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Data collected from 319 senior executives and 2477 of their subordinates from a global diversified organization were used to explore the impact of differences in individual personality orientation on the processes by which these individuals enable their workgroups. Personality orientation was defined in terms of self‐ratings on four distinct groupings derived from a k‐means cluster analysis of self‐ratings on the Myers‐Briggs Type Indicator and the Kirton Adaptation Inventory. Perceptions of enablement and ratings of executive behavior were based on questionnaires completed by subordinates. Although no differences were found with respect to the overall degree of enablement experienced by subordinates, personality orientation did affect the specific behaviors employed by executives to enable others and the degree of managerial self‐awareness exhibited (operationalized as congruence in self vs. subordinates' ratings). Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Reviews important contemporary theoretical approaches to the understanding and management of change in organizations, and then proposes an alternative framework for integrating the major themes encountered in organizational change management. Reports on results from an assessment instrument measuring agreement with key principles and concepts from this framework. Analyses results for trends indicating differences according to gender, culture, function, level, industry and other demographic and organizational variables. Discusses implications for change agents and human resources professionals.

A series of interviews were conducted with 12 experienced Organization Development (OD) practitioners in order to explore the impact that changes in the business world may have had on the values of the field. Eight major themes emerged from these interviews: (1) OD practitioners are driven by large system change; (2) humanistic values remain at the core of OD efforts; (3) practitioners are focusing more on business effectiveness issues; (4) achieving personal goals and rewards are strong motivators; (5) practitioners sometimes project their own issues and problems onto clients; (6) some operate as fringe dwellers on the margin of commitment to organizations; (7) the OD missionary is alive but not well; and (8) training for the field is a severe problem – there are too few mentors for the number of people entering the field. Addresses implications for the field of OD.

Early in one’s career in psychology, certainly starting in graduate school, if not sooner as a psych major in college, a choice point gradually emerges between seeking a career as a scholar, a scientist, and perhaps as an academic versus pursuing the life of a practitioner, one who applies the work of the former, the scholar. We faculty will often cast this choice in the form of a “tension” between science and practice. Ironically, I have never felt such tension. The purpose of this chapter is to explore choices we make in life and career, the consequences of these choices, and what we can learn in the process, that is, along the way and the implications for organization change and development.

Suggests that change is inherent in contemporary organizational experience, and its management is not only critical to organizational success but it is also at the centre of the field of organization development (OD). Describes the results of a survey of 357 OD practitioners regarding their knowledge and understanding of important aspects of organizational change. Based on a comparison of the survey data collected with previous research, demonstrates that this group of presumed “change experts” is, in fact, more knowledgeable in most areas about the application and process of organizational change than their managerial and executive counterparts. Presents further analyses that serve to highlight different areas of knowledge and application of change management techniques with respect to various respondent characteristics, e.g. internal versus external status, number of years of experience in the field, etc. Concludes with a call for reflection regarding the results obtained and continued research in this area.

Organization development (OD) and the business environment, more generally, have seen many changes in the last 20 years. This chapter describes findings of a research study that investigated current perceptions of the field of OD as compared to data collected in a 1993 study (published in 1994). Survey data collected from 388 OD professionals indicated findings along the following themes: (1) continued perceived weakening of traditional OD values; (2) focus on business effectiveness and fewer perceptions that OD is too “touchy feely”; (3) increase in commitment to organizations and standing against the misuse of power; (4) coaching is seen as an integral part of OD; and (5) practitioners are very optimistic about the future of OD. Implications for the current and future practice of OD are discussed.

Although a large contingency of theory and research has been conducted in the area of individual and interpersonal communication, relatively few theoreticians have focused on the broader character of communication at the organizational level of analysis. With the increasing emphases on total quality, leadership, adaptive cultures, process reengineering, and other organizational change and development efforts, however, the need to understand the process and function of organizational communication at a broader, more systemic level is paramount. The following paper attempts to address this issue by providing: (1) a comparative review and critique of three “classic” theoretical approaches to describing the importance of communication in organizations and the relationship between communication and organizational functioning (open systems theory, the information‐processing perspective, and the communication as culture framework); and (2) a new integrative framework—the CPR model of organizational communication—for conceptualizing and understanding the nature of communication in organizations based on constructs adapted from these three perspectives. The model is then used both in an applied example to help diagnose an organizational system and to stimulate suggestions for future research.

Managers and executives need to have a better framework for thinking about and understanding organizational change. Presents a summary of research, based on data from 1,840 managers and executives worldwide on the Managing Change Questionnaire (MCQ), regarding participants’ understanding of important issues inherent in change management. Overall, the average score on the 25‐item MCQ was 71.2 per cent, i.e. roughly a grade of “C” in the subject of change management. Presents additional findings with respect to formal education, age and length of service, nationality, job function, industry, gender and level of management.

This issue is a selected bibliography covering the subject of leadership.

This review article focuses on the factors that affect the selection and implementation of three principles of distributive justice (i.e., equity, equality, and need) to reward systems in group and organizational settings. After presenting an overview of the assumptions, goals, and possible consequences associated with each of the three perspectives, the article then describes the moderating factors influencing distribution rule preferences across four levels of analysis: (1) the interorganizational, (2) the intraorganizational, (3) the work group, and (4) the individual. Some of the variables discussed include cross‐cultural differences, reward system implementation, task interdependency, work group climate, and individual characteristics. This material is then summarized through the use of a new conceptual model for describing allocation rule preferences. The article concludes with suggestions for future research.