Masters Certificate in Organization Development and Change

This program component is designed to prepare you for the complex work of designing and facilitating Organization Development and Change to solve complex business and organizational issues. It is taught in two class sessions, supported by an online learning community.

An Overview of Organization Development (OD)

•  OD frameworks, theories and methodologies and how they have shaped our workplace
• The role of the OD practitioner in aligning leadership, learning, people systems, organizational structure and processes, and relationships, with its strategic priorities and goals
• The dynamics of learning and change in individuals and organizations
• Understanding of “self as an instrument of change”, including awareness of your values and styles

 In the OD Practicum, you will apply your OD knowledge and skills in a real client/consultant relationship. Closely mentored by an on-site OD professional, you will provide consulting services to a group or organization, and demonstrate your ability to:

• Understand a situation with which you are unfamiliar or largely unfamiliar
• Create energy for organizational/individual change and improvement
• Collaborate with a client group, and with a learning partner (another Practicum participant)
• Demonstrate ethical awareness related to OD
• Receive, and if possible, apply feedback and guidance from a local

Field Guide/Mentor

As theory and practice are integrally related in the field of OD, your Practicum will be a time of both action and reflection.

You will select ideas and theories taught earlier in the program streams, try them out and explore how the ideas and practices can inform each other. The OD Practicum will require a minimum of six days of your time, over approximately seven months.

The Practicum site is of your own choosing, and may be your own place of work, but not within your actual paid role. Since your Practicum is intended to be an opportunity for you to offer a valuable contribution to an organization AND to grow and develop as a reflective OD practitioner, your interests and the needs of your chosen group or organization will determine the nature of the practical OD work you undertake. You may or may not be able to carry out a full OD intervention within the time available. The Practicum consists of the following five phases:

• A two-part orientation with the
• Practicum leaders and your peer support group
• Client Selection
• Implementation
• Ongoing note-taking and written reflection
• Separation/closure

Part 1 – Understanding Systems Change and OD Interventions

• Understanding Systems Change and OD Interventions
• Systems theory and approaches to change
•  Working with people to envision the “what” and “how” of change
• Designing interventions for team, intradepartment and organizational settings
• Using tools and developing customized approaches
• Using criteria for assessing OD interventions

Part 2 – Understanding Systems Change and OD Interventions

• Systems theory and approaches to change
• Working with people to envision the “what” and “how” of change
• Designing interventions for team, intradepartmental and organizational settings
• Using tools and developing customized approaches
• Using criteria for assessing OD interventions

Part 1 – Strategic Business Management

Learn how OD can help an organization achieve strategic and operational agility by deepening your knowledge of:

• Organizational structures, systems, functions and processes
• The link between business strategy and competitive advantage
• Key elements of an organization’s value proposition
• The role of OD within the operating model of an organization
• How OD adds value to organizational strategies
• Critical thinking about corporate change scenarios
• Communicating effectively with executives and line managers

Part 2 – Building a Successful Business Case

• Learn the essential building blocks of “making a business case” and how to present a compelling case to stakeholders. Learn how to:
• Craft and deliver a story about how to meet a business need
• Understand the organization’s evaluation criteria
• Identify what your stakeholders care about and clarify the need
• Align your business case with strategic goals
• Analyze cost, benefits, risks and opportunities
• Calculate the return on investment
• Tactics for influencing senior executives and line managers