Should Critical Management Studies and Organization Development Collaborate? Invitation to a Contemplation

In this article, the author argues that despite important differences between Critical Management Studies (CMS) and Organization Development (OD), there is enough common ground to make a dialogue worth-while for both fields and for management practice. The author outlines some major objectives of each field, noting some important but frequently overlooked similarities and complementarities between them. Power and empowerment are offered as examples of focal topics around which the two disciplines could have a productive discussion, suggesting that such an exchange would help CMS' important insights about power to have more of an impact on organizational practice while enhancing OD's ability to tackle issues of power, domination, and politics. Such a conversation can eventually result in improved management practice - more mindful of issues of power and domination - with benefits for both organizational performance and employees' well-being