How I Became an OD Guy

Recently, someone asked me how I got into the organization development field?

In thinking about it for a few weeks, I'm realizing that it's a multi-part story. So here is Part 1.

Though I didn't quite realize it at the time, I studied OD when I was an undergraduate at Rutgers (1973-77) in a major called Human Communication which encompassed such topics as . . .

- organization development (especially Schmuck and Runkel's handbook)

- communication theory (e.g. B.Ruben, H.Lasswell, Schramm, Shannon & Weaver, Weiner, McLuhan)

- general systems (von Bertalanfy)

- general semantics (Korzybski, Wendell Johnson)

- organizational and group dynamics (e.g. Bennis, Berlew, Schein, Steele, Gibb, Dyer)

- mass communication

- interpersonal interaction

- therapeutic relationships (e.g. Carl Rogers, Rothlisberger)

- non-verbal communication (Mehrabian)

- commmunication effectiveness

- persuasion (including influence, power, negotiation, and selling)

- change (Paul Watzlawick, Kurt Lewin)

- information theory (D.Davidson)

- symbolic interaction

- sociology of knowledge (Berger and Luckmann)

- inter-cultural communication

The mind-opening thinkers I studied included Irving Rein, Saul Alinsky, David Berlo, Erving Goffman, Will Schutz, Elliott Aronson, Lee Thayer and many more.

It was (and is) fascinating stuff. I couldn't get enough. When people asked me what I was studying, it was hard to put it into a nutshell.

But I knew it was transforming me.

I have been using it (and adding to it) ever since.

More to come on this topic.....

Posted by Terrence Seamon, 04/29/06