Major Change at Babson College: Curricular and Administrative, Planned and Otherwise

The problem and the solution.Making meaningful change in academic institutions is hard enough, but it often stops completely at radical curriculum reform. Babson College had external feedback that suggested change was needed. Three major initiatives at Babson—strategic planning including radical curriculum change, total quality, and reengineering—never formally utilized organization development (OD) but followed many of the practices and principles. Not only did the change processes lead to a transformation in the academic programs, but other major administrative changes were implemented. As a result, Babson was able to change tiers. Lessons about OD in academia are drawn including the need to manage the degree of participation rather than assume it is lacking. OD must be adapted to any organization, and in academia, that is especially true. Even the names of tools become critical. Sustaining change is always a challenge, as is the need to recruit people with the skills and attitudes that match the organization’s culture.