Development

2. Explore the trends occurring within organization development (OD) and the different futures they suggest for the field’s progress.
Explore the trends occurring in the larger context within which OD operates and how they are likely to influence future OD practice.

3. Trends Within OD and Their Impacts on OD’s Future
TRADITIONAL
Return to original humanistic values
Increasing focus on process intervention
ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT will…
Have more conflict in the short term
Be more integrated in the long term
PRAGMATIC
Emphasize values of effectiveness
Increasing focus on relevant practice
ACADEMIC
Emphasize values of understanding, prediction, and control
Search for variables that explain change and effectiveness

4. Contextual Trends and Their Effects on OD’s Future
More global
More concentrated wealth
More concerned ecologically and socially
ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT
will be:
More involved in driving effectiveness in a broader range of organizations
More involved in supporting technical and managerial innovation
More concerned with social and ecological sustainability
ECONOMY
Increasingly diverse
Increasingly educated
Increasingly contingent
WORKFORCE
More E-commerce
Faster organizational processes
More productivity
TECHNOLOGY
More networked
More knowledge, learning and innovation based
ORGANIZATIONS

5. Implications for OD’s Future
More involved in driving effectiveness in a broader range of organizations
More involved in supporting technological and managerial innovation
More concerned with Social and Ecological Sustainability