Covert Processes - The Hidden Dynamics of Organizational Change: A Conversation with Bob Marshak
This is the 33rd produced in the ‘Just in Case…’ mini-series sponsored by Quality and Equality. In this video we hear from Bob Marshak, one of the leading contemporary thinkers about organizational consulting and change, a Distinguished Scholar in Residence for OD Programs at American University, and is currently Co-Director of the Bushe-Marshak Institute for Dialogic Organization Development. Bob also shared two previous videos on Anxiety and Change and Being an Internal OD Practitioner.
Today, Dr. Marshak shares a theory he’s developed about the hidden dynamics in organizational change which he’s termed Covert Processes. Dr. Marshak starts this video with an explanation of why things are covert before defining what covert processes are. From there he provides suggestions on how we can see these hidden processes and what actions we can take to engage with covert processes. Please watch this video carefully as it contains important information for all OD Practitioners.
Resources
Marshak, R. J. (2006). Covert processes at work: Managing the five hidden dimensions of organizational change. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Biography
Robert J. Marshak is recognized as one of the leading contemporary thinkers about organizational consulting and change. He began his career as a management analyst in a U.S. government scientific agency and later served in senior executive positions in science policy before leaving to start his own global consulting practice. As a consultant, coach, or educator, he worked globally with senior leaders on strategic change initiatives. He most recently served as a Distinguished Scholar in Residence for OD Programs at American University, Washington, DC, and is currently Co-Director of the Bushe-Marshak Institute for Dialogic Organization Development.
Bob is the author of Covert Processes at Work: Managing the Five Hidden Dimensions of Organizational Change (2006), Organizational Change: Views from the Edge (2009), co-editor with Gervase Bushe of Dialogic Organization Development; The Theory and Practice of Transformational Change (2015), and Dialogic Process Consulting: Generative Meaning-Making in Action (2020), as well as more than 100 articles and book chapters on organizational consulting and change.
His contributions as a consultant, educator, and author about language and change, the hidden dynamics of organizations, and Dialogic Organization Development have been recognized by numerous awards including: The OD Network’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the inaugural Distinguished Educator Award from the Organization Development and Change Division of the Academy of Management. A chapter about him and his work is in the Palgrave Handbook of Organizational Change Thinkers (2017). His BA is from Duke University and MPA and Ph.D. degrees from American University.
Contact
Email: marshak@american.edu