What is Organization Development(O.D.)?

What is Organization Development(O.D.)? How does the goals of OD match with that of HRD? Discuss various OD interventions,how can they be more effetive in the long term development of an organization. Briefly discuss its limitations. Explain your answer with suitable organizational examples.

MSc in People and Organisational Development
The Roffey Park Masters in People and Organisational Development is an innovative, two-year, part-time MSc programme which has been run by professional developers and for professional developers since 1991. It enables you to bring together theory, practice and your experience, as well as learning new skills to make you more effective and increase your personal and professional impact. As such, it will help you to maximise the performance of people in your organisation - and it will help you to achieve your full potential.
Case studies:
» Applying the skills
» International appeal
» Achieving personal growth
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Open Events
Application form [coming soon]
Accredited by the University of Sussex, our MSc is delivered using Self Managed Learning, a process which helps you determine what you want to learn and how you are going to learn it, with others, in the context and framework of your organisation's needs, and a rigorous academic programme.
This process encourages you to learn in the same way as you work - you identify your own personal learning goals, objectives, targets and performance measures and you work with others to achieve and assess a successful outcome. Through Self Managed Learning - and by working closely with other developers, in an environment of high support and challenge - you'll benefit by gaining a Masters qualification which not only embraces the latest thinking in organisational and individual development, but is tailored to the areas most relevant and of most interest to you and your organisation.
What are the key benefits?
Our Masters in People and Organisational Development is specifically geared to you and to your organisation, both for your current and future development needs. You gain a far greater understanding of management and organisational development and you focus on what you want/need to learn in order to become a more effective developer and change agent. You will:
 gain a strategic perspective, with the latest management thinking
 link your learning to effective development within your organisation
 learn how to apply theory
 develop your critical thinking skills
 benefit from the input of other experienced developers, trainers, and consultants, Roffey tutorial staff and external contributors (who include academics, practitioners and senior managers);
 learn how to assess yourself and your peers and convert real-life experience into a recognised Masters qualification in People and Organisational Development.
The programme is challenging and demanding and involves self-discipline and effort. You are rewarded by an increase in your knowledge, expertise and leadership capabilities and in your confidence, self-awareness and self-reliance.
Who is the programme for?
One of the great strengths of our MSc is that it attracts management and organisational developers and trainers from the private, public and voluntary sectors. The mix of different backgrounds adds to the learning experience, gives you a broader perspective and creates a forum for you to network with your peers in different organisations.
To apply for our MSc, you should have:
• several years' management development experience;
• A demonstrable track record of personal achievement;
• The commitment, motivation and resilience to pursue and enjoy the programme;
• A curiosity about Self Managed Learning.
How is the MSc structured?
The Self Managed Learning approach enables you to fit your study patterns and learning assignments around your work and home commitments.
The programme includes three three-day Residentials at Roffey Park and ten meetings of your Learning Set per year - as well as individual study and through-the-job learning.
Learning Sets
The Learning Set is a forum for mutual support, challenge and feedback on MSc work undertaken, and as such plays a key part in the programme. The Set is a group of up to six people working with a set adviser – a member of Roffey Park's tutorial staff. The Set helps you set meaningful learning objectives and criteria for assessing success against these objectives (the Development Agreement). Working with the set you monitor progress against the objectives, develop and assess work.

Residential workshops

Over the two years, there are six, three-day residentials at Roffey Park which provide the opportunity for group work, discussion, presentations and practical activities - all in an environment which encourages you to explore new ways of learning. As part of each residential, the whole MSc learning community meets for an open forum, which gives participants and tutors the opportunity to share experiences across the Learning Sets.
As participants finalise their Development Agreements and gain greater clarity about the particular aspects of the MSc syllabus they wish to focus on, they take more responsibility for designing and structuring the residential workshops. Four of the six residentials are co-designed and facilitated with the group.
Past sessions have included work on cross-cultural international management; the learning organisation; drama and development; working with change; panel discussions with senior mangers and journalists; new organisational research, humour in development and knowledge management.

Portfolio of work
Year one
The first six months of the programme involve you in mapping your own development, that of your organisation and the broader field of individual and organisational development. From here you focus your portfolio of work to address the learning needs identified in this phase.
Your first responsibility on the MSc is to produce a Position Paper - a critical analysis of your current situation, which also puts the development needs of your organisation into context. This shows where you've come from, where you are now, where you are going and how you'll know when you get there.
You then produce a Critical Review of the main themes of individual and organisational development covered in the syllabus, including your own response to these themes. Here you begin to explore which areas you want to investigate in more depth.
With input from your Set and your mentor, you review your own knowledge and capabilities in these areas and you prepare your own Development Agreement - which states what you plan to learn, to what level, how you will learn it and how you plan to demonstrate that you have achieved your learning goals.
Although each participant determines the specific areas he/she wants to explore, there are four strands to the MSc syllabus, which provide a framework of the key issues that should be addressed.

These are:
 the individual learner and performer;
 the role of the developer;
 the developing and learning organisation
 and the wider perspective of management development.
By the year-end, you have to complete one of the pieces of work outlined in your Development Agreement, to show that you are on track and that you are starting to operate at a Masters level.
Your work, Position Paper, Critical Review and Development Agreement are all assessed by you and your Learning Set, before they are monitored by our external examiners.
Year two
Throughout the second year, your task is to achieve your planned learning - and to show evidence of your learning to your Set.
The Learning Sets provide an on-going mix of mutual support and challenge. Each person brings their own real-life examples, experiences and work scenarios, so everything they learn can be applied immediately and it has long-term benefit for them and for their organisation.
Members of the Learning Set continually assess each other's work and each build up a Portfolio of evidence of what they have learned and experienced. This includes a dissertation - an in-depth study of your chosen area/s of management development.
Assessment process
The learning set is the forum where work is assessed. The external examiners monitor the assessment process, rather than the work itself. The individual members of your Learning Set are your ‘internal examiners'. Experience has shown us that this method of peer assessment is definitely not an easy option. In addition to building a portfolio of work through this process, participants also develop excellent feedback and assessment skills.

MSc standards
All the work produced over the two years needs to meet the standard expected of a Masters level qualification. In particular this means the ability to reflect critically on:
 different theories and concepts
 participants' own practice and the assumptions that guide it
 methodologies that are used to gather, select and analyse information
 the wider context in which management development is carried out.

Graduation
Your MSc will be presented to you at a formal convocation ceremony at the University of Sussex, traditionally followed by a less formal presentation over dinner here at Roffey Park.
When does it start?

The next intake for the MSc in People and Organisational Development is January 2006. Please contact Sheila Dale for further details of residential dates.
How much does it cost?

The fees are £6,950 plus VAT for Year 1 (payable at the start of year), and £6,250 plus VAT for Year 2 (payable at start of year).
The fee for the MSc in People and Organisational Development is payable in two instalments at the start of each year.
Early Bird Offer

Fees are fully inclusive of:
 residentials and facilitated learning set meetings
 all accommodation and meals during residentials
 full Learning Resources Centre lending service, searches and bookshop via email, phone, fax and face to face
 all materials
 use of Roffey facilities, including fitness suite and swimming pool, during residentials
If you would like to find out more about the programme, please contact Diane Moody diane.moody@roffeypark.com, the MSc Programme Director, or Sheila Dale sheila.dale@roffeypark.com, the MSc Registrar, on 01293 854045. Alternatively, you can fill in the Request a phonecall form.
Prior to each intake, we hold a series of 'open events' which give you the opportunity to discuss the programme in detail with tutors and participants. Please see the Open Events page.
If you wish to apply for the MSc programme, please complete and return an application form[coming soon].
You will be invited to an assessment day, which includes interviews and practical exercises designed to show you, and us, whether you'd benefit from our Self Managed Learning approach.