Beyond the surface – exploring the deep work of OD

In a world of constant change, the field of Organisation Development (OD) is more important than ever. At its core, OD focuses on people, culture, and systems in a multitude of ways, helping organisations not just be more efficient, but more humane, adaptive, and purpose-driven. It requires OD practitioners to pause, reflect, and engage with the underlying forces shaping an organisation, rather than just reacting to surface-level challenges. Going deep is part of the terrain...

To do this work well, we also must pause, reflect, and refine our own practice - just as we help organisations do. Are we engaging in the deep work of OD within ourselves? How do we ensure our work remains intentional, impactful, and deeply human? How do we show up in our own practice? Let’s go beyond the surface together.

 

ODA’s Conference 2025

Join us at ODA’s Conference 2025 as we explore the profound and often unseen deep work of OD. Take this opportunity to connect with fellow OD professionals, share experiences, and cultivate the depth of thinking needed to navigate our work with clarity and purpose.

We’ve brought together talented speakers for an experiential day of exploration, challenge, reflection and inspiration as we consider the deep work of OD:

 

Keynote

Why are organisations addicted to quick fix, simple solutions, or Silver Bullets? Why don’t we talk about this? How might we all be complicit? Does OD help or hinder? Join Steve Hearsum, Founder, Edge + Stretch, consultant and author, UK.

Parallel sessions:

With AI transforming the workplace at an unprecedented pace, how will the role and work of OD evolve? And as OD professionals, can we navigate this shift with curiosity, agility, and purpose?

Join Tiffany Gray, Founder, BRAWT Company.

 

Is inclusion an illusion and a bubble that is about to burst? Do current practices address what it is like to be on the periphery and always being on the outside? What really needs to shift to ensure people are not being othered and left out?

Join Pirooz Jafari, Founder, Track C Consulting

 

More to be announced soon!

 

  

 

Our Presenters & Sessions

Keynote

Steve Hearsum, Founder, Edge + Stretch

Steve is a consultant, coach and supervisor who works with clients to build change capability through:

- Leadership practice: working with leaders to help them understand how they show up and the impact they have in the context they operate in.
- Consulting & change practice: working with internal and external practitioners to deepen their awareness of how they show up and the impact they have.
- Culture: working with organisations and leaders to help them inquire into their current behaviours and supporting them to build their capabilities to evolve how they work together.

He is a trustee of the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations, former co-Chair of the OD Network Europe, is author of No Silver Bullet: Bursting the bubble of the organisational quick fix and is on faculty for the Masters inPeople & ODat the University of Chichester.He lives in Brighton, in the UK, with his wife, daughter and fluffy hound.

No Silver Bullet: why are organisations addicted to quick fix, simple solutions?

There are no end of people offering solutions for messy, complex problems. Culture? No problem, here is a slide deck with all the answers. Digitalisation? Have a SAFe methodology, and we will sell in all the training and fungible junior consultants you need to help you with that. Employees lacking motivation? I have just the inspirational guru for you, straight off his Amazon bestseller promo tour. Exec team not functioning? No worries, come to our lush business school campus and we will woo you with professors and good food. Lacking ideas of your own? Thought leadership inbound.

Whatever you do, don’t worry yourselves about capability building. After all, if you do, what will be left for us to do and how will we earn a crust?...

The market for Silver Bullet solutions remains strong. Why is that, why are we not talking more about it, and how might we all be complicit?

 

In this session, consultant, supervisor, coach and author Steve Hearsum will talk about what led him to write No Silver Bullet: bursting the bubble of the organisational quick fix, what he has learned since and what might come next. He will scaffold an inquiry with those in the room around questions such as:

• What role does OD play in this? Do we help or hinder?...
• To what extent are we actually wedded to the idea that there are silver Bullets, even when we say we know there are not?...
• What is the cost of these collusive behaviours - financially, emotionally, socially, politically etc?...
• How might this relate to wider problems with the way we think about - and ‘do - change in organisations?...
• How might ego driven behaviours be key to understanding this, and what are our own?

 

Don’t Expect:

• Easy answers
• Quick wins
• Toolkits

 

Do expect:

• Provocation
• Maybe some useful discomfort
• A chance to explore some of the contradictions in our line of work

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Parallel sessions

Tiffany Gray, Founder, BRAWT Company

Tiffany is an experienced organisational development consultant with over 30 years of leadership and executive experience, specialising in human behaviour and system dynamics. Her academic credentials include a Bachelor of Business (HR & IR), a Graduate Diploma in Innovation and Service Management, a Post Graduate Diploma in NeuroLeadership, and a Masters in Applied Science. She is currently pursuing a PhD focused on converting insights into actionable strategies through executive coaching.

As the exclusive holder of the Australian license for PRISM Brain Mapping and one of only four global master trainers, Tiffany leverages advanced neuroscience to enhance leadership performance and employee engagement. PRISM Brain Mapping is the leading neuroscience-based profiling tool, providing organisations with deep insights into their teams and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Tiffany has developed the innovative Gen AI at Work program which helps organisations develop and implement cutting-edge Gen AI strategies. This program includes a three-level Gen AI at Work competency model, focusing on integrating Gen AI technologies to enhance organisational capabilities, leadership and team effectiveness and skill development. Her approach ensures that organisations are not only adopting Gen AI but are also building the internal capabilities needed for long-term success.

Organisations seeking to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving business landscape find Tiffany expertise invaluable. Her deep understanding of human behaviour, coupled with her experience in Gen Ai integration and neuroscience, positions her as a transformative leader capable of driving substantial and sustainable organisational growth.

Working in an AI dominant world

AI is no longer a futuristic concept—it’s here transforming the workplace at an unprecedented pace. Beyond automation and efficiency, AI is reshaping culture, leadership, decision-making, and the human experience at work.

What does this mean for Organisation Development? How will the role and work of OD evolve? How do we ensure AI enhances, rather than diminishes, human potential? What role does OD play in fostering adaptability, ethical AI integration, and human-centered organisations in an AI-dominant world?

And as OD professionals, can we navigate this shift with curiosity, agility, and purpose?

Many questions to delve into during this informative, interactive and practical session.

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Pirooz Jafari, Founder, Track C Consulting, Community Catalyst & Innovator

Born in Iran, Pirooz migrated to Australia in the late 1990’s as an ambitious photographer, holding a Bachelor of Visual Arts. His passion for social justice and human rights compelled him to pursue law and upon successful completion of a Bachelor of Laws at University of Wollongong, he worked in the community sector and local government both in NSW and Victoria for over two decades.

Over the years, Pirooz has offered his services as a pro bono lawyer at several community legal centres including Refugee Advice & Case Work Service in NSW, and Western Suburbs Legal Service and Refugee Legal (formerly known as Refugee & Immigration Legal Centre) in Victoria.

Pirooz ran his own migration law practice for over 5 years specialising in asylum seeker and humanitarian cases. This experience enriched his understanding of people’s challenging experience of gross violations of human rights.

Pirooz is committed to bringing critical conversations to the Geelong region and has hosted four major forums in Geelong: Diversity & Inclusion, Done Right! (2021), Racism, Raw & Real (2022), Gender Equality, A goal within reach? (2023) and Being the Other: Inclusion Unmasked (2024).

With over 20 years’ experience in the legal arena, community development, community engagement, project management, and policy development within the human rights framework, Pirooz is versatile and capable of taking on challenging projects.

Pirooz is also a writer and a storyteller, and has a unique set of skills and sensitivity to capture people’s stories and voices. His debut novel Forty Nights was published by Ultimo Press in 2022 and was long listed for the Miles Franklin Literary Award in 2023.

Bursting the bubble of inclusion - looking in/ looking out

The term inclusion frequently appears in organisations with diversity and inclusions roles created everywhere as well as various strategies and policies that aim to address gaps in diversity and inclusion. Meanwhile, there seems to be a global trend towards eliminating the diversity and inclusion policies and practices.

The question remains as to whether “Inclusion and diversity” practices are achieving the intended outcomes or are they counterproductive? Is inclusion an illusion and a bubble that is about to burst? Do these practices address what it is like to be on the periphery and always being on the outside? Are we “othering” people further by adopting this approach?

In this interactive session, together we will walk through some practical exercises to identify what really needs to shift. Sometimes a small shift in our mindset and perspective can bring about significant change for the better.

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