I captured this awesome display of color and light on a recent crisp autumn evening because it felt like it was shouting at me to pay attention to the beautiful changes in the season. It inspired me to think about how things change. These trees depend on their leaves to produce the energy they need … Continue reading How Things Change
Category: Organization Development
An Invitation to Think Different
Here’s a link to a blog post I recently wrote for the Minnesota Organization Development Network. It offers a different perspective on ways to talk about Organization Development with people who are less familiar with OD and its value to organizations. Kudos go to the MNODN webmaster for the great graphic. https://www.mnodn.org/stayconnected
Speaking Truth to Power
It happened again yesterday. This trope was trotted out in a Zoom meeting when someone was talking about something frustrating in their work life. I hear people say “speaking truth to power “ a lot, but I’m not sure anyone really thinks about what it says about them, or their workplace. This durable phrase was … Continue reading Speaking Truth to Power
A Work in Progress
When I write about organization development in my blog, I try to keep the insider jargon at a minimum. I want my ideas to be appreciated by readers who may not be as familiar or comfortable with the vocabulary of OD. I find this to be a worthwhile challenge because (a) I should be able … Continue reading A Work in Progress
An OD View of Crisis
In the Chinese language there is a character for crisis that is a combination of characters derived from two different words. In Western cultures these two words are frequently, but incorrectly, interpreted as signifying the presence of both “danger” and “opportunity.” This misinterpretation has been widely repeated in business, education and politics where it is … Continue reading An OD View of Crisis
Is Anti-Racism an Ideology or is it a Practice?
Using a simplified definition, anti-racism is about actively identifying and opposing racism. It is rooted in action and its purpose is to actively change the policies, behaviors, and beliefs that perpetuate ideas and actions that are influenced by racism. Many of the critics of anti-racism describe it as a politically-motivated ideology, which I don't agree … Continue reading Is Anti-Racism an Ideology or is it a Practice?
Critical Race Theory, Part 3
The practical reality is, that even though Critical Race Theory helps to expand the ways in which social problems involving race can be viewed and, even if it has contributed to changing perspectives on these problems, it doesn’t provide answers to questions about the action or actions a person, or people, can take to resolve … Continue reading Critical Race Theory, Part 3
Critical Race Theory, Part 2
There is a “Catch 22” when it comes to Critical Race Theory. Explaining what it is not is complicated by how hard it is to describe what it is. The “mysterious” nature of CRT, the difficulty of understanding it, especially when removed from the context in which it was created, is the very thing makes … Continue reading Critical Race Theory, Part 2
Have You Heard of Critical Race Theory?
Thanks to a class in Critical Theory that was offered as part of my doctoral training in Organization Development (shout out to Stephen Brookfield!), I’m one of the few people who had more than a passing awareness of Critical Race Theory before it became a ideological cudgel for the far-right. In my critical theory class … Continue reading Have You Heard of Critical Race Theory?
A Case for Critical Pragmatism in OD
Here is a link to my latest publication from the December 2021 issue of the OD Review. The Abstract reads: To respond to the grand challenges of epoch-defining phenomena like a global pandemic, climate change, and social justice movements, the multi-disciplined, problem-driven approaches of organization development (OD) must come to the fore. In this article … Continue reading A Case for Critical Pragmatism in OD
Hello, I'm Lisa Meyer 