Practicing Organization Development: A Guide for Leading Change: A Third Edition

POSITIVE ORGANIZATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP

Stories such as the Rocky Flats cleanup illustrate the research interests of scholars in the field of POS. Starting in 2001 at the University of Michigan, the concept of POS was originated as an alternative to the dominant scholarly paradigm at the time. POS is distinct from traditional organizational studies in that it seeks to understand what represents and approaches the best of the human condition. Positive refers to (1) positive deviance (such as explaining extraordinary positive outcomes and the processes that produce them); (2) an affirmative orientation (such as focusing on strengths rather than weaknesses or on flourishing relationships rather than problematic relationships); and (3) virtuousness ...