Cutting Edge Research in Organizational Transformation

This doctoral research is about a new way to measure transformation of organizational culture based on a type of complexity called vertical complexity. I evaluated all the ways it had been measured over the past 50 years, invented a new method to assess organizations, and tested my assessment with a formal validation study. This approach integrated the wisdom two related disciplines--vertical adult development and organizational development--in a field I call vertical OD. Largest vertical OD study to date - 500,000-person organization, n=2,536 Most comprehensive review of vertical OD assessments conducted so far New typology to organize vertical OD assessments by their relative strengths & weaknesses New definition of vertical OD - based on vertical complexity New model of vertical OD - based on group-related tension First time a pattern matching assessment was used in a fixed choice survey First time developmental intuition was sidestepped in a face-valid survey First time complex