600 Level Courses
ODKM 600: Foundations of Organization Development and Knowledge Management. 3 credits.
This introduction to organization development and to knowledge management will provide a historical review and a contemporary understanding of interventions in these fields of study with an intent to stimulate students to be creative and original in developing their own flagship approaches. Conventional approaches that have their roots in the industrial age will be explored alongside contemporary ones. The course will expose participants to scholarly and practitioner models inspired by a multicultural orientation that combines knowledge and wisdom.Offered by Schar Public Policy/Admin. May not be repeated for credit.
ODKM 605: Group Dynamics and Team Learning. 3 credits.
Engaging in unstructured and semi-structured learning environment, students will learn how to facilitate team learning for organizational effectiveness. By exploring various aspects of group dynamics such as power, perception, motivation, leadership, and decision making, students will develop various competencies to manage teams and enhance their emotional and appreciative intelligence.Offered by Schar Public Policy/Admin. May not be repeated for credit.
ODKM 610: Social and Organizational Inquiry. 4 credits.
Introduces participants to the ethics, conduct and evaluation of research into human, social and organizational realities. Explores relationships between what and how we measure and what we find. Students develop the capacity to reflect on themselves as research instruments, on their own impact on the systems under study, and on the impact of the research assumptions, framing and approach both on the results obtained and on the future development of those systems.Offered by Schar Public Policy/Admin. May not be repeated for credit.
ODKM 621: Foundations of Coaching. 3 credits.
Introduces participants to theories that underpin the relatively new field of coaching in organizations. Explores the history and development of the field and its usefulness in the practice of organizational development. Within the classroom, students engage in experiential skills building exercises to develop foundational coaching skills as described by the International Coach Federation. Outside of the classroom, students apply their coaching skills in specific contexts, engage in reflection, and learn to discern what situations are most conducive to a coaching approach and why.Offered by Schar Public Policy/Admin. May not be repeated for credit.
700 Level Courses
ODKM 715: Creating Learning Organizations. 3 credits.
Focuses on the epistemological and ontological implications of organizational life in the twenty-first century. Reevaluates traditional management approaches in light of global economies, instantaneous communication, changing technologies, and diverse workgroups in knowledge economies. Special attention to developing skills for "double- and triple-loop learning," and reflection in professional lives through learning conversations, journals, narrative, autobiography, and imaginative literature.Offered by Schar Public Policy/Admin. May not be repeated for credit.
ODKM 722: Coaching and Organization Development. 3 credits.
Engages students at the cutting edge of transformational organizational change, in both theory and practice, that is beginning to emerge through synergies between the disciplines of coaching and organization development. Building on earlier foundational courses in OD and coaching, students will learn to harness the insights and capabilities of both these domains to support positive transformation in complex systems at multiple levels of scale, from interpersonal to groups and teams, to larger systems including the whole organization.Offered by Schar Public Policy/Admin. May not be repeated for credit.
ODKM 725: Knowledge Management and Collaborative Work. 3 credits.
Provides an in-depth look at knowledge management, introducing key models and frameworks for understanding and analyzing all aspects of the Knowledge Management cycle, from knowledge creation and knowledge capture to knowledge sharing, knowledge dissemination and knowledge utilization, emphasizing the collaborative aspect of knowledge work. A range of specific KM processes, methods and tools are discussed (lessons learned, best practices, After-Action-Reviews, storytelling) and some are also practiced in class (knowledge cafes, peer assist). Finally, the class covers the steps necessary to develop a KM strategy and real-world barriers and pitfalls to be aware of in order to lead a successful KM effort within any organization.Offered by Schar Public Policy/Admin. May not be repeated for credit.
ODKM 730: Special Topics. 1-3 credits.
Selected special topics in organization development and knowledge management not covered by existing ODKM courses.Offered by Schar Public Policy/Admin. May be repeated within the term.
ODKM 731: Consulting Skills for Organizational Change. 3 credits.
Explores various theories and practices of change management, collaborative consulting, action research, and organization development. Using class projects and case studies, students bring together their understanding of organization development, their values, and their personal style to perform more effectively in various consulting roles. Students also learn various aspects of process consulting and client relationship management.Offered by Schar Public Policy/Admin. May not be repeated for credit.
ODKM 732: Leadership and Social Justice. 4 credits.
This course challenges participants not just to theorize leadership and social justice but to inhabit them. Reflective understanding and practice span: inner journeys, interpersonal relationships, organizations, and large scale systems. With globalization, ethical leadership requires understanding diverse perspectives and complex systems. Outward leadership relies on inner leadership. Participants cultivate personal leadership philosophy and practice through engaging real-life challenges.Offered by Schar Public Policy/Admin. May not be repeated for credit.
ODKM 735: Organizational Development Practices. 3 credits.
Students develop applied knowledge of various organizational development practices such as action research and appreciative inquiry. Includes simulations to understand the complexities of real-world change management. Group projects with selected organizations will help students develop their diagnostic and analytical skills to become better facilitators of organizational learning.Offered by Schar Public Policy/Admin. May not be repeated for credit.
ODKM 740: Learning Community. 1-3 credits.
Using workshops, seminars, simulations, and structured experiences, students will learn how to build a learning Community of Practice (CoP) as practitioners of organization development. They will also reflect upon the community building experience using research findings and design practice sessions to apply the lessons learned to the work environment.Offered by Schar Public Policy/Admin. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 3 credits.
