Directed by James W. Falcon, written by ChatGPT Open AI 11.14.2025, 6:30pm, EST. |Published 11.15.2025, 6:24am, EST.
A 5-minute read.
Introduction and Purpose of the Post
This post presents consulting from an Organization Development (OD) perspective[, this post will offer insights in four key areas:
- Highlight five critical competencies of OD practitioners.
- Present the rationale for selecting these competencies.
- Explain the benefits these competencies offer to both practitioners and clients.
- Identify one competency essential for an OD consultant to serve as an effective ethical interventionist.
The post concludes with a comprehensive summary that integrates all major points discussed.
Critical Competencies of OD Consultants
The five competencies highlighted in this post were selected from nearly twenty competencies identified by the Institute of Organization Development (2015). These competencies include:
- Encouraging clients to take ownership of the change process
- Managing diversity
- Designing and executing interventions
- Facilitating participatory implementation
- Demonstrating an aptitude for ambiguity
The rationale for selecting these five competencies is grounded in the work of Mohrman (2015), who asserts that OD professionals must be able to recognize the issues that prompt change, design and guide interventions, and support organizations through processes that promote long-term health and improvement. These competencies capture both the technical and interpersonal elements required of effective OD consultants (Institute of Organization Development, 2015).
The Role and Benefit of Each Competency
Client Ownership of Change:
When employees participate in the ownership of change, they bring invaluable contextual knowledge of the organization’s culture and internal dynamics. This improves understanding, support, and long-term sustainability of the change effort.
Managing Diversity:
Recognizing, valuing, and engaging all segments of the workforce is crucial. Failure to do so undermines trust, participation, and organizational cohesion during change.
Interventions:
Interventions must be executed intentionally and confidently (Institute of Organization Development, 2015). Effective interventions support the organization in aligning its people, processes, and goals.
Participatory Implementation:
Change succeeds when every level of the workforce is engaged. Participatory processes foster commitment, shared responsibility, and improved outcomes.
Aptness for Ambiguity:
OD consultants often operate in uncertain environments. Information may unfold slowly or unexpectedly. Consultants who can navigate ambiguity are better prepared to support leaders and employees during fluid or complex change processes.
Collectively, these competencies ensure that consultants remain focused on the full scope of organizational change — its people, its culture, and its processes.
Overview of OD and Its Practitioners
Before exploring competencies in depth, it is important to understand OD as a field. Park (2015) defines OD as an intricate, multilayered discipline that intersects sociology, management, psychology, and group dynamics. As such, OD practitioners are multifaceted professionals equipped with diverse skill sets.
Park (2015) further notes that OD consultants work collaboratively with clients, guiding them through processes of self-discovery and empowering them to make decisions that support organizational well-being. Worley et al. (2015) emphasize that OD consultants must also understand how organizational structures influence employee behavior. Through this understanding, consultants assist organizations in strengthening both their current functioning and future success.
A quantitative study of OD professionals identified a broad range of competencies across multiple categories. However, self-mastery emerged as the preeminent competency (Corn, 2015; Park, 2015; Worley et al., 2015). Self-mastery includes maintaining personal values, appropriate boundaries, self-reflection, emotional regulation, and the ongoing solicitation of feedback (Institute of Organization Development, 2015). Experts generally agree that the most effective OD practitioners rely on self-awareness to make appropriate intervention choices and navigate organizational complexity.
Competency Needed for Ethical Intervention
Ethics in OD is not theoretical — it directly influences real-world decisions and behaviors. Ethical dilemmas often arise when a consultant’s values conflict with those of the client organization (Jamieson & Gellermann, 2014).
Jamieson et al. (2014) define ethics as “a values-based assessment of good and bad behavior” (p. 45), emphasizing that OD is fundamentally a values-driven process. Values shape alignment, decision-making, and the consultant’s professional stance.
For psychologists and practitioners within related disciplines, the American Psychological Association (APA) provides a formal code of ethics governing responsibilities in research, practice, and consultation (APA, 2017). This code is designed to offer guidance and ensure professional accountability.
Based on the literature, self-mastery is the competency most essential for developing into an effective ethical interventionist. The Institute of Organization Development (2015) notes that self-mastery is deeply values-based and rooted in self-reflection. Worley and Mohrman (2015) also explain that ethical decision-making — including intervention design and execution — flows from the practitioner’s ability to reflect on their own values, motives, and judgments.
When values-based conflicts arise, practitioners grounded in self-mastery are more likely to respond with clarity, professionalism, and ethical integrity.
Summary and Conclusion
This post addressed the multifaceted aim introduced at the outset. Five critical competencies of OD consultants were identified and supported with rationale drawn from multiple sources. A review of OD provided context for understanding the field and the expectations placed on its practitioners.
A study of several hundred OD professionals revealed self-mastery as the competency most strongly associated with effective practice (Worley & Mohrman, 2015). The selected competencies align with OD’s purpose: facilitating change that benefits both organizations and their people.
The post also examined ethical considerations, drawing on APA standards and the values-driven nature of OD work. Self-mastery emerged as the competency most essential for ethical intervention because it strengthens self-reflection, alignment, and sound professional judgment.
Having satisfied all components of the aim, this post concludes with a recognition of the importance of competencies and ethics as foundational pillars of effective OD practice.
References
American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. https://www.apa.org/ethics/code
Corn, C. M. (2015). Ethics and values in organization development. In W. J. Rothwell (Ed.), Organization development fundamentals: Managing strategic change. ATD Press.
Institute of Organization Development. (2015, December 20). Critical OD competencies to help you become a world-class OD interventionist. https://instituteod.com/iod-announces-7th-annual-od-conference-may-2017/
Jamieson, D., & Gellermann, W. (2014). Values, ethics, and OD practice. In B. B. Jones & M. Brazzel (Eds.), The NTL handbook of organization development and change: Principles, practices, and perspectives (2nd ed., pp. 45–65). Wiley.
Park, C. H. (2015). Competencies of organizational development consultants.
Worley, C. G., & Albers Mohrman, S. (2015). A new view of organization development and change competencies. Center for Effective Organizations, Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California. https://ceo.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/15_A_New_View_of_OD__Change_2015.pdf
A New Horizon Coaching & Consulting Virtual Services 