A series of consultant omissions and errors is traced over the course of a
five-month organization development (OD) project that was terminated
by top management. Although some positive results were obtained, only
the major problems and flaws are examined in detail here. Most of the
defects in the OD process could have been avoided had the consultants
had a better understanding of the fifteen pitfalls discussed. The primary
problems center on diagnosis of the system, the development of client
expectations, and effective communication between the consultant group
and top managers.
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