{"id":4277,"date":"2018-01-18T14:48:20","date_gmt":"2018-01-18T19:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodwin.edu\/enews\/?p=4277"},"modified":"2025-01-06T13:43:07","modified_gmt":"2025-01-06T18:43:07","slug":"masters-in-organizational-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodwin.edu\/enews\/masters-in-organizational-development\/","title":{"rendered":"What You’ll Gain from a Master’s in Organizational Development & Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"

An organization is a complex, living structure. Made up of people who have individual jobs, and work towards the same mission, organizations can be of infinite shapes or sizes. However, they all have one thing in common: every organization needs to have good leadership at its helm.<\/p>\n

People with a Master\u2019s in Organizational Development are well-poised to take on that role. They complete training programs like Goodwin College\u2019s Master\u2019s in Organizational Leadership<\/a> (MSOL), and apply their newly honed skills in leadership to the job. Programs like this also teach students how to influence organizational change, analyze organizational psychology, and fuel development in their business. Pursuing a degree in Organizational Development is a particularly great choice for people who are driven to make a positive impact\u00a0\u2013 those who are challenge-seekers and are eager to advance. It could even be the right way for you to launch into the next phase of your professional life!<\/p>\n

What is it about a Master\u2019s in Organizational Development that prepares a person to lead an entire organization? Well, leaders are strong change-makers, and \u201cchange\u201d is, in fact, another word for \u201cdevelopment.\u201d Change can be a truly critical turning point for businesses\u2014 the point at which they are their most vulnerable. Change can be uncomfortable, as much in business as it is within our personal lives. Previous habits and sequences are hard to break, both for employees and organizations alike. Change requires commitment, implementation, and a plan for sustainability. This is why organizations need individuals who are trained on big-picture thinking and leadership, and why earning a Master\u2019s in Organizational Development and Leadership could be so beneficial \u2013 even essential: The Global Journal of Management and Business Research<\/a> explains that, without appropriate leadership in an organization, positive change is not possible at all.<\/p>\n

Top sources agree that trust in leadership<\/a> is an incredibly important facet of a successful business. The consequences of distrust in business have far-reaching economic, social, political, and cultural consequences. As author of \u201cThe Speed of Trust,\u201d Stephen M.R. Covey, posits, the lack of trust actually adds a hidden \u201ctax\u201d to every transaction that an organization or business conducts. If one is able to translate trust to a numeric dividend, as studies show<\/a>, we find that \u201chigh trust\u201d companies outperform \u201clow trust\u201d companies by nearly 300 percent.<\/p>\n

Gaining employee trust is one of the first steps in successful leadership. How can a leader motivate a team towards a goal without trust? Without respect, and power of influence over the values, behavior, and beliefs of others, we would have a very ineffective leader. Earning trust requires a combination of perceived competence, combined with character. Good leaders should be role models for their employees, and demonstrate respect in order to receive it in return.<\/p>\n

Organizational leaders are the individuals who may identify the need to change, and who engage and orchestrate the factors of change \u2013 and the power of people \u2013 in order to help organizations develop. This includes goal setting and progress management, as well as the ability to interpret and communicate results. People with a Master\u2019s in Organizational Development learn these leadership skills<\/a> from their graduate program:<\/p>\n