ABSTRACT
The practice of organization development (OD) as an art form depends largely on three intuitive dynamics that are best understood through years of experience and careful study. Pace, magnitude, and depth become the basic features of organizational change as they reflect the speed, breadth, and intensity of the intervention and its strategic intent, Like three primary colors for an artist these special qualities are used to create an infinite variety of change initiatives. The hope for success in a change process, however, depends on the artful blend of timing, size (as in how much to attempt and in how much intensity), and the expected depth of involvement in the process. With organizational art, as opposed to the kind of art produced by an individual, the creative act becomes much more challenging. This collective process requires leadership and coordination at a highly developed level. In order to help an organization learn, all three concerns must be balanced and blended effectively by a leadership group that itself is learning how to change. The crucial element for success in practicing OD in this manner is not to see this as a paint-by-numbers programmatic approach but to have the core values deeply embedded in the leaders and the teams that will influence the organization. In this way a true transformational experience occurs as the artist (change agent), the organization, and the process are all changed (i.e., transformed) by the activity as a new learning community emerges.
