Organizational Consultation and Development

Organization development (OD) is a term that refers to a planned and sustained long-term effort to improve the ability of an organization to achieve its self-identified goals within an atmosphere that promotes the growth and well-being of its individual members. Organizations that are successful in attaining both of these elements are thought of as “healthy organizations.” Organizational consultation is the process through which one or more professionals facilitates the efforts of an organization to achieve a healthy state.

Organization development is relevant to organizations of many different kinds, including companies, schools, professional associations, and community agencies. Although OD frequently focuses on an entire organization, it also could be used to address the effectiveness of major units within an organization (e.g., a company's personnel department or the staff development office for a school district).

OD is a relatively young field, with some of the earliest efforts not emerging until after World War II. In his seminal article, “Toward a General Theory for the Behavioral Sciences,” Miller (1955) proposed a systems theory as a way to understand the inter-connectedness of all living things. In the years since Miller first advanced the idea, systems theory has come to serve as a cornerstone for the field of organization development. From this perspective, an organization is viewed as being composed of parts that are organized in a purposeful way in order to achieve its goals. There is thought to be reciprocal influence among the parts on each other, as well as on the organization as a whole, and vice versa (i.e., the organization [Page 362]also influences each of its individual parts). Further, even the organization is thought to be one part of a larger system that it influences and by which it, in turn, is also influenced. The systems theory perspective provides a helpful framework for understanding an organization, how it functions, and how changes in any element of the organization impact other elements and the organization as a whole.

The earliest applications of organization development were found in military and industrial settings, but did not appear in schools until the early 1960s. However, the use of OD to improve the effectiveness of schools has increased dramatically since the publication of A Nation at Risk (National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983), which was largely responsible for launching the current “school reform” movement. Moreover, state and federal legislation that both mandate accountability for student academic achievement (as demonstrated through high-stakes testing) and emphasize the use of evidence-based practices, meaningful parental involvement in educational decision making, the use of problem solving as a conceptual framework for the organization, and delivery of student services and other major changes in education. This zeitgeist has intensified the need for individuals who are skilled in organization change methods.

Historically, OD has not been a professional service emphasized by school psychologists and has not been emphasized during their graduate-level training. However, preparation in this area is now required in many programs and by national training standards. In addition, school psychologists have become involved in school change initiatives in part because of their strong foundation in the behavioral sciences and their understanding of the ecology of schools from a systems perspective. School psychologists typically engage in organization development through one of two avenues. They are sometimes hired by schools or other organizations as consultants for the specific purpose of engaging in organization development. More likely, they are hired as school psychologists—more than 80% of schools employ school psychologists (Curtis & colleagues, 2002)—and organization development is one of many professional services they provide.

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