by Sandra Martinez | Aug 5, 2021
It is important that the lessons learned throughout the program are reinforced. That’s is accomplished by means of the optional coaching and practicum process. Why optional? Some of the program’s graduates may already be experienced practitioners. The program broadened their perspectives, added new interventions and processes to their toolkits. They may not need additional help. However, for those that want it, we offer it to them at no additional cost.
Participants are required to attend all sessions of the program. Tests are included in all eLearning programs. A comprehensive Final Examination is administered at the end of the workshop. The Final Exam covers materials presented throughout the program from eLearning through the online workshop and includes content from the eBook. A passing score of at least 80% on all test is required to earn a certificate.
The centerpiece of the certificate program is a 12-session, 36-hour, experiential workshop. The program’s facilitators are senior practitioners who share their decades of experience, intervention designs, models, methodologies, and instrumentation with participants. Participants engage in social learning as they work in groups to complete online simulations, case studies, situational analyses, and experiential learning activities. The emphasis is on learning from each other through emergent dialogic OD practices.
The workshop is supplemented with a 170+ page eBook that includes over 30 articles ranging from internal and external consulting roles to selecting clients and contracting, to guidelines for selecting appropriate change interventions, building support networks within client organizations and much, much more. Homework assignments include reading chapters from the book, which are discussed and applied in class. The eBook is free to participants.
A series of three learner-directed, eLearning programs introduce core concepts ensuring all participants possess a common knowledge base. The programs cover: 1) the history of OD and change management, 2) core OD and change theories and models, and 3) a comprehensive introduction to the interpersonal dynamics that shape team development and growth.
Participants enter the certificate program with varying degrees of knowledge and skills. After completing the competency assessment and participants are aware of their strengths and development needs, they create a plan to enhance current competencies and improve their skills throughout the program.
This 70-item assessment covering contracting, organization diagnosis, implementation planning, intervention management/evaluation, application of practical knowledge and skills and the Big Six Change Leadership Competencies, was developed by the ODCL research team after nine months of research.