The Science of Organizational Change and the Art of Changing Organizations

Abstract

As a field of applied behavioral science, organizational change and development has characteristics of both science and art. I will explore four areas where the science of organizational change and the art of changing organizations are often in tension creating paradoxes that must be resolved or at least “held,” misunderstandings, occasional dysfunction, and insight and value. I will argue that the coexistence of science and art can be found specifically in theory creation and utilization, the evaluation of organizational change, the act of organizational diagnosis, and the study of organizational creativity. The advancement of theory, research, and practice in organization development depends, to a very real extent, on the ability to appreciate and to balance science and art in each of these domains.