A major attraction for me to the field of Organizational Behavior (OB) is that a good deal of it centers around issues of personal, group, and organizational change. One of the reasons I believe there is a greater than average Mormon representation in this field derives from the LDS assumption that we can make a better world. Many of us are utopians at heart and believe in the inner potential each human being has to become empowered and improve society. Organizational Development (OD) is a very action-oriented sub-discipline of OB that includes a manager’s personal style of leadership and influence, team-building and effective group processes, as well as change at the organizational level—structural change, empowerment of workers, labor-management cooperation, and organizational culture change. Thus, a considerable amount of my research and teaching, as well as professional consulting work, has centered on organizational change.

I’m sure that my own family background has influenced my interest in organizational change. For example, I’ve held considerable anger toward those at the top of corporations as I saw how my father was treated in his workplace, especially when the firm was taken over by an out-of-state conglomerate, downsized, and finally closed. I’m quite sure that experience helped to frame my distrust of management, anger about company takeovers, and my growing passion as a fighter against factory shutdowns.

I have been especially troubled by the degree of managerial ineptness, power-seeking and unethical practices in corporations—manifested recently by disasters at Enron, WorldCom, Adelphia, and others. The fallout from bad leadership, greed, and incompetence leads to dehumanizing workplaces, exploited employees, and organizational failures. My consulting has sought to change such factors, leading not only to improved performance of the firm, but a better quality of life for all participants—from the CEO to the floor sweeper. The articles found in the links below convey some of my professional work as a consultant in OD, redesign, implementation, and strategic interventions at various levels of corporations.

"Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose."

      --- Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, author

Organizational Change Links

Journal of Organizational Change Management
Center for Learning and Organizational Change
Fast Company Magazine
Third Sector
Organizational Dynamics Journal
Change Management Resource Library

"Until now the philosophers have only interpreted the world; the point is to change it."

      --- Karl Marx