A Comparative Analysis of Organization Development and Social Work, with Suggestions for What Organization Development can do for Social Work

Abstract

This article compares two human service professions-social work and organization development-on a number of dimensions, including values, ethics, theories, practice skills, and client systems. Sufficient similarities (and distinct differences) emerged from this analysis to indicate the utility of social work incorporating organization development technologies into administrative social work practice and education. It is suggested that such inclusion can strengthen the capacity of social work administrators to make the organizational changes needed to adapt to the changing social conditions of the 1990s.