Two Roads to the Bottom Line: HR and OD
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-1-2012
Originally Published In
Organization Development Journal
Volume Number
30
Issue Number
1
Page Numbers
9-18
Abstract
At the risk of some simplification, the purpose of this article is to show that HR split into two significantly different functions (administration and development) and that pressure for bottom line results has effectively strangled the ability of either human resources departments (HR) and organization development departments (OD) to focus on humanizing the workplace or attending to conditions amenable to employee self-actualization. At the same time, the article highlights the irony that many of the tools of OD have become integrated into the managerial repertoire, but not for their original purposes. I hope to stimulate some reflection among practitioners and academics regarding where we are heading in the hope that we may recommit ourselves to human betterment as well as organizational profitability.
