Taking Culture Seriously in Organization Development: A New Role for OD?

Abstract

Culture as a concept impacts organization development (OD) in two fundamental ways. First, it is increasingly evident that the practice of OD has to learn to deal with the cultures and subcultures of client systems. Dealing with cultures and sub-cultures requires conceptual models and intervention skills that deal realistically with what culture is and how culture works. Second, OD as an occupational community has developed a culture and sub-cultures within itself and has to learn what the strengths and weaknesses are of those occupational cultures and sub-cultures. Of particular importance is the recognition that the sub-cultures within OD may be in conflict with each other and not be aware of this. In this paper I will present a working model of culture and then analyze each of the two issues.