Ph.D. in Organization Development

 Introduction

The Ph.D. program in Organization Development (OD) is dedicated to better understanding the work of the OD professional within the context of global trends and emerging problems. It prepares management professionals with state-of-the-art education in the field. The coursework is designed for organization development professionals who perceive the management of change and the creation of high-performance organizations as central parts of their careers. It is designed as a full-time program (eight credits per quarter), integrated with and complementary to full-time work activities. Classes generally are held on weekends.

The master's level OD program at Benedictine University was one of the first graduate OD programs in the country. Currently, it is the third largest behaviorally-oriented management program nationally and is one of the top-rated graduate OD programs internationally.

The Ph.D. OD program classroom curriculum is devoted to context courses, including a course on the evolution of OD, followed by a course on global trends.

The first set of context courses in the Ph.D. OD program concentrates on setting the tone and developing sensitivity to the role of organization development in terms of social responsibility in the national and global arenas. These courses review the nature of emerging problems and the role of organizations and organization development in responding to these problems. Heavy emphasis is placed on the philosophy of science and organization research and theory.

The second set of context courses places organization development within management and the strategic role of organization development. The second-year curriculum is devoted to the development of a core of organization development competencies and selected, advanced topics courses covering state-of-the-art interventions. Qualitative and quantitative research methods, as well as organizational theory and research coursework, comprise much of the second-year coursework.

The third year consists of continued advanced topics courses, including an international seminar and completion of the dissertation.

Overview

The Ph.D. Program in Organization Development prepares management professionals with state-of-the-art education in the field. Built on a 45-year history of successful graduate-level OD education, this program is intended for those persons with extensive experience, who currently hold responsible positions either in the field of organization development, management or a closely-allied field such as human resource management. It is a three-year program, consisting of a first year of context courses, a second year covering some core OD knowledge areas and a third year consisting of advanced OD topics and the completion of a dissertation. The doctoral degree in organization development at Benedictine University was one of the first graduate OD programs in the country. It is currently the third largest behaviorally-oriented management program in the nation and one of the top-rated graduate OD programs internationally.

The program is designed to provide a forum for exposure to a wide range of contributors to the field and approaches to organization development. The program is staffed by full-time Benedictine University faculty members, complemented by a core of adjunct faculty and invited scholars. Invited, distinguished scholars, noted for their contribution to the field, are teamed with faculty when appropriate, particularly in advanced seminars.

The OD program is designed to provide broad-based theory and research with the intent of creating scholar-practitioners capable of extending the knowledge horizons of the field. Individuals who successfully complete the program will consistently demonstrate professional competence and excellence through:

• knowledge of the history and development of the field of organization development as a scientific-applied discipline,
• knowledge of emerging concepts and theory in the field, knowledge of and commitment to the concept of the practitioner-scholar and its role in the further development of the field,
• knowledge of the current and projected global trends and problems, and the responsibility and role of the field in relationship to these trends in a global culture,
• a demonstrated command of theoretical and applied research methodologies, including but not limited to: action research, diagnostic research, evaluation research and theory building research,
• a capacity to create and use innovative intervention strategies to enhance the ability of organizations to better manage their resources and cope with turbulent and unpredictable environments,
• knowledge of and demonstrated abilities in data collection and analysis, including but not limited to: interviewing, participant-observer methods, questionnaire design, unobtrusive measures and quantitative and qualitative data analysis supported through relevant information, technology, knowledge and skill,
• demonstrated ability in general consulting and interpersonal skills, including organizational assessment, intervention strategies, process consultation, entry and contracting integrity, personal centering, active learning, trust, rapport building and modeling of behaviors in concert with the OD Code of Ethics,
• knowledge of and commitment to the OD Code of Ethics and the role of the OD practitioner-scholar in creating and fostering the ethical organization,
• knowledge of and demonstrated contribution to the field of organization development through:

a.     appropriate membership and leadership roles in professional organizations,

b.     regular contributions to the knowledge and critique of the field through submission to, and publication in, peer-reviewed journals and

c.     consistent presence and participation in regional and national conferences through the presentation of both scholarly and practitioner-oriented research.

A core of permanent full-time Benedictine University faculty and Distinguished Visiting Scholars staff the program. Distinguished Visiting Scholars, noted for their contribution to the field, are teamed with regular faculty, particularly in advanced seminars.

Peter F. Sorensen, Jr., Director
Ramkrishnan V. Tenkasi, Professor
Therese F. Yaeger, Associate Professor

Distinguished Visiting Scholars and Benedictine Faculty

Ms. Billie Alban
Alban & Williams, Ltd.

Dr. Philip Anderson
ManpowerGroup North America

Dr. Chris Argyris
Harvard University

Mr. Richard and Mrs. Emily Axelrod
The Axelrod Group

Dr. Frank Barrett
Naval Post Graduate School

Dr. Jean Bartunek
Boston College

Dr. Michael Beer
Harvard Business School

Mr. Geoffrey Bellman
The Community Consulting Partnership

Dr. Robert R. Blake
Grid International, Inc.

Mr. Peter Block
Author, Flawless Consulting

Dr. Cheryl Boglarsky
Human Synergistics

Dr. David Boje
New Mexico State University

Dr. Richard Boland
Case Western Reserve University

Dr. David Bradford
Stanford University, Graduate School of Business

Dr. Bruce Buchowicz
National University

Dr. Anthony Buono
Bentley College

Dr. W. Warner Burke
Columbia University

Dr. Steven H. Cady
Bowling Green State University

Dr. Peter Cappelli
University of Pennsylvania Wharton Center for Human Resources

Dr. John Carter
John Carter and Associates

Dr. Allan Church
Columbia University, Pepsico, Inc.

Dr. James Clawson
University of Virginia, Darden Graduate School

Dr. Deborah Colwill
Asbury Theological Seminary

Dr. David Cooperrider
Case Western Reserve University, Weatherhead School of Management

Dr. Thomas Cummings
University of Southern California Marshall School of Business

Dr. Richard Daft
Vanderbilt University

Ms. Kathy Dannemiller
Dannemiller Tyson Associates

Dr. Mark S. Frankel
American Association for the Advancement of Science

Dr. Wendell French
University of Washington

Dr. Frank Friedlander
The Fielding Institute

Dr. Ronald Fry
Case Western Reserve University

Dr. William Gellerman
Dialogue Associates

Dr. Kenneth Gergen
Swarthmore College

Dr. Mary Gergen
Penn State Delaware County

Dr. Robert Golembiewski
University of Georgia

Dr. Timothy Goodly
Turner Broadcasting Systems, Inc. 

Dr. Larry Greiner
University of Southern California

Dr. Mary Jo Hatch
University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce

Dr. Thomas Head
Roosevelt University

Dr. David Jamieson
University of St. Thomas

Dr. Robert Keidel
University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School

Dr. Gerry Ledford
Ledford Consulting Network

Dr. Fred Luthans
University of Nebraska

Dr. Michael Manning
New Mexico State University

Dr. Dorothy Marcic
Vanderbilt University

Dr. Robert Marshak
AU/NTL; Marshak Associates

Dr. Victoria Marsick
Columbia University Teachers College

Dr. Matthew Minahan
MM & Associates; Johns Hopkins, Carey Business School; University of Maryland, R.H. Smith School

Dr. Philip Mirvis
Philip H. Mirvis Associates

Dr. Susan A. Mohrman
University of Southern California

Dr. Kenneth Murrell
University of West Florida

Dr. Ellen O’Connor
Stanford University; Chronos Associates

Dr. Deb Orr
Roosevelt University

Dr. Brian Peach
University of West Florida

Dr. Joanne Preston
Pepperdine University

Dr. Ronald Purser
San Francisco State University

Dr. Robert E. Quinn
University of Michigan

Dr. Ryan W. Quinn
Darden Graduate School of Business

Dr. John Redding
Redding Associates

Dr. Grace Ann Rosile
New Mexico State University

Dr. Denise Rosseau
Carnegie-Mellon University

Dr. Edgar Schein
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management

Dr. Charles Seashore
Fielding Graduate Institute

Ms. Edith Seashore
Former President, NTL American University, NTL Institute

Dr. Peter Senge
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management

Dr. A. B. Rami Shani
California Polytechnic State University

Dr. Dalitso Sulamoyo
President and CEO, Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies

Dr. William R. Torbert
Boston College

Dr. Peter Vaill
University of St. Thomas, Graduate School of Business

Dr. Andrew Van de Ven
University of Minnesota

Dr. Glenn Varney
Bowling Green State University

Dr. Kala Visvanathan
John Hopkins University

Dr. Don Warrick
University of Colorado - Colorado Springs

Mr. Marvin Weisbord
FutureSearch Associates

Dr. Karen Whelan-Berry
Texas Wesleyan University

Dr. Diana Whitney
Saybrook Institute & Corporation for Positive Change

Dr. Richard Woodman
Texas A&M University

Dr. Christopher Worley
University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business

Dr. Dale Zand
New York University

International Distinguished Visiting Scholars

Dr. David Coghlan
University of Dublin, Trinity School of Business

Dr. Bjorn Gustavsen
Work Research Institute, Norway

Dr. Henrik Holt Larsen
Copenhagen Business School, Denmark

Dr. Flemming Poulfelt
Copenhagen Business School, Denmark

Dr. Thoralf Qvale
Work Research Institute, Norway

Dr. Ralph Stablein
University of Otago, New Zealand

Dr. Ralph Stacey
University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

Dr. Frans M. van Eijnatten
Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands