Re-conceptualizing the role of organizations in society: challenging the status quo using organizational development

Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to contribute to the growing body of work regarding alternatives to the current economic agenda pursued by organizations in Western economies. In particular it explores how to practice Organizational Development (OD) if it challenges the reason why organizations exist in the first place.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper takes the form of a theoretical paper that explores the extant literature and maps out the theoretical positioning, the paper's argument and the model it proposes.

Findings

The paper argues that the pursuit of an economic agenda by organizations is fundamentally flawed in delivering organizational effectiveness, long-term shareholder value and releasing the potential of employees in the workplace. The article reviews the socio-humanistic values of organizational development practice and argues that OD methodology should be used to question why organizations exist in the first place, challenge the status quo, and values as well as an economic basis for decision making.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is written from a Western organizational perspective

Practical implications

OD Methodology should expand the agenda that organizations follow and any OD change effort must begin with questioning why an organization exists in the first place.

Originality/value

Provides the invitation to those delivering OD to take the opportunity to reshape the purpose of the organizations in which they work.

Citation

Foster, C. (2013), "Re-conceptualizing the role of organizations in society: challenging the status quo using organizational development", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 27 No. 6, pp. 7-9. https://doi.org/10.1108/DLO-08-2013-0057