OD Seasonings
Volume 2, Number 1 • Winter 2006
From The Editor
Just One Good Idea
By Edith Whitfield Seashore
I was a student at Antioch in Ohio when Douglas McGregor became president
of the college. The following year I was selected president of the student
body and worked very closely with Doug. Antioch's educational philosophy
was to involve students in all aspects of the college's administration.
As I approached graduation, Doug came up with one good idea that was to
define the rest of my life. He sent me to a 3-week sensitivity training
program at the National Training Laboratory in Group Development (now
NTL Institute) in Bethel, Maine. Doug was able to convince the big-wigs
at NTL that even though young and inexperienced I would be one good idea
for them, and I was.
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the Seashore article >>
From a Psychologist’s Eyes
By Myron J. Beard
To say that I did not come up through the more traditional route of human
resources, organization development or training is an understatement.
It has only been in the later phase of my career that my work in OD has
been more main stream. My practice in OD is always influenced by my training
as a psychologist and my earlier experiences with wild creative kids.
When I reflect how my experiences have influenced my current beliefs and
principles, the common lens has been that of a psychologist, counselor,
group leader and friend.
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the Beard article >>
Building Trust
By David W. Jamieson
Trust is one of those critical but elusive concepts. Every time a new
group or team needs to come together to do work, trust needs to be established.
Over time, people will generally develop trust as they get to know each
other better and as they perform together. As they develop some trust
people will generally disclose more personal and intimate information
which then helps them find more common ground and more connections on
which to base even deeper trust.
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the Jamieson article >>
Sorry AND Grateful About Ambivalence
By Matt Minahan
When I finished the last class in my MS OB program in 1982, I was proud
of what I had accomplished, and certain that I would accomplish even more.
I firmly believed that I would be helping people and organizations to
be better . . . what finer calling than that? And, I've spent most of
a fairly successful career believing that.
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the Minahan article >>
Book Reviews
Reviewer: Don Bushnell
Positive Organizational Scholarship: Foundations of a New
Discipline by Kim Cameron, Jane Dutton, and Robert
Quinn (Editors)
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Review >>