Abstract:
Over approximately the last 20 years, models have been used to guide the
organization development (OD) consulting process for enhanced organizational
effectiveness, with implications for creating learning organisations. This review analyses and
synthesizes the characteristics, similarities and differences, and strengths and weaknesses of
four main models of OD, and the extent to which they can be used to create learning
organisations. The models reviewed are the three-step, action research, appreciative inquiry,
and the general planned change model. Whereas all four models overlap in characteristics
such as involving participants in the change process, important differences including the
focus and stages of change exist amongst them. On the basis of the review, the general model
of OD which integrates the other three models is revised and extended to address two main
gaps. The first is the absence of a stage in the change process that focuses on assessing
pertinent organizational and client factors capable of influencing the success/failure of
planned change efforts. The second concerns the lack of clarification on how organizations
can become learning organizations as part of the change process. The proposed extended
general OD model comprises six overlapping stages, including a final “empoweringwithdrawal” stage. It proposes that OD efforts should empower clients to become learning
organizations as an ultimate focus of the field of OD. The review holds important
implications for OD practitioners and researchers to jointly adopt, review, and build on the
proposed revised general model of OD.