Evolution of Organizational Development

Advances in Developing Human Resources http://adh.sagepub.com The Evolution of Organization Development at Cornell University: Strategies for Improving Performance and Building Capacity
Chester C. Warzynski Advances in Developing Human Resources 2005; 7; 338 DOI: 10.1177/1523422305277175 The online version of this article can be found at: http://adh.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/7/3/338

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10.1177/1523422305277175 Advances in Developing Human Resources Warzynski / ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT A CORNELL T

August 2005

The Evolution of Organization Development at Cornell University: Strategies for Improving Performance and Building Capacity
Chester C. Warzynski
The problem and the solution. Beer and Nohria propose that there is an inherent tension between organizational strategies designed to improve economic performance (Theory E) and organizational strategies designed to build organizational capacity (Theory O). They argue that the most effective approach to change integrates the two theories along six dimensions: goals, leadership, focus, process, rewards, and use of consultants. This article assesses the efficacy of the Beer and Nohria hypothesis in explaining organizational change by examining four senior leadership initiatives at Cornell University during the past decade and the organizational development strategies that emerged to support them. The article

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