This post was shared by the faculty of the Executive Certificate in Organization Development Consulting  & Change Leadership in Georgetown’s Institute for Transformational Leadership.

Since the 1980s, Georgetown’s School of Continuing Studies has been a leader in training Organization Development (OD) consultants & change leaders to support the changing dynamics of the systems they serve.  In 2021, this academic history has been leveraged in a redesign process to meet the moment – where concepts of of work and workplace are being reimagined, where diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) and OD have become inextricably intertwined, and where OD learning and practice can be maximized via multiple modalities.

We are proud to reintroduce the Executive Certificate in Organization Development Consulting & Change Leadership (ODCCL).  Some key factors that set this program apart from other types of OD training include:

Diversity of Faculty

We are thrilled to bring a 12-member faculty team to this program. At least two faculty members teach each of 8 modules which gifts students with the expertise and experience of a broad range of practitioners. Our faculty bring diversity in race, gender, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, ability, as well as in work experience. We have faculty who have worked as external consultants, as internal OD consultants, and as change leaders inside organizations. Our faculty also hail from multiple sectors — corporate, nonprofit, government, military, education, healthcare, and community organizing.

Cohort Model

Learning in community is at the heart of the program design.  Students will start and end the program in cohort with the same students who will take the entire program together. As the program is highly interactive, students will meet and work with more than 20 others who come from similar and different disciplines and backgrounds, which will deepen the learning experience.

Reflection Through Lines

The ODCCL program is greatly enhanced by five powerful themes that are woven throughout the 8-month experience.  Students will be encouraged to continually reflect on the content with the following through lines:

1. Use of Self (including Emotional Intelligence and Embodiment)
2. Power and DEI
3. Polarities and Complexity
4. Organizational Context and Culture
5. Application by Professional Identity (external consultant, internal consultant, organizational  leader)

Multiple Modality Learning

Leveraging the lessons of 2020-2021, the ODCCL program engages students in synchronous and asynchronous modalities that maximize learning in our time apart and together. Students experience and learn multiple methodologies that support learning, dialogue and decision making — tools that can be applied to work as a practitioner.

Practical, Applied Learning

For 30 years, this has been, and continues to be, a practitioners’ program. Our faculty are all OD practitioners, and the program has been redesigned to harness the richness of the three primary streams of people this program attracts: External consultants/coaches, internal HR/OD/DEI professionals and internal change leaders. Students will be continually invited to ground what is learned in current work situations, and will benefit from hearing the perspectives of others who occupy roles different than their own. We also continue to work with real life applications of OD on current workplace challenges such as managing the polarities of returning to face-to-face work, equity and justice in the workplace, and the impact that virtual and hybrid workplaces have on engagement, supervision, management and culture. Most importantly, a cornerstone of the program is an OD project with a real client, which gives all students the opportunity to apply the learning, to work in teams, to receive coaching and support, and to learn from each other’s experiences.

Learn more about the Executive Certificate in Organization Development Consulting & Change Leadership  in the Institute for Transformational Leadership.