Assessment and Diagnosis for Organization Development ─ Powerful Tools and Perspectives for the OD Practitioner

Although the theory and methods of organization development (OD) assessment and diagnosis have been covered in other books, there is a lack of practitioner-focused guides that introduce real-world case studies and tools rooted in the methodology. This book will fill that gap, providing practical perspective and insight from practitioners and consultants currently practicing OD assessment and diagnosis. Organization Development (OD) differs from management consulting in that OD assessment and diagnosis is not a prescriptive consulting engagement. Instead, OD methods include engaging clients to build change leadership initiatives customized to their particular situation. OD is not about a consultant telling a client company what to do. It is about an OD professional guiding client companies on their journey towards the best end point for their particular situation. This book will address that journey. The theory and foundational principles of OD are covered, but the primary focus is on providing practical applications to businesses. While the book is grounded in sound academic theory, its strength is its practitioner-focused methodology containing vignettes and tools that individuals can use to help guide the assessment and diagnosis efforts in their own or their client organizations.

William J. Rothwell, Ph.D., SPHR, SHRM-SCP, CPLP Fellow is President of Rothwell & Associates, Inc. and Rothwell & Associates, LLC (see www.rothwellandassociates.com). He is also a Professor of the Workforce Education and Development program, Department of Learning and Performance Systems, at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park campus. He has authored, co-authored, edited, or co-edited 300 books, book chapters, and articles—including over 90 books.

Before arriving at Penn State in 1993, he had 20 years of work experience as a Training Director, HR, and Organization Development in government and business. He has also worked as a consultant for more than 40 multinational corporations--including Motorola China, General Motors, Ford, and many others. In 2012, he earned ASTD's prestigious Distinguished Contribution to Workplace Learning and Performance Award, and in 2013 ASTD honored him by naming him as a Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) Fellow. In 2014, he was given the Asia-Pacific International Personality Brandlaureate Award (see http://www.thebrandlaureate.com/awards/ibp_bpa.php).

Truly global in his outlook, he conducted training in 15 nations around the globe in 2014 alone and visited many other nations virtually to offer webinars. Notably, in 2015, he visited China for his 76th time since 1996.

His recent books include Organization Development in Practice (OD Network, 2016), Mastering the Instructional Design Process, 5^th ed (Wiley, 2016), Practicing Organization Development, 4^th ed. (Wiley, 2015), The Leader’s Daily Role in Talent Management (McGraw-Hill, 2015), Beyond Training and Development, 3^rd ed. (HRD Press, 2015), Effective Succession Planning, 5^th ed. (AMACOM, 2015), Career Planning and Succession Management, 2^nd ed. (Praeger, 2015), Organization Development Fundamentals: Managing Strategic Change (ATD Press, 2015), The Competency Toolkit, 2 vols, 2^nd ed. (HRD Press, 2015), Creating Engaged Employees: It’s Worth the Investment (ATD Press, 2014), Optimizing Talent in the Federal Workforce (Management Concepts, 2014), Performance Consulting (Wiley, 2014), the ASTD Competency Study: The Training and Development Profession Redefined (ASTD, 2013), Becoming An Effective Mentoring Leader: Proven Strategies for Building Excellence in Your Organization (McGraw-Hill, 2013), Talent Management: A Step-by-Step Action-Oriented Approach Based on Best Practice (HRD Press, 2012), the edited three-volume Encyclopedia of Human Resource Management (Wiley/Pfeiffer, 2012), Lean But Agile: Rethink Workforce Planning and Gain a True Competitive Advantage (Amacom, 2012), Invaluable Knowledge: Securing Your Company’s Technical Expertise-Recruiting and Retaining Top Talent, Transferring Technical Knowledge, Engaging High Performers (Amacom, 2011), Competency-Based Training Basics (ASTD Press, 2010), Effective Succession Planning: Ensuring Leadership Continuity and Building Talent from Within, 4^th ed. (Amacom, 2010), Practicing Organization Development, 3^rd ed. (Pfeiffer, 2009), Basics of Adult Learning (ASTD, 2009), HR Transformation (Davies-Black, 2008), Working Longer: New Strategies for Managing, Training, and Retaining Older Employees (Amacom, 2008), and Cases in Government Succession Planning: Action-Oriented Strategies for Public-Sector Human Capital Management, Workforce Planning, Succession Planning, and Talent Management (HRD Press, 2008). He can be reached by email at wjr9@psu.edu and by phone at 814-863-2581. He is located at 310B Keller Building, University Park, PA 16803.

Dr. Angela L.M. Stopper?is the Director of Program Innovations at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management where she oversees the development and delivery of innovative management and leadership development programming for the School. In addition to her work at UC Davis, Dr. Stopper is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Education at Penn State, where she has developed and is teaching a course for the Master of Profesional Studies in Organization Development and Change degree. Over her career, Dr. Stopper has worked in numerous client-facing positions at Penn State within the Outreach and Online Education departments and the Smeal College of Business. Dr. Stopper’s current research focus is global talent development. Working with the Association for Talent Development, the research team is investigating trends and challenges, and how formal, informal and social learning play in this area. Dr. Stopper is the author and co-author of multiple publications and presentations focused on global talent development, online education, service marketing, change leadership, and strategic visioning and leadership.? Past research projects include numerous internal and external corporate needs assessments, workshop development and facilitation in the United States, Saudi Arabia and China, consulting projects focusing on executive coaching, and research papers in the areas of learning preferences of a generationally diverse workforce, cross-generational collaboration and using distance learning in noncredit adult education programs. Dr. Stopper holds a B.S. in Marketing and International Business, a M.S. in Workforce Education and Development, and a Ph.D. in Workforce Education and Development with a concentration in Human Resources and Organization Development, all from the Pennsylvania State University.

Dr. Jennifer Myers is a practitioner in Human Resource Development for the federal government. She holds a Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University in Workforce Education and Development, specializing in Human Resource Development and Organization Development. She received her Master’s degree from Boston University and is also a graduate of the Federal Law enforcement Training Center (FLETC). Before transitioning to her current position, Dr. Myers served as an Instructor for the Professional Personnel Development Center (PPDC) at Penn State. Jennifer is also an Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) veteran and received numerous service awards, some of which include the Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Bolder, Meritorious Unit Award, and multiple Commendation Medals. She served in the United States Air Force and was a Special Agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI). Her current research interests are employee engagement, organization development, and strategic planning. Dr. Myers is the author and co-author of multiple publications and presentations focused on engagement, diversity, healthcare, and career development. Dr. Myers’ most recent publications include Zaballero, A. G., & Myers, J. L. (2014). Engaging the best people. In W. Rothwell, A. G. Zaballero, & J. G. Park (Eds.), Optimizing talent in the federal workforce. New York: Management Concepts Press. Baumgardner, C. Z. & Myers, J. L. (2014). Creating an engaged culture. In W. J. Rothwell (Ed.), Creating engaged employees: It’s worth the investment. Alexandria, VA: ASTD. Wolfehope, K., & Myers, J. (2014). Leadership and the effects on employee engagement, Journal of Knowledge and Human Resource Management, 6(13). Alzahmi, R. A., & Myers, J. L. (2013). Identifying performance gaps through needs assessment. In W. J. Rothwell (Ed), Performance consulting: Applying performance improvement in human resource development (pp. 342–344). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons. Imroz, S. M., & Myers, J. L. (2013). Application of SWOT Analysis. In W. J. Rothwell (Ed.), Performance consulting: Applying performance improvement in human resource development (pp. 305–307). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.