Respecting the Gulf Between OD and HR, and Bridging It: A Conversation with Matt Minahan
This is the 15th video produced in the ‘Just in Case…’ mini-series sponsored by Quality and Equality. In this video we are joined by Matt Minahan, an active steward of the field through being a professor of Org Theory and Diagnosis at the AU MSOD Program, a guest lecturer in several doctoral programs, and a board member for an extensive list of OD organizations. As a scholar, Matt has contributed to the NTL Handbook of Organization Development and Change; received the Outstanding Article award from the journal, OD Practitioner several times and was co-editor and contributor to the 2012 book, Handbook for Strategic HR, Best Practices in Organization Development, published by the OD Network. Today, Matt shares the history of OD and HR, how they are different, how each play an important and vital role in organisations. Some of the provocative stances Matt takes reflect his desire to ensure the field boundary between the OD and HR will remain distinct and not for OD be seen as a sub-field of HR. His intent is to encourage the two fields to continue to seek ways to collaborate in service of the client. The four questions we asked are:
Where did these two functions come from – and what in the world was going on then?
If this is where HR and OD have come from, what are they today, and what challenges do they face?
How has the boundary between OD and HR gotten confused?
Respecting the differences between OD and HR, how do we build bridges between the two functions?
Articles, Books, and References
This 45-minute video serves as a foundational review of the history of HR and OD, with Matt detailing how both functions exist today, sometimes confusingly to organizations, and how we can build bridges for the betterment of all. We hope you’ve learned some key practices and will find some opportunities to discuss this topic with a small group of colleagues to as a good way to learn and grow.
Biography
Matt Minahan, Ed. D. leads a small consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, organization design and development, and leadership development.
Matt's clients are implementing large scale, enterprise-wide change programs. His firm specializes in collaborative design and facilitation including business strategy, new structures, mission, business process simplification, culture change, and communications.
He is a current member and former board member of both the OD Network and of NTL Institute. He teaches the Org Theory and Diagnosis course in the AU MSOD program and is a guest lecturer in several doctoral programs.
Contact
Email: matt@minahangroup.com