THE SHIFTING ROLES OF ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT (OD) CONSULTANTS
It is generally accepted that the idea of an outsider “consulting” to an organization began with Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915), an American mechanical engineer who sought to improve industrial efficiency. He is regarded as the father of scientific management and was one of the first management consultants . This early model of consulting was primarily one of an “expert” who came into the organization to “tell” and “fix.” Such expert consultants are still needed today for tasks that require expertise in computers, accounting systems, retirement plans, and so forth. They provide skills the system needs to address a problem that is linear and mechanistic in nature.
The work ...