Building on a sound research base from the behavioral sciences, OD started in the 1960s with great promise. From the early Hawthorne studies and then expanded by the work of Argyris, French, McGregor, Likert, Marrow, Maslow, and others, OD appeared to open up an entirely new way to produce change and to manage organizations. Through behavioral science hard working, OD and its application influence how to manage corporate change and even the philosophy of management itself. By using OD theory to construct framework of change, western firm survive greatest turbulence in market competition and made all stakeholder benefit from business.
Due to ancient Chinese philosophy, such as Taoism and its wide influenced great work: changing book, Chinese firm manage change quite successfully. But as market competition get increasing strong, employee expectation diversified, Chinese firm find old philosophy of management is out of date: rely heavily on low labor cost and regulation, on management leaves all staff disappointed, on relationship with people in power. This obstacle made Chinese firm under greatest pressure and hope to find new way of change management.
Introduced late in last century, OD caught increasing attention in Chinese corporate, especially after China jointed WTO. Influenced by West Company, Chinese firm begin to seek new way to manage change and hope to get sustainable motion to grow. Some Chinese firm even set up OD function department, which in charge of recruiting and performance management, but lose the original purpose of OD and mix the HR function and OD. Lack of experts in OD prevents Chinese firm from fully utilize the powerful weapon. Until now, no business school open OD course even in postgraduate business school. The situation is caused partially by the unbelievable of behavior science of education authority and for large extend by fear of violation of so called adhere to Marxism materialism philosophy.
Investigated within Chinese firm, change efforts are habitual initiate by senior leader which similar with west firm, but great difference exist: change initiate by Chinese firm embody will of authority but ignored the employee commitment and engagement, which makes change efforts half failed when change strategy is to be implemented. Looking from outsources Chinese firm can use, both oversea and native management consulting company grow quickly which can be works as outside contractor to help Chinese firm manage complex change process. Indeed, oversea consulting firm bring with them rich experience of change management program and give Chinese firm a brand new perception about change management. Helping by oversea consulting firm, Chinese firm begin competent at some aspect of change management such as strategically design, business reengineer, workflow design and organizational structure design. As constrained by commercial process of consulting and inadequacy of knowledge transfer, Chinese firm benefit from outsources is limitation and lack of self renew or self readjustment skill which makes change efforts unsustainable.
Lack of OD expert and confined by traditional philosophy and ideology, OD practice in Chine estimated by its methodology, application, impact and sustainable motion of improvement lag far away behind west counterparts, leaves greatest room for Chinese researcher and OD practitioner to find new way and theory to help Chinese firm manage increasing complex change process.