The Chief Executive Officer and Successful OD Efforts

Abstract

The central role of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in effective organization development (OD) efforts is illustrated by data that were collected from 160 personnel in five organizations before and after a one-year OD effort. The results indicate that the CEO is clearly the single most important person in successful OD efforts. Further, data from questionnaires and interviews indicate that there is more to successful change efforts than merely the passive involvement of the CEO. Successful OD efforts require positive changes on the part of all organizational personnel in general, and on the part of the CEO in particular. The primary reason for the importance of the CEO is that most organizations place the CEO at the focal point of power in order to increase organizational effectiveness.