How to Start Your Career in Organisation Development with Dr. William Brendel - OrgDev Episode 63

OrgDev with Distinction

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In this jam-packed episode of the OrgDev Podcast, we welcome the brilliant and boundlessly productive Dr. William (Bill) Brendel - award-winning OD educator, researcher, consultant, and founder of OpensourceOD.com. If you’ve ever wondered "What kind of OD practitioner am I?" or "How do I actually get into this field?" then this episode is for you.

Bill shares insights from over 25 years of global OD consulting and cutting-edge research, including his work developing the MOST (Mastering Organizational and Societal Transformation) assessment - the first psychometrically validated OD competency model. Based on thousands of job descriptions, this tool helps emerging and seasoned practitioners align their strengths and interests with real-world career paths, providing clarity in a field often marked by ambiguity.

We unpack the challenges of entering and navigating OD careers, from the blurry boundaries of OD roles to the messy reality of job descriptions that rarely reflect the true nature of the work. Bill discusses how Opensource OD is helping bridge the gap between academia and practice, offering a "dojo" for practitioners to build technical skills and reflective wisdom through immersive, real-world case studies contributed by legends like Ed Schein and Peter Block.

Other highlights include:

• Why OD is best understood as evolving practice rooted in a three-part test: social + technical + influence
• How social presencing theater and design thinking are being used in traditional settings
• The ethical dilemmas OD professionals face, and how reflective practice and “use of self” help navigate them
• How to thrive in a world of “permanent whitewater” with mindfulness and intentional learning

This episode is a goldmine for anyone shaping or shifting their OD path. Dive in and discover your next step.

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About Us

We’re Dani and Garin – Organisation Development (OD) practitioners who help leaders and people professionals tackle the messiness of organisational life. We focus on building leadership capability, strengthening team effectiveness, and designing practical, systemic development programmes that help you deliver on your team and organisational goals. We also offer coaching to support individual growth and change.

Find out more at www.distinction.live

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