Leadership Foundation

Organisational Development

The Leadership Foundation supports the leadership and management of organisational change and the development of higher education institutions in a number of ways:

• Hosting materials from the Hefce-funded LGM project ‘Enhancing organisational Development in the English Universities’
• Web-based resources for the Organisational Development in Higher Education (ODHE) group
• Online and print resources relating to OD tools and approaches
• Consultancy and advice to members on a range of OD issues and activities

What is Organisational Development?

The field of organisational development (OD) is concerned with the performance, development and effectiveness of human organisations. An organisation is defined as two or more people brought together by one or more shared goals (Wikipedia, 2005).

OD is work that focuses on how an organisation functions. In essence, organisational development in higher education is about helping the HEI to harness more of its collective talents in order to succeed in its various joint endeavours: enhancing the quality of the student experience; supporting and directing the expansion and extension of the field of human knowledge and understanding; or establishing thriving enterprise ventures. The benefits from OD actions can be described in terms of an organisation's capacity to learn and change.

The ODHE Group

The UK Organisational Development Group is a long standing community of practice. Its members are higher education professionals engaged in organisational change and development. More information about the group's membership and activities is available from the ODHE Group pages.

Key contacts:

Dr Lesly Huxley, Director, Networks and Organisational Development
Professor Bob Thackwray, Director of Membership