Customer Reviews

The NTL Handbook of Organization Development and Change: Principles, Practices, and Perspectives

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
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Edited collections at this price point can be a problem. But compared to its competitors, this NTL Handbook is an outstanding volume, written by some of the biggest names in OD for practitioners at all levels. Great value after you get over the sticker shock.

As a skimmed the book I was amazed by the new insights that leapt out at me, by the clear, jargon-free writing (relatively, after all it's a professional book) and by the generous references and citations. History, ethics, techniques, it's all there. While the formatting of tables is sometimes inconvenient (I found myself turning the book sideways more than I should have had to), it's a small price to pay for the comprehensiveness of the treatment.

My only disappointments were the two chapters on large group interventions. One covers the familiar territory the familiar way (refer to the books you already own). The other gives a partial account of the newest, technology-enabled 'town meetings' without grounding the story in the theory of why they work (or should) and how cost-effective they are as OD interventions, as opposed to political rallys. The rest of the book is fresh and new, even of topics that we practitioners think we know like the back of our hand. I marvelled at the new life some chapters breathed into traditional material.

This book from NTL Institute should be in every consultant's library, as a refresher and, more important, as a source of new inspiration as you work with organizations and the people in them.

An exceptional compilation of the fundamental historical and operational elements and iterations of this still-emerging field. Very insightful both for the academic and the practitioner.

This is a must own for any new or seasoned OD professional. I require it in my OD graduate courses. These days, to ask a student to pay this kind of money for a book, that book must be worth it... this one is.

An excellent compendium from the leaders in the field of Organizational Development. A fine reference.