The Comparative Impact of Organization Development Interventions On Hard Criteria Measures¹

Abstract

Little systematic research has concentrated on the effects of organization development (OD) in terms of hard-criteria measures of performance and behavior. This paper assesses the impact of three classes of OD interventions based on 65 empirical studies. A typology of outcome variables is used to show how OD has affected organizational behavior. Certain classes of interventions appear to be more effective than others.