OD Cafe Conversations

What is it?

This is an opportunity to meet, socialize and to discuss OD ideas and issues
in an informal setting. It will be held once a month, in the late afternoon,
at a centrally located restaurant (or another suitably informal venue). The
session will start with an opportunity to socialize and catch up with OD colleagues
over coffee for 15 – 20 minutes. Then the session host will start off the discussion
on the selected OD topic and let the conversation carry on for approximately
an hour. Hopefully this will allow us to explore and discuss ideas that we
often don’t seem to have time for in our regular meetings. The sessions may
be big or small but they’re certain to be lively!

Please mark this new venture in your calendar and come out to join us.

Schedule:

Session 1
Date: Tuesday, April 12
Time: 5:00 – 6:30
Location: TGIF’s restaurant, Metrotown, Burnaby (north side,
second floor, below Silver City movie theatres)
Host: Neil Kyle
Topic:
– Is there a future for organization development?
– What would it look like and what do we need to do to guarantee a future for
OD in BC? Or, internationally?
– Some have suggested that OD is fading away and will be supplanted by change
management. Is this true?
– There are a number of good articles on this topic in the Journal of Applied
Behavioural Science, December, 2004, Vol.40, Issue 4.

Session 2
Date: Tuesday, May 10
Time: 5:00 – 6:30
Location: TGIF’s restaurant, Metrotown, Burnaby (north side,
second floor, below Silver City movie theatres).
Host: Randy Olson
Topic:
– Is OD a big sandbox?
– Is it like modern Psychology – in search of credibility?
– Who does OD now?
– Do we need to explain it or apologize for it?
– Are these questions relevant?
– Hello!

Session 3
Date: Tuesday, June 7
Time: 5:00 – 6:30
Host: Dave Weaver
Location: TGIFs restaurant, Metrotown, Burnaby (north side,
second floor, below Silver City movie theatres).
Host: Dave Weaver
Topic: Internal consultants, how to be valuable, and how to
be valued!

1. Bottom line vs people. If you chose OD as a profession, then you may be
   more interested in helping people than improving company profits. That preference
   might create personal dilemmas for consultants who must justify the value
   of their work to others.
   How do you do it? What has been effective in the past?
2. Are there ways to use the techniques of an external consultant; marketing,
   promotion, etc. to develop new internal business opportunities?