Practicing Organization Development: A Guide for Leading Change: A Third Edition

THE SELF AS AN INSTRUMENT IN CHANGE

Most OD practitioners focus much of their learning efforts on expanding their conceptual knowledge and technical expertise. Doing so is certainly essential, and there is so much to become aware of, to learn, and to integrate. As you have learned in this book, there is an ever-growing body of strategies and intervention methods of which one must become aware. What is frequently under-emphasized in the profession (although it is often given lip service) is the personhood of the practitioner as a key variable in achieving professional effectiveness in practice.

Head-level learning is not enough. As an OD practitioner, you become the implementer of all of your learning as you try to facilitate desired change ...