Week 1 discussion | seminar in organizational development

The discussions each week are designed to (a) reinforce the research topics that you are reading about, (b) challenge you to explore the topics further, and (c) test your understanding of the concepts and their application within business research.

Before beginning work on this week’s discussion post, review the following resources:

From the bullet point list below, select one topic for which you will lead the discussion in the forum this week. Early in the week, reserve your selected topic by posting your response (reservation post) to the Discussion Area and identifying your topic in the subject line. By the due date assigned, research your topic and start a scholarly conversation as you respond with your initial or primary post to your own reservation post in the Discussion Area. Make sure your response does not duplicate your colleagues’ responses:

For this course, you should state your topic (reservation post) as a research question. By now in your doctoral program, you should be aware that a good research question is the start of doctoral-level inquiry. You can summarize the key themes in the subject line of your reservation post. Then, state your research question as your reservation post.

Some of the main topics this week include:

Other potential topics and subtopics exist in the readings.

Remember to be very specific with the topic you choose and the question you create (e.g., which aspect of planned change or what is it about action research that you will analyze? Is there another topic you have studied in one of your courses that you will synthesize with your OD/change topic for this week?).

As the beginning of a scholarly conversation, your initial post should be:

• Succinct—no more than 500 words.
• Provocative—use concepts and combinations of concepts from the readings to propose relationships, causes, and/or consequences that inspire others to engage (inquire, learn). In other words, take a scholarly stand.
• Supported—scholarly conversations are more than opinions. Ideas, statements, and conclusions are supported by clear research and citations from course materials as well as other credible, peer-reviewed resources.

Engage in a discussion with at least two colleagues and respond to questions from your professor by the end of the week.