Handbook of Organization Development

"Cummings has assembled an organization development dream team to provide an overview of the field, fully mature as a discipline and practice, and ever evolving beyond its origins in psychology...Complete with a name and subject index, this volume is significant in relevance and gravitas, unveiling the hard-fought wisdom of the theorists and practitioners who shaped, and are shaped, by the dynamic work of managing change in organizations. A veritable one-stop resource on the topic of organization development―its history, process, practices, and pitfalls."
―G.E. Leaf, CHOICE


The Handbook of Organization Development reflects the field of organizational development′s rapid growth and success since its inception 50 years ago into a far more diffuse and complex study than it was just a few decades ago. It shows how organizational development has expanded from the need to help organizations cope with internal social problems, to a broader attempt to address more strategic issues of firm structure and competitive advantage in a global environment.

Key Features:

• Reflects the field of OD′s rapid growth and success since it′s inception 50 years ago into a far more diffuse and complex study than it was just a few decades ago.
• Shows how OD has expanded from the need to help organizations cope with internal social problems, to a broader attempt to address more strategic issues of firm structure and competitive advantage in a global environment.
• Provides a synthesis of new methods and perspectives from diverse areas far removed from OD′s psychological origins, including management, economics, sociology, personnel, information systems, and international relations.
• International contributors are included, reflecting similarities and differences from around the world.

Thomas G. Cummings Professor, Chair of the Department of Management and Organization, and Director of the Leadership Institute, received his BS and MBA degrees from Cornell University, and his PhD in business administration from the University of California at Los Angeles. He was previously on the faculty at Case-Western Reserve University. He has authored 19 books, written over 50 scholarly articles, and given numerous invited papers at national and international conferences. He was formerly Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Management Inquiry, Chairman of the Organizational Development and Change Division of the Academy of Management, President of the Western Academy of Management, and member of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Management. He is currently Associate Editor of the Journal of Organizational Behavior and Past-President of the Academy of Management.