In complex open systems such as organisations, the classical logic of linear causality (in which a cause leads to a proportional effect) just doesn’t work. Organisational development and change are shaped by little interactions that have unexpectedly big effects. Tiny...
Tag: work
Organisational development: working with complexity and the unexpected
Organisational Development (OD) aims at healthy organisational change through harnessing a common value base and collaborative inquiry. In reality, however, organisational life, and change, turns out to be a lot messier and a lot more unpredictable. A traditional...
Want your team to be more productive? Concentrate on happiness
If you want your team to be more productive, focus on fostering as much happiness amongst them as possible. A new study in the Journal of Applied Behavioural Science found that organisations that promote positive and virtuous practices in the workplace outperform...
Want real organisational change? Don’t be a change agent, be an Appreciative Inquirer
We’re so accustomed to thinking in terms of the problem-solving mentality that we can be blind to what’s working well in our lives and our organisations. That statement lies at the core of a new, Gestalt-inspired approach to organisational development, dubbed by its...
Why resistance to change is not the enemy of employee engagement
Organisational change is unavoidable, but what enables people to support change, and what leads them to resist it? How do leaders and managers keep employees engaged during a change process? A principle from Gestalt psychology is crucial: don’t pathologize employee...
What’s the difference between change and transformation?
Writing in the Harvard Business Review, business consultant Ron Ashkenas claims that too many change managers don’t know the difference between change and transformation. The two terms seem to get muddled, Ashkenas argues. However, there are crucial differences...






