Organization Development in Schools: Goal Agreement, Process Skills, and Diffusion of Change

Abstract

The effects of an organization development (OD) intervention in seven elementary schools were examined in four areas: (a) goal agreement, (b) reported use of process skills, (c) relationship between process skills and goal agreement, and (d) diffusion of the effects of the intervention to new teachers. Principal-teacher teams participated in OD workshops and conducted training in their schools. Experimental school teachers increased more in goal agreement than did control school teachers. Experimental school teachers also reported more participation in discussions, participation in decisions, and surfacing of conflict than did control school teachers. Substantial diffusion of change occurred. After one year, new teachers in the experimental schools were equal to or superior to experienced teachers in goal agreement and use of process skills.