The problem and the solution.Doing organization development in a university is similar to doing such work in any complex organization or system. It becomes even more difficult when the expertise to conduct such work resides within the university. This article presents examples of such work that failed at a large, Midwestern, research, land-grant university. A review of the available history of organization development efforts at the university follows the detailed cases with analysis based on the Organization Development Process Model, with reference to the E and O theories of change. Recommendations that, if followed, might have resulted in different outcomes are then presented.
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