Abstract
The work of an Organization Development (OD) practitioner is varied and extremely situational. Depending upon the given assignment and set of circumstances surrounding that assignment, the work can take many different approaches. Among the strategic and tactical work tasks the OD practitioner completes is the ongoing task of evaluating work progress towards the desired results of the assignment. The OD practitioner typically will evaluate the ongoing work and assess the degree of completeness against the expected results many times during a work assignment (Block, 2000; Hanson & Lubin, 1995).
While evaluating the progress of their work assignment, and OD practitioner has multiple ways to evaluate progress and compare to expected results. One evaluation method is the act of observation. Observation is not emphasized in OD methodologies as the required or preferred method of evaluation. It is just one of many techniques available to an OD practitioner (Block, 2000; Hanson & Lubin, 1995; Schein, 1999). Is it possible that observation is more important to the work of OD practitioners than presented in OD methodologies? Based on previous experience and research, the researcher asked the question about the effect of observation on OD work assignments. Is it undervalued in OD work?
This research posits a theory that elevates the level of importance of the action of observation in the OD work assignment. The theory posits that observation is required in achieving the OD practitioner’s desired results and that without focused observation, desired results are not attained.