“I’ve been asking myself the question, ‘Why are you doing that?’ since I was about four,” says Amanda Woolley. As an organizational development (OD) consultant and facilitator, she seems to have found the right profession. Amanda began her career with NHS England, eventually becoming the System Leadership Development Senior Manager before working as a consultant. Ironically, she initially rejected the notion that she was an “OD person,” not being entirely sure what the requirements were.
In Lou and Amanda’s discussion, she reflects on her journey into OD. She explains that OD focuses on helping teams step back and evaluate how they work together, addressing the complexities and “weirdness” that can emerge in workplace dynamics. They discuss the ideal environment for creating effective change in an organization, emphasizing the importance of neutrality, creativity, and ownership.
Amanda shares a personal story about being a caregiver at a young age for her ill mother. She reflects, “My best experiences in healthcare are when people have broken the rules.” Today, she brings stakeholders together so that procedures can be rewritten to make protocols efficient and effective for all involved—and she’ll bring her experience and OD perspective to her panel at Advancing Service Design 2024 (virtual, December 3-4).
0:14 - Meet Amanda
1:50 - Systems and organizational development share a focus on frameworks and language
5:08 - What is and who does organizational development?
6:24 - Being aware of what’s weird and doing something about it
9:43 - The triggers that expose the need for an organizational development specialist
14:21 - Creating space that invites change and creativity
17:15 - 5 things about the Rosenverse
19:53 - How Amanda’s experience with the National Health Services in the UK has influenced her work today
27:27 - Amanda’s gift for listeners
Advancing Service Design Conference - December 3-4, 2024 https://rosenfeldmedia.com/advancing-service-design/
Tomorrowmind: Thriving at Work with Resilience, Creativity, and Connection―Now and in an Uncertain Future by Martin Seligman and Gabriella Rosen Kellerman https://www.amazon.com/Tomorrowmind-Resilience-Creativity-Connection_Now-Uncertain/dp/1982159766
“I often talk about when things get weird because people are weird.”
“If what you’re after is that thing, I’m really confused about why you’re doing that [other] thing.”
“I think there are just some people – and I'm one of them – that goes, no, I refuse to go to a meeting that was a waste of time or was unclear about what we were trying to get out of it.”
“My best experiences in healthcare are when people have broken the rules.”
“That’s not really the process, but we can see it’s the right thing.”
“The norm has been for it to not be designed. [The process] just kind of emerged.”
“What is the journey of somebody experiencing a need and getting the help that we have to offer, and how can we think more systemically about that, and more holistically about that?”
“The people who are working in these services know the answers. The wisdom is in that system about what is working and what isn't. And if we could just help the communication between those different people, then amazing things will happen.”
