PB433 Half Unit
Theory and Practice of Organisational Development
This information is for the 2025/26 session.
Course Convenor
Dr Lucia Garcia-Lorenzo
Availability
This course is available on the MSc in Behavioural Science, MSc in Human Resources and Organisations (Organisational Behaviour), MSc in Organisational and Social Psychology, MSc in Social and Cultural Psychology, MSc in Social and Public Communication and MSc in Societal and Environmental Psychology. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process.
How to apply: All PBS 0.5-unit courses in Winter Term are controlled access and capped. Students enrolled on PBS programmes will be given priority.
Each course is available with permission as an outside option to students outside of PBS where regulations permit, providing there is space. All students must submit a short statement (around 100 words) outlining their motivation for enrolling on the course, which will be considered by the course convenor.
Deadline for application: Please apply as soon as possible after the opening of course selection for all courses.
For queries contact: Pbs.msc@lse.ac.uk
Course content
What is Organizational Development? Organizational Development (OD) is a field of study and practice that focuses on facilitating planned change efforts and interventions, with a view to improve an organisation’s effectiveness, health, and performance. Drawing from a range of theories, OD adopts a systemic approach to improving its internal processes, structures, and culture. To accomplish this, it undertakes a deep analysis of needs and goals to help organisations understand their current state, and work towards their desired future state.
Why is Organizational Development important? Organisations are now operating in an increasingly complex, dynamic, and ever-changing environment, and to confront these changes, organisations need to be nimble, innovative, and effective if they are to survive and thrive. Considering the overall goal of OD is to help create healthier, more adaptive, and resilient organizations capable of thriving in today's dynamic operational landscape, OD can help organizations navigate this difficult terrain, adapt, learn about new ways of leading and managing, and stay competitive.
This course explores organisational development from a theoretical and practical perspective. While the course is strongly informed by key theoretical frameworks such as organisational behaviour, critical theory, system psychodynamics, psychological and management theories, to name a few, , OD comes into its own in application. Students will be actively encouraged to relate key OD theoretical perspectives to current organisational challenges using interactive case studies and in-class activities. The aim of the course is, therefore, twofold: first to explore theories and concepts that underpin OD and second, to learn how to apply OD through practical hands-on experience. In seminars and workshops students will gain experience on drafting organizational change interventions, thinking about their implementation, and evaluating their potential impact in organised contexts.
Teaching
10 hours of seminars and 10 hours of lectures in the Winter Term.
This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Winter Term.
Formative assessment
500-word essay plan followed by 10-minute individual discussion with course instructor
Indicative reading
Detailed references and class topics are distributed in the first lecture of the series. The following represents key readings covering some of the topics discussed in the course:
• Carr, A., & Gabriel, Y. (2001). The psychodynamics of organizational change management an overview. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 14(5), 415-421.
• Alvesson, M., & Sveningsson, S. (2015). Changing organizational culture: Cultural change work in progress. Routledge.
• Argyris, C. (2008). Teaching smart people how to learn. Harvard Business Review Press.
• Cameron, E., & Green, M. (2019). Making sense of change management: A complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers.
• Deszca, G., Ingols, C., & Cawsey, T. F. (2019). Organizational change: An action-oriented toolkit. Sage Publications.
• Gallos, J. V. (2006). Organization development: A Jossey-Bass reader. Jossey-Bass.
• Weick, K. E. (1995). Sensemaking in organizations (Vol. 3). Sage.
• Porras, J. I., & Robertson, P. J. (1992). Organizational development: Theory, practice, and research. In M. D. Dunnette & L. M. Hough (Eds.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (pp. 719–822). Consulting Psychologists Press.
Assessment
Presentation (10%)
Essay (90%, 3000 words)
Essay (90%, 3000 words). Group Presentation (10%)
Key facts
Department: Psychological and Behavioural Science
Course Study Period: Winter Term
Unit value: Half unit
FHEQ Level: Level 7
CEFR Level: Null
Total students 2024/25: 29
Average class size 2024/25: 15
Controlled access 2024/25: YesCourse selection videos
Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.
Personal development skills
- Leadership
- Self-management
- Team working
- Problem solving
- Application of information skills
- Communication
- Specialist skills