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Schedule

The topics and learning activities scheduled for each of the 12 lessons in the course are listed in the Course Schedule. Each lesson covers one week. As you study each week's lesson, please focus on the specific list of learning activities for that lesson.

Note: The due dates for the assignments are noted in the Course Schedule section of this syllabus, below. Deadlines will be defined as 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the last day of the lesson timeframe, unless noted differently.

Lesson 1: Introduction--Organization Development and Its Future Directions
Readings:
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 1 "General Introduction to Organization Development"
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 23 "Future Directions in Organization Development"
  • Beer, M., Eisenstat, R. A., & Spector, B. (1990, November/December). Why change programs that don't produce change. Harvard Business Review, 4-12. (online, Penn State Library)
  • The case “Building the Cuyahoga River Valley Organization” (Cummings & Worley, p.764)
Activities:
  • Introduce yourself in the Lesson 1 Self Introduction Discussion.
  • Complete the Lesson 1 Quiz.
  • Post your case analysis by  11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Eastern Time.
Lesson 2: Overview of Organization Development
Readings:
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 2 "The Nature of Planned Change"
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 3 "The Organization Development Practitioner"
  • Beer, M., & Nohria, N. (2000, May/June). Cracking the code of change. Harvard Business Review, 133-141. (online, Penn State Library)
  • Hearn, G., & Ninan, A. (2003). Managing change is managing meaning. Management Communication Quarterly, 16(3), 440-445.
  • The case “Building the Cuyahoga River Valley Organization” (Cummings & Worley, p.764)
  • Gary Hamel: Reinventing the Technology of Human Accomplishment (watch the Gary Hamel video)
  • For quality comments of this video go to the Management Innovation Exchange wesbsite.
Activities:
  • Complete the Lesson 2 Quiz.
  • Read all posts made by your classmates and choose at least 5 posts to make comments on in the case discussion by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Eastern Time.
  • Post your learning reflections to the corresponding learning reflection discussion. Read all the reflections posted by your classmates.
Lesson 3: The Process of Organizational Development (Part 1)
Readings:
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 4 "Entering and Contracting"
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 5 "Diagnosing": p.89-106
  • Black, J. A., & Edwards, S. (2000). Emergence of virtual or network organizations: Fad or feature. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 13(6), 567-576. 
  • Child J., & McGrath, R. (2001). Organizations unfettered: Organizational form in an information-intensive economy. Academy of Management Journal, 44(6), 1135-1148.
  • The case “Peppercorn Dining” (Cummings & Worley, p.238)
Activities:
  • Complete the Lesson 3 Quiz.
  • Post your case analysis by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday Eastern Time.
Lesson 4: The Process of Organizational Development (Part 2)
Readings:
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 5 "Diagnosing": p. 106-121 (Group and Individual Level Diagnosis)
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 6 "Collecting and Analyzing, and Feeding Diagnostic Information": p. 123-142
  • Gephardt, R. P., Jr. (2002). Introduction to the brave new workplace: Organizational behavior in the electronic age. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 327-344.
  • The case “Peppercorn Dining” (Cummings & Worley, p.238)
Activities:
  • Complete the Lesson 4 Quiz.
  • Read all posts made by your classmates and choose at least 5 posts to make comments on in the case discussions by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Eastern Time.
  • Post your learning reflections to the corresponding learning reflection discussion. Read all the reflections posted by your classmates.
Lesson 5: The Process of Organizational Development (Part 3)
Readings:
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 6 "Collecting and Analyzing, and Feeding Diagnostic Information": p. 142-156 (Feeding Bak Data and Survey Feedback)
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 7 "Designing Interventions"
  • Isabella, L.A. (1990). Evolving interpretations as a change unfolds: How managers construe key organizational events. Academy of Management Journal, 33(1), 7-42. 
  • The case “Lincoln Hospital: Third-Party Intervention” (Cummings & Worley, p. 322)
Activities:
  • Complete the Lesson 5 Quiz.
  • Post your case analysis by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Eastern Time.
Lesson 6: The Process of Organizational Development (Part 4)
Readings:
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 8 "Managing Change"
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 9 "Evaluating and Institutionalizing Organization Development Interventions"
  • Weber, P. S., & Manning, M. R. (2001). Cause maps, sensemaking, and planned organizational change. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 37(2), 227-52.
  • The case “Lincoln Hospital: Third-Party Intervention” (Cummings & Worley, p. 322)
Activities:
  • Complete Lesson 6 Quiz.
  • Read all posts made by your classmates and choose at least 5 posts to make comments on in the case discussions by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Eastern Time.
  • Post your learning reflections to the corresponding learning reflection discussion. Read all the reflections posted by your classmates.
Lesson 7: Human Process Intervention
Readings:
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 10 "Interpersonal and Group Process Approaches"
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 11 "Organization Process Approaches"
  • Pettigrew, A. M., Woodman, R.W., & Cameron, K. S. (2001). Studying organizational change and development: Challenges for future research. Academy of Management Journal, 44(4), 697-714.
  • The case “City of Carlsbad, California: Restructuring the Public Works Department” (Cummings & Worley, p. 433)
Activities:
  • Complete Lesson 7 Quiz.
  • Post your case analysis by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Eastern Time.
Lesson 8: Technostructural Intervention (Part 1)
Readings:
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 12 "Restructuring Organizations"
  • Hannan, M. T., & Freeman, J. (1984). Structural inertia and organizational change. American Sociological Review, 49, 149-164.
  • Zorn, T. E., Page, D. J., & Cheney, G. (2000). Nuts about change: Multiple perspectives on change-oriented communication in a public sector organization. Management Communication Quarterly, 13(4), 515–566.
  • The case “City of Carlsbad, California: Restructuring the Public Works Department” (Cummings & Worley, p. 433)
Activities:
  • Complete the Lesson 8 Quiz.
  • Read all posts made by your classmates and choose at least 5 posts to make comments on in the case discussion by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Eastern Time.
  • Post your learning reflections to the corresponding learning reflection discussion. Read all the reflections posted by your classmates.
Lesson 9: Technostructural Intervention (Part 2)
Readings:
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 13 "Employee Involvement"
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 14 "Work Design"
  • The case “Employee Benefits at HealthCo” (Cummings & Worley, p. 519)
Activities:
  • Complete the Lesson 9 Quiz.
  • Post your case analysis by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Eastern Time.
Lesson 10: Human Resource Management Intervention
Readings:
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 15 "Performance Management"
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 16 "Talent Management"
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 17 "Managing Workforce Diversity and Wellness"
  • Smircich, L. & Morgan, G. (1982). Leadership: The management of meaning. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 18(3), 257-274.
  • The case “Employee Benefits at HealthCo” (Cummings & Worley, p. 519)
Activities:
  • Complete the Lesson 10 Quiz.
  • Read all posts made by your classmates and choose at least 5 posts to make comments on in the case discussion by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Eastern Time.
  • Post your learning reflections to the corresponding learning reflection discussion. Read all the reflections posted by your classmates.
Working on Term Paper
Readings:
  • None
Activities:
  • Term paper is due on the last day of the semester. Paper should be submitted individually to the Term Paper Assignment.
Lesson 11: Strategic Change Intervention
Readings:
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 18 "Transformational Change"
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 19 "Continuous Change"
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 20 "Transorganizational Change"
  • Gioia, D., & Chittipeddi, K. (1991). Sensemaking and sensegiving in strategic change initiation.  Strategic Management Journal, 12, 433-448.
  • The case “Leading Strategic Change at DaVita: The Integration of the Gambro Acquisition” (Cummings & Worley, p. 645)
Activities:
  • Complete the Lesson 11 Quiz.
  • Post your case analysis by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Eastern Time.
  • Term paper due on the last day of the semester. Submitted individually to the Term Paper Assignment.
Lesson 12: Special Applications of Organization Development
Readings:
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 21 "Organization Development for Economic, Ecological, and Social Outcomes"
  • Cummings & Worley: Chapter 22 "Organization Development in Nonindustrial Settings: Health Care, School Systems, the Public Sector, and Family-Owned Businesses"
  • Tsoukas, H., & Chia, R. (2002). On organizational becoming: Rethinking organizational change. Organizational Science, 13(5), 567-583.
  • The case “Leading Strategic Change at DaVita: The Integration of the Gambro Acquisition” (Cummings & Worley, p. 645)
Activities:
  • Complete the Lesson 12 Quiz.
  • Read all posts made by your classmates and choose at least 5 posts to make comments on in the case discussion by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Eastern Time.
  • Post your learning reflections to the corresponding learning reflection discussion. Read all the reflections posted by your classmates.
  • Term paper due on the last day of the semester. Submitted individually to the Term Paper Assignment.
Term Paper Due
Readings:
  • None
Activities:
  • Paper is due on the last day of the semester. Paper should be submitted individually to the Term Paper Assignment.

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