2017 OD Network Annual Conference: Call for Proposals |
Request for Proposals
The Call of our Time: OD Innovating for Impact
Our world faces great opportunities -- rebuilding trust in our financial systems and global relationships, turning around inequality and poverty, caring for our environment, and lifting up education and healthcare. Organization Development -- being creative, inspirational, and deeply practical -- is poised to inspire and generate the innovation being called forth by our organizations, communities, and society. The 2017 Conference invites all of us to think differently about our work, not as intervention but rather as innovation and delivering impact. Our conference will combine learning from thought-leaders and practitioners with hands-on action learning in multi-stakeholder client systems. Be part of the innovation in OD that will answer the call of our time. It is our time!
Our world faces great opportunities -- rebuilding trust in our financial systems and global relationships, turning around inequality and poverty, caring for our environment, and lifting up education and healthcare. Organization Development -- being creative, inspirational, and deeply practical -- is poised to inspire and generate the innovation being called forth by our organizations, communities, and society. The 2017 Conference invites all of us to think differently about our work, not as intervention but rather as innovation and delivering impact. Our conference will combine learning from thought-leaders and practitioners with hands-on action learning in multi-stakeholder client systems. Be part of the innovation in OD that will answer the call of our time. It is our time!
Conference sessions will take two forms: classic concurrent presentations and live large-group change meetings. In both types of experiences, participants will interact with new and familiar tools, techniques, approaches, models, and philosophies. Three sub-themes will weave through the conference sessions, with opportunities to delve deeply into: technology, collective action and innovation.
Technology – Increasingly OD practitioners are discovering technology as a necessary tool for their work no matter the context. How does technology increase not only productivity but meaning? How is technology bridging differences across generations, race, beliefs and life experiences? The conference explores technology’s role in developing healthy human systems and how it may change our field in the future.
Collective Action – Inspiring collective action is essential to drive sustainable change within and across boundaries. What is it like to engage in large-group change methods as a part of, not apart from, the evolving system? How do client systems sustain the engagement and positive momentum that often happens when people collaborate towards a common goal? The conference invites attendees to hear cases about and have hands-on experience with large scale change initiatives.
Collective Action – Inspiring collective action is essential to drive sustainable change within and across boundaries. What is it like to engage in large-group change methods as a part of, not apart from, the evolving system? How do client systems sustain the engagement and positive momentum that often happens when people collaborate towards a common goal? The conference invites attendees to hear cases about and have hands-on experience with large scale change initiatives.
Innovation – OD practitioners harness their skills in creativity, improvisation, and experimentation to guide the evolution of businesses and nonprofits, communities and institutions and in broader society. Which innovative techniques and approaches have positively affected these settings? How might we innovate ourselves as instruments to drive impact and prepare for our future challenges? How is the field of OD itself changing to develop and guide human systems of all types? The conference invites participants to dive deeply into ways to innovate for impact.