Friday, 18 May 2012

Online Courses in Organizational Development

Online organizational development courses are designed to provide students with the psychological and managerial training necessary to bring about change and improved effectiveness within a business or association. These courses are generally offered to students who already possess a bachelor's degree in a related field, such as business or psychology, and typically result in a graduate certificate or master's degree.

Overview of Online Organizational Development Courses

Online courses in organizational development address the psychological and managerial insights needed to evaluate group attitudes, behaviors and motivations to diagnose company problems and bring about positive organizational change. Students who pursue online organizational development courses can earn a certificate of completion or a master's degree, such as Master of Science in Organizational and Human Resource Development, Master of Applied Industrial/Organizational Psychology or Master of Business Administration with an organizational development emphasis.
Successful students typically find employment as management consultants and human resource professionals. Duties usually include recruiting, training and analyzing performance of individuals or groups within an organization.

Course Requirements

To facilitate uploading coursework and presentations, a high-speed Internet connection is advisable. Students must be familiar with e-mail and be comfortable accessing the school's website via a password to acquire and submit course materials. Recommended software includes Microsoft Office and Adobe Reader, as well as plug-ins like Adobe Flash Player, Real Player and Quicktime.

List of Popular Online Organizational Development Courses

Organizational Development Course

The planning and evaluation of organizational changes are explored in this essential course, which emphasizes the behavioral science theories underlying the practices. Students examine the contemporary concepts, terminology, models, methods and interventions of organizational development. They also learn about the initial inquiry and assessment process that drives the need for planned changes in an organization. The history of scholarly thought in the field is discussed, and expected future developments are also considered.

Organizational Training Course

Students in this course examine the concepts and methods for finding, training and developing business personnel to bring about increased effectiveness within an organizational structure. The course also explores how to determine and evaluate a company's staffing needs and use this information to design and implement an appropriate training program.

Organizational Culture Course

Organizational culture courses prepare students to diagnose and prescribe fixes to the informal social structures at play within a business organization, such as personal idiosyncrasies, group processes and office politics. The course also examines the various forms an organizational culture may take, and it explores ways to promote a harmonious business setting through incisive staff appraisals and personnel changes. The coursework often draws from disciplines such as sociology, psychology and cultural anthropology.

Diagnosis and Intervention Course

Students in this course learn to recognize organizational performance dysfunctions and apply appropriate intervention models to correct them. Choosing the most effective intervention for any situation is emphasized in the course, and students become familiar with commonly used techniques; both interventions involving in-house staff members and those using outside consultants are considered. Advanced courses, such as this one, may require online participants to perform fieldwork conducting diagnostic assessments in an actual organizational setting.

Leadership Development Course

Students in this course look into the processes of succession to discover how suitable candidates for key mid- and high-level leadership roles are determined and prepared. The identification and training of candidates from within an organization (rather than outside hires) is a focal point of the course. Students also learn to apply an overall team-building perspective to the search for and selection of leadership candidates.

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