Women′s voices in organizational development: questions, stories, and implications

Abstract

Highlights the main features of qualitative research conducted with 32 successful women consultants in organization development. The format is multifaceted, including tables, poems, and text, to reflect the commitment to the deep feminine in the research process and results. Part One discusses the conceptualization of the study, grounded in the women′s voices perspective and four research questions, the findings and a case example. In‐depth interviews explored the women′s responses to the changes they experienced, the challenges they encountered, the contributions they made, and the lessons they learned over the past 15 to 20 years as second‐generation women OD consultants. The data analysis revealed four overarching themes contained in the distillation of the study: women doing the work of consulting as part of their inner journey in the context of oppression, helped and hindered with their relationships with both men and women. Part Two examines implications in terms of two voices in OD, problems with women′s invisibility, a fuller understanding of authenticity, and healing for women and the field.

Citation

Kaplan, K.L. (1995), "Women′s voices in organizational development: questions, stories, and implications", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 8 No. 1, pp. 52-80. https://doi.org/10.1108/09534819510077137