In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, organisations face unprecedented challenges that demand dynamic and adaptable structures.

Effective organisation design, development, and effectiveness (OD) is essential to navigating organisations through complex and tumultuous periods and is an area of increasing importance to HR, but is often overlooked or dismissed as distinct from HR’s responsibilities.

Effective organisation design, development, and effectiveness (OD) is essential to navigating organisations through complex and tumultuous periods

Expert research, analysis and interviews

To shed light on this critical area, we at HRZone partnered with People and Transformational HR and The OD Academy to create a comprehensive report on the current state of OD in 2023.

This paper is the culmination of extensive research, analysis and interviews with OD practitioners across the past nine months. The end result is a deep-dive into the multifaceted aspects of OD, including its complexities and evolution in a polycrisis era.

In a context of abundant challenges and opportunities for OD and HR practitioners, we provide a candid and thorough exploration of how OD can forge ahead in 2023 and beyond. And, in particular, how OD and HR can and should work together to create greater value.

We provide a candid and thorough exploration of how OD can forge ahead in 2023 and beyond

The report explores:

• The many definitions of OD and our own holistic take on the concept
• The diverse and nuanced skillset required to excel in OD
• How the field collaborates with neighbouring functions, including HR and L&D
• The field’s pivotal role in shaping organisational effectiveness
• The future of OD and compelling trends that will shape the profession in coming years

HR and OD have the power to transform organisations into agile, adaptive, and high-performing entities

Actionable strategies for enhanced impact

At a time when OD has to get comfortable with paradox and complexity, this report offers actionable strategies to enhance the impact of OD initiatives and drive positive change.

In a truly collaborative effort, the report was written by Perry Timms, Katy Stanley, Kirsten Buck and Maddy Woodman of PTHR, Becky Norman of HRZone and Steve Benfield from the OD Academy, with expert contributions from OD consultants Dr Sharon Varney and Garin Rouch.

“The recommendations of this report are direct, relevant, and implementable,” states Christopher G. Worley, Ph.D. Research Professor of Management at Pepperdine Graziadio School of Business, in the foreword to the report.

We hope that this report will help you gain a deeper understanding of OD and its important relationship to the ever-evolving HR world.