MS in Positive Organizational Development and Change (MPOD)

Residencies 1-4 and 6 are seven days in duration. The Residency 5 – the International Study Tour - is 10 days long. Face-to-face learning experiences will be connected over the length of the program through virtual conferencing and other internet-mediated learning tools and activities.

Major Courses Include:

Foundations of Positive OD and Change

• Appreciative methods and positive organizational science
• Positive organizational scholarship
• Foundations of Appreciative Inquiry

Transformative Leadership and Emotional Intelligence

• Strength-based approaches to Leadership Development
• High Impact Coaching
• Designing Leadership Development Programs
• “Best-Self” Assignment
• Women in Leadership

Practicum in Positive Change Leadership

• Consulting teams work in client organizations over intensive 3-4 day period

Foundations of Strategic Thinking

• What constitutes strategy and strategic thinking?
• Survey models and processes that enable business planning for success
• Financial and non-financial factors that influence organizational growth and development
• Linking strategy and core values
• Role of change agent in strategic thinking and planning

Building the Sustainable Enterprise

• Understanding and applying systems thinking tools
• Creating financial value by responding to environmental and related social issues
• Field-based action research projects in partnership with business leaders
• Natural capitalism

Relational Skills Laboratory

• Developing selves as instruments for change
• Survey of key theories and models of interpersonal and group dynamics
• Practice techniques for developing generative relationships, getting the most from difficult conversations, leading and building extraordinary teams, and process consultation

Transforming the Total System

• Processes for engaging everyone in the inner circle of strategy
• Working with large groups
• AI Summit methodology
• Leading culture change
• Enabling trans-organizational systems: mergers, alliances, partnerships

Organizational Design for a Knowledge World

• Interplay of government, technology, markets, demographics, workforce values and historical events on forms of organization and governance
• Impact of information revolution on organizational design
• Evolution of traditional hierarchal, multi-divisional structures toward networks, spider web structures, communities of practice, and chaordic alliances
• Building the intelligent enterprise: virtual teams; knowledge management; learning organization
• Management as design

Global Citizenship & Multi-cultural OD

• International Study Tour: Belgium and Latin America in alternating years
• Building diverse organizations

Positive Change Management for Strategic Impact

• Impact assessment of planned change interventions
• Effective consulting skills
• Models for leading planned change
• Crafting implementation plans and processes for a specific change opportunity at work

Designing and Leading Educational Interventions

• Student teams design and conduct half-day workshops on current topics

Individual Positive Change Project

Schedule

MPOD (2006-2008) Schedule:
Admissions: The application deadline to guarantee placement in the MPOD program starting this fall is June 1st. However, ours is a rolling admissions process and applications are accepted until each class is filled. After that time, applicants will be placed on a wait list until a place in the class becomes available.
Residency Dates: