Our current development of methods for participatory management, communication, and understanding originated in some early OD projects about learning by experience at work. The projects involved qualitative case studies, and we used action research to implement means of categorization and control that should support the genuine development of goal-directed thinking and behavior of participants. Thus, the projects represent a cognitive approach to organizational development. They were strongly influenced by systems thinking and control theory (Ashby, 1956; Katz & Kahn, 1966) and Schein’s (1980) Planned change theory with its stages: 1. Unfreezing – Creation of motivation to change, 2. Changing – Developing new attitudes and behaviors based on new information and cognitive redefinition, 3. Refreezing – Stabilizing the changes.

Today, the challenge for scientifically based organizational development is still more complicated. What has changed, and which methodological means and models remain useful for OD in complex and diverse contexts? Two examples of early field projects of R&D are outlined briefly. Both projects began with about two years of participant observations. Our results and experiences then laid the groundwork for models and implementation of a strategy of organization development. 

The practical conduct of those projects is described extensively in special reports and books.¹  Here, the purpose is instead to give condensed accounts of the underlying concept development and modeling.²

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¹ See References for detailed project descriptions. 

² Some theoretical explications are given in On concept development and modeling in healthcare contexts and On concept development and modeling in supervision contexts.

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