Dialogic Organization Development is a compelling alternative to the classical action research approach to planned change. Organizations are seen as fluid, socially constructed realities that are continuously created through conversations and images—change happens when those conversations and images change. Leaders and consultants can help foster, support, or accelerate the emergence of transformational possibilities by encouraging disruptions to taken-for-granted ways of thinking and acting and the use of generative images to stimulate new organizational conversations and narratives. Dialogic OD is a different mindset, but it’s also the previously unrecognized underpinning of a diverse array of change methods, such as Appreciative Inquiry, the Art of Convening, Open Space Technology, and many more.Dialogic Organization Development is a compelling alternative to the classical action research approach to planned change. Organizations are seen as fluid, socially constructed realities that are continuously created through conversations and images. Leaders and consultants can help foster change by encouraging disruptions to taken-for-granted ways of thinking and acting and the use of generative images to stimulate new organizational conversations and narratives. This book offers the first comprehensive introduction to Dialogic Organization Development with chapters by a global team of leading scholar-practitioners addressing both theoretical foundations and specific practices.
Reviews
“ Gervase Bushe and Bob Marshak have done a commendable job in contributing to the field of OD. This is a rich tapestry of learning that is bound to create much joy and excitement amongst researchers, students, teachers and practitioners. I strongly endorse this book and pray that it touches many people all over the world.” —Anil Sachdev, Founding CEO, Grow Talent and School for Inspired Leadership, India”
“ Dialogic Organization Development is a truly pioneering work that puts the focus back on the heart of OD – the spirit of inquiry. Instead of change driven by diagnosing how to align organizational elements with the
demands of the broader environment,Dialogic OD concerns itself with how to induce new ways of thinking by engaging with the organizational conversations that create and frame understanding and action.”
— S. Ramnarayan, Clinical Professor of Organizational Behavior,Indian School of Business, Hyderabad”
“ Dialogic Organization Development is timely and relevant. The book is enriching,provocative, and challenging, while making it easy to understand and apply this new approach to organization transformation.”
— Sushma Sharma, Founder and CEO, Resonate Consulting, Past President,Indian Society for Applied Behavioral Sciences”
“ Dialogic Organizational Development moves beyond the stability biased assumptions of social science and allows us to feel, see, think and act in new ways. It is a key contribution.”
— Robert E. Quinn, Professor of Management and Organizations,Ross Business School, University of Michigan”
“ Dialogic Organization Development will prove to be a milestone in the evolution of organization development. The chapters in this volume enrich current understandings of organization development and push boundaries.”
— Loizos Heracleous, Professor of Strategy and Organization,Warwick Business School and Associate Fellow, Oxford University”
About the Author
Gervase has a B.A. from Concordia University, a Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve in Organizational Behavior. He is also a graduate of the five year trainer development program from the Sir George Williams Centre for Human Relations and Community Studies in Montreal and a certified T-group facilitator. He is on the editorial boards of both scholarly and practical journals. He has given talks and courses on leadership and organizational change methods in Canada, the US, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa. He is an associate with consulting firms in Asia (The Gritti Group) Europe (Provins Fem AB, Advance Groep BV) Mexico (VeMejor S.C.) and the US (The Big Rapids Group) and a member of the NTL Institute of Applied Behavioral Science. Robert J. Marshak is Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence for Organization Development Programs at the School of Public Affairs, American University, and has been an organizational consultant for more than forty years. He received the Organization Development Network's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000 and the Douglas McGregor Memorial Award for the Best Article in the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science in 2009. He has published three books, including two with Berrett-Koehler, and more than 80 book chapters and articles in leading academic and practitioner journals. Among the organizations Dr. Marshak has consulted with are BASF, Exxon, GlaxoSmithKline, UNICEF, and a wide range of U.S. government agencies and offices. Dr. Marshak has taught organization dynamics and change leadership in SPA since 1977. His areas of expertise include: organizational change and development, organizational discourse, and organization theory and behavior. Dr. Marshak has served on the Boards of NTL Institute and the Organization Development Network, and was Acting Editor of the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science. He received the OD Network’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and is the author of over 85 publications on consulting and change. Dr. Marshak also held senior executive level positions in policy and management analysis in the US Government.
