From the Editor
Vol 40, No 3 (2008)
From The Editor
Welcome to our 7th publication of the OD Practitioner CONFERENCE Issue. All authors are Presenters at the 2008 OD Network Conference in Austin, Texas in October. You will find a wide variety of subjects here. Our invitation asked Presenters not to write about their sessions, be they key note, regular schedule or pre and post conference offerings. Rather, we invited them to write something about themselves as practitioners and their practice.
Keynoter Patricia Shafer directs readers’ attention to “… the complex organizational dilemma in this era of accelerating globalization.” Once, not long ago, we thought and wrote about globalization with wonder and awe as our clients took us to foreign lands to work with cross cultural teams of executives. Today we jet from one country to another, covering several continents and client groups in the same trip, in what may seem rather frenzied. Readers will likely find Shafer’s views on accelerating globalization stimulating and challenging.
Edwin Nevis, Joseph Melnick and Sonia March Nevis, introduce readers to the Cape Cod Model, their signature Gestalt work. The authors explain the model as having two major components: the general stance and behavior of the intervener and an action sequence guideline. An excellent read that will increase your understanding of Gestalt work.
Judy O’Neil, Holly O’Grady and Robert Ward write about Action Learning and the key component of reflection in the learning process. Outcomes from two programs that demonstrate the link between experience, reflection and learning are used to explain the relevance of reflection.
For decades Linda Ackerman Anderson and Dean Anderson have built their well-known and superb reputations on creating change processes that apply across organizations. This article is about, “The creation of a strategic change consulting function that serves the change agenda for the entire enterprise, as well as providing direct change strategy consulting to major initiatives within the overall agenda.” A must read article!
Action Learning has once again become a hot subject in the OD world. Mary Harlan shares the client consultation in which she utilized Diversity Action Learning Teams (DALTS) “ …focused on performance management, mergers and acquisitions and safety and retention issues.”
Rianna Moore and Carol Pierce , creators of Power Equity Group Theory (PEG) acquaint readers with this structure for non-hierarchical groups. An article to help you think a bit differently about self-managed teams.
The Austin Conference offers multiple sessions on Coaching. Michael Bungay Stanier provides a general assessment of the state of coaching in OD Practice accompanied with some provocative facts and questions.
Another well-known OD author and consultant, Dick Axelrod writes about the every day dilemma of the client organization that does not have time to do what needs doing. Here is a creative and realistic view of how to handle this situation.
Sue Baughman and Elaine Jennerick, two OD practitioners who have worked for years in academic research libraries, share their individual stories of becoming OD consultants and some reasons for their alliance. A charming and personal account for a good evening read.
We like to publish stories about a practitioner’s experience of being a practitioner. We couldn’t resist doing so with Jeremy Lurey’s essay entitled, Making It On Your Own: Lessons Learned from One Solopreneur to Another. Jeremy is well known amongst practitioners as one who has built his consulting firm with exceptional attention to excellence and in record time. Perhaps more than one of his Seven Tips will help you in seeing your way to building a future practice.
It is a pleasure to introduce readers to John Vogelsang, the new Associate Editor of the OD Practitioner. John joined the Review Board in 2002 and he and I have traveled several writing and editing roads together over the years. I am delighted that John has accepted this important responsibility. Please do read on about the ODP’s second Associate Editor.
~ Marilyn Blair