Psychology 992: Organizational Development and Change
Fall 2015
Instructor:
J. Kevin Ford
315 Psychology Building
Fordjk@msu.edu
Office Hours:
Wed 11:00-12:00 or appt.
353-5006
Course Description
This course is a seminar for doctoral students in fields related to industrial and organizational psychology,
organizational behavior and human resource development. It provides an in-depth examination of the field of
organizational development (OD) from scientific, leadership, and consultative role perspectives. Substantive
issues related to organizational diagnosis and planned change are reviewed and critically analyzed. Ethical
issues and dilemmas faced by change agents are also explored. Individuals from academia, industry, and
consulting who have direct experience as change agents will describe the implementation of and impediments
to organizational change. The readings for the course offer a diversity of viewpoints about organizational
change. You should be prepared to reflect upon your own perspectives, beliefs and values and how they
affect your view of the world around you and the issues involving organizational change. You will also have
experience with specific organizational development techniques and methods.
Readings and Course Structure
Readings from journals, books and book chapters are assigned for each session. The guest speakers may
also assign additional readings.
Why a Class on Organizational Development and Change?
Organizational development has emerged as a unique field from its early roots in the late 1940’s and early
1950’s. One of the first fairly comprehensive change and evaluation studies was done by Coch and
French in 1948 as they examined factors that influenced resistance to change. They reported that
resistance to change could be minimized by communicating the need for change and allowing the people
affected by the change to participate in planning it. The late 40s also saw the development of the
laboratory training movement, which focused on improving interpersonal relations, increased selfunderstanding, and awareness of team dynamics by managers. Since these early works, the field has
rapidly evolved into an integrated framework of theories and practices capable of solving or helping to
solve important problems confronting the human side of organizations. It is about people and
organizations and people in organizations and how they function. OD is also about planned change -- of
getting people (individuals, teams, cross-departments) and systems (human resources, production,
research and development) to function more effectively. Planned change involves common sense, hard
work, time, goals, and the use of valid knowledge and information about the organization and how to
change it. The field has expanded from these early beginnings to include a number of intervention
strategies. These interventions include those designed to improve the effectiveness of: (1) individuals
(e.g., career planning, performance coaching, and training), (2) teams (e.g., team building, role
negotiation, self managed work teams); (3) intergroup relations (e.g., process consultation, partnering,
third-party negotiation); and (4) the total organization (e.g., sociotechnical systems, strategy planning and
visioning, continuous improvement, total quality management, and leadership development). While there
is a whole host of tools in the toolkit of OD change agents, it is the set of values and assumptions that
separate OD change agents from typical management consultants. Some key values that change agents
often espouse include concepts such as freedom, responsibility, self control, justice, human potential and
empowerment, dignity, respect, integrity, work, authenticity, openness, an acceptance of diversity. Thus,
a course on organizational development and change provides the opportunity for you to learn about
change theories and perspectives, change methodologies and strategies as well as to learn something
about your own value system and assumptions about organizational change.
Meet the Instructor/Facilitator for the Class
I am a professor of psychology at Michigan State University. My major research interests involve
improving workplace effectiveness. I am an active researcher and consultant with private industry and
the public sector on issues of continuous learning, leadership, and organizational change. I am also an
undergraduate director for the Department of Psychology and teach a variety of undergraduate and
graduate courses in Psychology. I am proud to be a Fellow of the American Psychological Association
and the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. I received my BS in psychology from the
University of Maryland and my MA and Ph.D. in psychology from The Ohio State University. Further
information about my research and consulting activities can be found at http://www.io.psy.msu.edu/jkf
My interest in change started in graduate school as I took a course on organizational development and
change. The course was intended to be a one semester introduction to the concepts of organizational
change. In addition, we, as a class, actually took on the role of change agents with a local organization.
This experience with working on identifying key organizational problems and issues as well as leading
problem solving groups was inspirational in terms of seeing how change perspectives were relevant to
what we were trying to do with this organization. The experience blended into the next semester but we
did not care as we were learning so much about organizational change. Since graduation, I have been
involved in a number of major transformational change efforts. My hope is that I can convey some of
these “stories” about change and to challenge you to think about your own perspectives, assumptions, and
values and how that might affect what you would be interested in studying about organizational change as
well as how that might affect the way you would go about helping an organization.
Course Expectations
Active participation in class discussions is expected – it is why you are here! You (and I) are expected to
come to class prepared to discuss the assigned readings. I will often give you questions to think about (or
write about) as you are reading the material to prepare you for the class discussions or provide you with a
number of pre-class assignments. Of course, you are also expected to come to every class as we have much to
learn!. Feedback regarding participation is available upon request at any time. Do not be surprised if I come
up to you at some point to encourage you to participate even more! You can only participate in a meaningful
way if you read, summarize, and actively reflect on all the material assigned before class – that is your
responsibility.
Evaluation
Course evaluation is based on four criteria: (1) knowledge of assigned material – this includes being able to
describe key points in the assigned reading materials, lead discussions, and actively participate in class
discussions (20%); (2) Short papers and assignments on organizational change perspectives and issues of
being a change agent; (50%); (3) final questions on core issues, concepts, and self reflection (30%). More
information on the assignments will be given in class.
A Note on Course Flexibility
The course will include outside speakers. Therefore, the order in the syllabus may need to change to
accommodate our visitors. The presenters may also ask you to read additional material to prepare for their
talk.
Topics
September 3
Introduction to Change, Historical Perspective and Foundations
September 10
Systems Thinking and Core Concepts
September 17
Understanding the Concept of Change
September 24
Understanding the Concept of Change
October 01
Facilitating the Change Process
October 08
Facilitating the Change Process
October 15
Visioning and Creating Readiness for Change
October 22
Planning and Kick starting Change
October 29
Large Scale Change Initiatives
Beverly Seiford, Dannemiller Tyson Associates
November 05
No class
November 12
Issues in Implementing Change
November 19
Leading a Change Effort
December 03
Revising and Sustaining a Change Effort
December 10
Reflections on Change and Future Directions
Topics
September 03
Introduction to Change, Historical Perspective and Foundations
Coch, L., & French, J. (l948). Overcoming resistance to change. Human Relations, 34, 512-536.
French, W., & Bell, C. (l995). Organizational Development. 5th edition, Prentice Hall.
Foundations of Organizational Development.
Chapter 5;
Blumberg, M., & Pringle, C. (1983). How control groups can cause loss of control in action research: The
case of Rushton Coal Mine. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 19, 409-425.
Practitioner Spotlight: Howard, C., Longue, K., Quimby, M., & Schoeneberg, J. (2009). Framing change.
OD Practitioner.
Toolkit: Force Field Analysis
Assignment 1: Ferndale Case – If you were called in as a consultant to improve this Plant, what sources
of resistance might be likely to occur and why? Bring a bulleted list of at least three sources of resistance
and reasons these might occur.
Thought Question: Apply the “framing change” notions to the Ferndale Case
Sept 10
Systems Thinking and Organizational Change Constructs
Ford, J.K. and Foster-Fishman, P. (2012). Organizational development and change: Linking research from
the profit, nonprofit, and public sectors. In S. Kozlowski (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Organizational
Psychology.
Austin, J. (2015). Leading effective change: A primer for the HR professional. SHRM Foundation’s Effective
Practice Guidelines Series
Foster-Fishman, P. Nowell, BG., & Yang, H. (2007). Putting the system back into systems change: A
framework for understanding and changing organizational and community systems. American Journal of
Community Psychology, 39, 197-215
Senge, P. (2006). The fifth discipline, Chapters 4
Kania, J., & Kramer, M. (2011). Collective impact. Stanford Social Innovation Review.
Burnes, B. (2014). Understanding resistance to change – Building on Coch and French. Journal of Change
Management, 15, 92-116.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14697017.2014.969755
Spotlight on Practice: Seligman (2005). Building a systems thinking culture at Ford Motor Company.
Reflections, 6, 1-11. (and commentary)
Toolkit: SWOT Analysis (tied to Ferndale Case);
Thought Question: How could you use Senge’s Laws when working with a company?
Assignment 2: Analysis of case ”Bringing it All Together” (Borman and Deal) What systems are
embedded in the case of Bringing it all Together? Describe two systems that are in conflict with one
another and why that might be the case. (List at least 5 systems and then describe 2 systems that are in
conflict and why (can be list form)
Sept 17
Change Theories Part I
Bartunek, J., & Moch, M. (l987). First, second, and third order change and organizational development
interventions: A cognitive approach. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 23, 483 - 500.
Gersick, C. (1991). Revolutionary change theories: A multi-level exploration of the punctuated
equilibrium paradigm. Academy of Management Review, 16, 10-36.
Brown and Eisenhardt (1997). The art of continuous change: Linking complexity theory and time paced
evolution in relentlessly shifting organizations. ASQ, 42, 1-34.
Add an empirical study
Nye, C., Brummel, B., & Drasgow, F. (2010). Too good to be true? Understanding change in
organizational outcomes. Journal of Management, 20, 1-23. `DOI: 10.1177/0149206310376326
http://jom.sagepub.com/content/early/2010/07/22/0149206310376326
Swanson, D.J., & Creed, A.S. (2014). Sharpening the Focus of Force Field Analysis, Journal of Change
Management, 14:1, 28-47, DOI: 10.1080/14697017.2013.788052
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14697017.2013.788052
Practitioner Spotlight: Weisbord, M., & Janoff, S. (2005). Faster, shorter, cheaper may be simple; It’s
never easy. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 41, 70-82.
Toolkit: Integration of systems (tied to Ferndale case)
Assignment 3: Develop a table describing one theory of change (will be assigned the previous class)
Sept 24
Change Theories Part II
Huy, Q. (2001). Time, temporal capability, and planned change. Academy of Management Review, 26, 601623.
Amis, J., Slack, T., & Hinngs, C. (2004). The pace, sequence, and linearity of radical change. Academy of
Management Journal, 47, 15-39.
Hodge, B., & Coronado, G. (2007). Understanding change in organizations in a far from
equilibrium world. Emergence: Complexity & Organization, 9, 3-15.
Van de Ven, A.H., & Sun, K. (2011). Breakdowns in implementing models of organizational change.
Academy of Management Perspectives, 25, 5874.
Burke, W.W. (2014). Changing loosely coupled systems. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 50,
423-44. DOI: 10.1177/0021886314549923
Jansen, K. (2004) From persistence to pursuit: A longitudinal examination of momentum during the early
stages of strategic change. Organization Science, 15, 276-294.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/30034733.pdf?acceptTC=true
Practitioner Spotlight: Kania, J., & Kramer, M. (2013). Embracing emergence: How collective impact
addresses complexity. Stanford Social Innovation Review
Toolkit: Create a toolkit – what is your view of change? What type of change are you expecting?
Assignment 4: How does Burke’s paper help clarify an issue around change or obscure our understanding
of change? OR
How does paper by Kania and Kramer help or hinder your understanding of emergence and complexity?
Oct 01
Facilitating Change Efforts Part I
Block, P. (2000). Flawless consulting. Chapters 2, 3, and 19 (MSU e book)
Schein, E. (2009) Helping: How to offer, give, and receive help, chapters 4 and 6 (MSU, e book)
Schein, E. (2013). Humble Inquiry: The gentle art of asking instead of telling. Berrett-Koehler San
Francisco: CA. Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, & 7 (MSU, e book)
Schein, E. (2003). Five traps for consulting psychologist or how I learned to take culture seriously.
Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 55, 2, 78-83.
Grant, A. (2014) The Efficacy of Executive Coaching in Times of Organisational Change, Journal of
Change Management, 14:2, 258-280, DOI: 10.1080/14697017.2013.805159
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14697017.2013.805159
Practitioner Spotlight: Kahn, W. (2004). Facilitating and undermining organizational change. Journal of
Applied Behavioral Science, 40, 7-30.
Toolkit: Cause-effect mapping
Assignment 5: Analysis of your own helping behaviors – what happened and what could you be a better
helper?
October 08
Process Consultation: Helping Part II
Johnson, B., & Seidler, M. (2014). Polarity thinking: The power of “and”. SOL Journal, 14, 2, 28-34.
Beech, N., Burns, H., Caestecker, L., MacIntosh, R. & MacLean, D. (2004). Paradox as invitation to act
in problematic situations. Human Relations, 57, 1313-1332.
Lewis, M., & Smith, W. (2014). Paradox as a metatheoretical perspective: Sharpening the focus and
widening the scope. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 50, 127-149.
Cuther-Gershenfeld, J., & Ford, J.K. Valuable disconnects, chapters 4 & 5
McLean, G.N., & DeVogel, S.H. (2002). Organizational development ethics. In J. Waclawski & A.
Church (Eds.). Organizational Development: A data-driven approach to organizational change. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Toolkit: Team Framework from Schein ; Team Performance Model
Thought Question: What are the strengths and limitations of different lenses for thinking about change
issues (polarity thinking, paradox, dilemmas)? Which perspective would you most likely try and apply to
a consulting job around change and why?
Assignment 6: Analysis of ethical case – what are the key ethical issues in this case and how would you
proceed and why?
PRESENTER: Mike Schuler, Schuler Consulting, Grand Rapids, MI.
http://mikeschulerconsulting.com/process/teams/
Oct 15
The Vision and the Readiness for Change
Zaccaro, S. & Banks, D. (2001). Leadership, vision, and organizational effectiveness.
Brunninge, O. (2009). Using history in organizations. Journal of Change Management, 22, 8-26.
Cunningham, C., Woodward, C., Shannon, H., MacIntosh, J., Lendrum, B., Cunningham et al (2002).
Readiness for organizational change: A longitudinal study of workplace, psychological and behavioral
correlates, Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 75, 377-392.
Doz, Y., & Kosonen, M. (2010). Embedding strategic agility: A leadership agenda for accelerating
business model renewal. Long Range Planning, 43, 370-382.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024630109000570
Practitioner Spotlight: Austin (2009). Initiating controversial strategic change in organizations.
Organizational Development
Toolkit: Visioning Exercise and Worksheets
PRESENTER: Dr. Greg Huszczo, Eastern Michigan University
http://www.emich.edu/cob/faculty/management/huszczo.php
Preparation: Read case to prepare for presenter
Oct 22
Planning Change
Foster-Fishman, P.G., Berkowitz, S., Loundsbury, D. Jacobson, S., & Allen, N. (2001). Building
collaborative capacity in community coalitions: A review and integrative framework. American Journal
of Community Psychology, 29, 241-261.
Gravenhorst, K., Werkman, R., & Boonstra, J. (2003). The change capacity of organizations: General
assessment and five configurations. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 52, 83-105.
Gregory, B., Armenakis, A., Moates, K., Albritoon, M., & Harris, S. (2007). Achieving scientific rigor in
organizational diagnosis: An application of the diagnostic funnel, 59, 79-90.
Ford, J.K., & Davis, C. (2002). Using assessment tools to jump-start the move to community policing. In
Morrash & Ford (Eds.). The move to community policing
Higgins, M. Weiner, J., & Young, L. (2012). Implementation teams: A new leaver for organizational
change, Journal of Organizational Behavior, 33, 366-388. DOI: 10.1002/job.1773
Toolkit: Is/Is not analysis; Engaging Others (AT)
PRESENTER: Todd Sperl, Lean Fox Solutions, Huntington Woods, MI.
http://leanfoxsolutions.com/
Assignment 7: Empowerment case – what are key issues of capacity building that are relevant to this
case? What is missing in this organization? Given this class, what suggestions would you give Martin on
how to get empowerment back on track for this company? (did this as an exercise and not a paper)
October 29
Large Scale Change Strategies
Cameron, K., & Quinn, R. (1999). Diagnosing and changing organizational culture. Chapters 1, 3, & 5
Rafferty, A. & Restubog, S. (2010). The impact of change process and context on change reactions and
turnover during a merger. Journal of Management, 36, 2010.
Bunker, B., & Alaban, B. (2002). Understanding and using large system interventions. In J. Waclawski,
& A. Church (Eds.). Organizational Development. Jossey-Bass.
Parry, W., Kirsch, C., Carey, P. & Shaw, D. (2014). Empirical development of a model of performance
drivers in organizational change projects. Journal of Change Management, 14, 99-125.
http://www.tandfonline.com/action/showCitFormats?doi=10.1080/14697017.2012.745894
PRESENTATION: Beverly Seiford, Dannemiller/Tyson & Associates, Ann Arbor,
http://dannemillertyson.com/
James, S., Eggers, M. Hughes,-Rease, M., Loup, R., & Seiford, B. Facilitating large group meetings that
get results every time. In S. Schuman (Ed.), The IAF Handbook of Group Facilitation. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
Blixt, A., & James, S. (2004) Accelerating strategic change
Cady, S., & Kannemiller, K. Whole system transformation: The 5 Truths of Change. Practicing OD.
Assignment 8: How does this approach take systems into account? What do you see as possible strengths
and limitations of the whole scale systems approach to change?
.
November 05
No Class
November 12
Issues in Implementing Change
Ford, J.K. (2007). Building Capability throughout a Change Effort: Leading the Transformation of a Police
Agency to Community Policing. American Journal of Community Psychology.
Fugate, M. Kinicki, A., & Prussia, G. (2008). Employee coping with organizational change: An examination
of alternative theoretical perspectives and models. Personnel Psychology, 61, 1-36.
Bordia, P. Jones, E., Gallois, C., Callan, V., & Difonzo, N. (2006). Management are aliens! Rumors and
stress during organizational change. Group and Organizational Management, 31, 601-621..
Van den Heuvel, S., Schalk, R., & Assen, M. (2015). Does a well-informed employee have a more
positive attitude towards change? The mediating role of psychological contract fulfillment, trust, and
perceived need for change, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 51, 3, 401-422.
Bartunek, J., Rousseau, D., Rundolph, J., & DePalma, J. (2006). On the receiving end: Sensemaking,
emotion, and assessments of an organizational change initiated by others. Journal of Applied Behavioral
Science, 42, 182-206.
Zell, D. (2003). Organizational change as a process of death, dying and rebirth. Journal of Applied
Behavioral Science, 39, 73-96.
Practitioner Spotlight: Prokesch, S. (2009). How GE teaches teams to lead change. Harvard Business
Review
Toolkit: Cause-effect analysis
Assignmnet 9: Find an article that was referenced in one of the readings and read that and provide a short
– 1 to 2 page report – why you were interested in pursuing this issue, a short summary of the article, and
what you gained from this additional reading beyond what was assigned.
Nov 19
Implementing Change: Leading a Change Effort
Huy, Q. (2002). Emotional balancing of organizational continuity and radical change: The contribution of
middle managers. Administrative Science Quarterly, 47, 31-69.
Luscher, L, & Lewis, M. (2008) Organizational change and managerial sensemaking: Working through
the paradox. Academy of Management Journal, 51, 221-240.
Oreg, S., & Berson, Y. (2011). Leadership and employees’ reactions to change: the role of leaders’
personal attributes and transformational leadership style, Personnel Psychology, 627-659.
Carter, M., Armenakis, A., Field, H. & Mossholder, K. (2013). Transformational leadership, relationship
quality, and employee performance during continuous incremental organizational change. Journal of
Organizational Behavior, 34, 942-958. DOI: 10.1002/job.1824
Cameron, K., Mora, C., Leutscher, T. & Calarco, M. (2012). Effects of positive practices on
organizational effectiveness. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 47, 266-308.
Cooperrider, D., & Whitney, D. (1999). Appreciative inquiry: A positive revolution in change. In P.
Holman & T. Devane (Eds.). The Change Handbook, Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Carter, M., Armenakis, A., Field, H. & Mossholder, K. (2013). Transformational leadership, relationship
quality, and employee performance during continuous incremental organizational change. Journal of
Organizational Behavior, 34, 942-958. DOI: 10.1002/job.1824
Practitioner Spotlight: Warrick, D. (2009). Developing organizational change champions. OD Practitioner
Toolkit: Team/Leadership Assessment
Assignment 10: List advantages and disadvantages of taking an appreciative inquiry approach to change
Dec 03
Monitoring and Revising a Change Efforts: A Learning Perspective
Foster-Fishman, P. and Ford, J.K. (2010). Improving service delivery and effectiveness: Taking an
organizational learning approach to consulting. In J. Viola ands. McMahon Consulting and evaluation with
nonprofit and community basOed organizations.
Buchanan, D., Fitzgerald, L., Ketley, D. Et al (2005). Not going back: A review of the literature on sustaining
organizational change. International Review of Management Reviews, 7, 189-205.
Sackmann, S.A., Effenhofer-Rehart, P.M., & Friesl, M. (2009). Sustainable change: Long-term
efforts toward developing a learning organization, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 45,
521-549.
Practitioner Spotlight: Kleiner, A., & Roth, E. (1997). How to make experience your company’s best teacher.
Harvard Business Review
Toolkit: Value Stream Analysis
Final Question1: Reanalysis of the case Bringing it all Together (from Borman and Deal): Applying what
you have learned about change to the case
Dec 10
Reflections on Change and the Field of OD
Dawson, P. (2014). Reflections: On time, temporality and change in organizations. Journal of Change
Management, 14, 3, 285-308.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14697017.2014.886870
Lawler, E. (2014) Individualizing organizations: Progress and possibilities. Organizational Dynamics, 43,
157-167.
Lawler, E., & Worley, C. (2012). Designing organizations for sustainable effectiveness. Organizational
Dynamics, 41, 265-270.
Worley, C., & Mohrman, S. (2014). Is change management obsolete? Organizational Dynamics, 43, 214-224.
Woodman, R. (2014). The science of organizational change and the art of changing organizations. Journal of
Applied Behavioral Science, 50, 463-477.
Practitioner Spotlight: Coleman, M. (2009). Self reflection and the OD practitioner. OD Practitioner.
Final Question 2:
What concept, framework, idea etc. from this course was most impactful for you –
something you will remember and take with you as you move onto your career?
Explain.
FINAL PAPER: Due No Later than Thursday December 17th:
Final Question2: How has your view of change “changed” as a function of this class?