5 Conferences For Professionals in Organization Development

  • Organization Development Network Annual Conference
  • International Society for Organization Development and Change Annual Conference
  • Organizational Development Consortium
  • International Organization Development Association Annual Conference
  • Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology

Organizational development looks at how organizations can create cultures that promote company values and help employees reach their potential in the workplace. Organizational development conferences can be excellent opportunities for students, professors and professionals to come together with people from all over country and the world to network and share information. Below are five of the top conferences in this field.

1. Organization Development Network Annual Conference

The OD Network is the world’s largest international association of entrepreneurs, corporate consultants, students, academics, leaders and business professionals in organization development. The conference brings all of these people together to network, share ideas, attend expert presentations and meet exhibitors. There is also the opportunity to earn credits in continuing education and a social element. Activities at the 2018 conference included the opportunity to work with affinity groups such as Women in OD and Latinos in OD, sessions on virtual OD, a talk on getting published and more.

2. International Society for Organization Development and Change Annual Conference

While it holds conferences in a number of locations year round, the ISODC also has an annual international conference. Its membership includes students, professionals, NGO, and corporations. The Netherlands, Ghana, and Canada have all been locations for the conference, and in 2018, it was held in Dublin, Ireland with the theme “Leadership in Turbulent Change.” Topics ranged from issues around ergonomics to undocumented workers, how to get started in consulting, challenges for global organizations and more.

3. Organizational Development Consortium

The ODC is focused on professionals working in higher education and gives students the opportunity to network with others from institutes of higher education. Though it originally began as a conference at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, in alternate years, the conference is now held at a different university. In order to keep the focus on networking between attendees, vendors are generally not invited to attend the conference. There are peer-lead presentations, and topics of previous sessions have included diversity, starting professional development programs and leadership. In an effort to keep the conference accessible, there is no membership fee and registration fees are low.

4. International Organization Development Association Annual Conference

Social scientists, consultants, students, professors and practitioners from more than 50 countries are members of IODA, and it also holds an annual conference with the 2018 one taking place in Turkey. One aim in the 2018 conference was to bring together professionals in both OD and human resources. Topics included talks on organizational values, social entrepreneurship, the role of culture in organizations and more, and some scholarships were available.

5. Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology

The field of organizational development overlaps with both human resources and organizational psychology. For those who are interested in some of the theoretical underpinnings of organizational development as well as the most recent research, this conference, held in a different city each year, is an excellent opportunity to explore some of the academic aspects of the discipline.

Whether a person is new to organizational development or has been working in it for years, conferences such as these can be invaluable opportunities to learn more about the field. Smaller organizational development conferences are also held in various regions, states and cities throughout the country for those who may be unable to travel to the larger international events.