GIODN welcomed accomplished consultant Jonathan Pugh for a special event in April 2021. The interactive session discussed the current practice of OD and its future state. Participants discussed in small groups how the pandemic affected their practice. The main theme of the session was to consider the differences between diagnostic and dialogic OD.
Pugh noted that a recent paper co-authored by 29 international researchers and scholars sought to identify the major impacts of COVID-19 on the workforce and how they may change work practices in the long-term. The results of their collaborative thinking were organized into two major impact areas: emergent changes in the workplace and emergent changes for workers. Emergent changes in the workplace includes working from home, virtual teamwork, and virtual leadership and management. While emergent changes for workers includes, social distancing and loneliness, health and well-being, and unemployment and inequality. Pugh goes on to say that “the ‘next normal’ will not mirror the ‘old normal’.”
Pugh then discusses sustaining the value of diagnostic OD as a “useful identity frame to support planned change initiatives that have a clearly defined future state.” He contrasts this with dialogic OD using a “generative image frame.” Pugh then offers a deep dive into the four leading dialogic OD tools: appreciative inquiry, Open Space, Future Search, and World Café.
This interactive GIODN Special Event truly gave participants the opportunity to explore these fundamentals of OD practice. Participants came together to think on how they can apply them to the creation of the “new normal.” You can watch the session here! Don’t forget to join us for upcoming GIODN events so you can get in on the conversation!