Master of Organization Development Program celebrates decades of success, hosts Best Practices in Leading Change conference

In 1974, BGSU launched one of the first Master of Organization Development (MOD) programs in the U.S. Today, the program has grown to become one of the world’s most prestigious programs of its kind.

In October, 2016, the College of Business Administration celebrated the success of this program with the MOD Best Practices in Leading Change Conference, hosted by the MOD program in the Department of Management and the Office of Graduate and Executive Programs in Business.

The conference drew more than 130 MOD alumni and business professionals, along with current and past faculty members. Keynote speakers were Dr. Richard Boyatzis, distinguished university professor at Case Western Reserve University, and Dr. Gene Poor, Hamilton Endowed Professor of Entrepreneurship at BGSU.

Dr. Deborah A. O’Neil, director of the MOD program, opened the conference by quoting BGSU professor emeritus of management, Glenn Varney, who founded the program. Varney, in his article “A Short History of the Master of Organization Development: 1974-1996,” wrote, “Change was the ‘order of the day’ in the late 1960s and 1970s…the combined needs being forced upon organizations from societal changes required organizational leaders to be more aware, more responsive, and more able to bring about change.”

O’Neil said, “I believe his words are as relevant today as they were when Dr. Varney received approval from BGSU and the Ohio Board of Regents to create the MOD program in 1974 and welcomed the first class of 14 students in 1975.”

The morning keynote speaker, Dr. Boyatzis, discussed “Leading and Coaching for Sustained, Desired Change: Why Relationships, Compassion and Hope Matter.” He inspired the audience by reminding them that those in the field of OD are “the social conscience of our organizations – we help our organizations activate their human capital.”

Following Dr. Boyatzis’ presentation, MOD ‘16 alumni Erin Hachtel, Anna Lynott, Tammy Newhouse, Brian Schramke and Julie Shope facilitated a collaborative session that focused on hope, compassion and mindfulness. As part of their presentation, they asked participants to record what they were inspired to do, be or change that day.

In the afternoon, attendees had the difficult task of choosing between concurrent sessions:

• Lori Gabel, ‘15 MOD alumna, discussed organization-wide change efforts; she is the HR talent engagement leader at Westfield Insurance
• Bob Anderson, ‘86 MOD alumnus, focused on the need to change our perspective on leadership; he is the founder, chairman and chief development officer of The Leadership Circle
• Derrick Barton, ‘94 MOD alumnus, helped attendees engage their employees in order to deliver results to their organizations
• Jake Jacobs, author, blogger and consultant, used his work with citizens and law enforcement in Charleston, South Carolina, to demonstrate how real healing comes from real listening

Dr. Gene Poor closed out the day by looking into the future of the workplace, including the use of robots and artificial intelligence. He challenged attendees to think about the future of organizations and the skills required to remain relevant.   

Dr. O’Neil concluded the conference. “While we are here to celebrate the past, we are equally invested in designing the future,” she said. “Issues of organization development, leadership development and human development are more important than ever in these tumultuous times with incredible advances in technology and ways of working.”

She added, “We are proud to be educating the next generation of change leaders who will continue to serve the world in meaningful and important ways. We look forward to collaborating with all of you to continue to make that vision a reality.”