St. Paul, Minn., Aug. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dr. Chris Worley, a recognized leader in the field of organization development, agility, and organization design, will be a featured speaker at the 2018 Organization Development Network Annual Conference. Scheduled for October 18-21 at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center near Washington, D.C., the four-day conference will focus on the theme “OD Emergence: Create the Possibility”.

“In a world that never stops changing, it's not enough to just keep up. We need to look ahead and anticipate the changes yet to come,” said Dr. Gary Mangiofico, chair of the OD Network Board of Trustees, explaining the conference theme. “Our profession faces an exciting future as technology, globalization, and cultural shifts impact how people work together. What is our next chapter? At the annual conference we will take stock and explore what OD can become in the years ahead.”

Dr. Worley’s address will be the highlight of Sunday’s agenda. His address is entitled “Creating New Possibilities in Change Theory” .

“As I’ve listened to practitioners and researchers talk about how OD can be more relevant in a digitalized, diverse, and dynamic world, the consistent call for new change theories has not received enough attention or response,” said Dr. Worley , who is the is the former director of the Master of Science in Organization Development (MSOD) program at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School. “Based on action research work with my colleagues at Pepperdine’s MSOD program, USC’s Center for Effective Organizations, and the NEOMA Business School in France, I’d like to propose a new theory for how organizations change and develop.”

Dr. Worley's applied research and consulting practice is complemented by more than 15 years of management experience in academic, for-profit, and government organizations.

In advance of the conference, several sessions will take place, including   Social Impact Day , which is a hands-on, interactive and collaborative event designed to bring OD practitioners together with DC-area non-profits to give them free assistance in becoming more successful in their strategic projects.

A wide array of speakers and experts are slated throughout the conference, which also will include the annual OD Network Awards that recognize leaders in the field, as well as a celebration of the 50 th anniversary of the OD Practitioner , the network’s quarterly journal. A panel discussion on Friday will focus on "OD in the Federal Government" , while a panel  on Saturday will explore the “The Emerging Possibility of the OD Field to Government-Led Reform” . A full conference schedule, as well as registration, sponsorship and lodging information is available at the conference website .

For more information on OD Network membership, resources and events, please visit the ODN website at http://www.odnetwork.org/

About the Organization Development Network

The Organization Development Network is the largest international association of organization development practitioners in the world. Established in 1968 by founders in the field of organization development, the OD Network leads the profession and its practitioners in creating effective, healthy organizations.

Guided by clearly-articulated values, principles, and ethical standards, the OD Network serves change agents by creating a global community for exchanging best practices, opportunities to interact with thought leaders and access to leading edge practices, tools and technologies. As a result, our members create change and sustainable impact in today’s organizations, communities and beyond.

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Jess Myers Organizational Development Network (651) 290-7465 jessm@ewald.com