Organizational Development and Coaching in Complex Environment

Abstract

The goal of the thesis is to first study the mainstream thinking of organizational development and coaching that is widely used in organizations around the world and taught in most business schools and universities. After this, another way of thinking about organizations is introduced, namely the “complex responsive processes of relating”. This thesis then develops conclusions of how this new way of viewing organizations might affect the practices of organizational development and coaching. This thinking is then applied in a narrative case study where both of these different viewpoints are used to explain the situations and the events described.

The working method of the thesis follows the principles of narrative research. In practice, first the underlying frameworks of thinking of the narrator are introduced in the first four chapters and then they are applied in a narrative case study.

This thesis shows clearly that the thinking of organizations as complex responsive processes of relating gives enhanced viewpoints to the different organizational events. It offers better explanations for what is going on in the daily organizational life and why it appears that e.g. the plans and strategies designed by powerful managers are rarely met. This way of thinking enables an organizational developer or a coach to make better sense of what is really happening in the transformative processes and with this enhanced understanding it becomes easier to focus on the areas of work that matter most