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

DOES OD MISAPPLY NATURAL SCIENCE MODELS TO HUMAN SYSTEMS?

One set of criteria for deciding how to intervene in the organization at the outset derives from the assumption that consultants are “scientists” who have to gather valid information in order to make valid diagnoses so as to give valid advice. What is hidden in this generalization is that the word “scientist” has different meanings in different subcultures. If we adopt the natural science model, we start with the assumption that it is essential to ask questions that minimize the respondent’s bias that give minimal cues as to the consultant’s opinion and that can be asked in a standard format so that responses can be compared and combined. But is this possible? Can one gather objective ...