A 2013 survey of members and non-members of the Massachusetts Bay Organization Development Learning Group (MBODLG), a regional chapter of the Organization Development Network. The survey includes reasons for involvement, types of participation, factors affecting participation, and suggestions for improvement.

1. MBODLG Member & Non-Member Survey
2013
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2. About this Survey
• This online survey of members and non-members was completed by 60 people in late
February - early March 2013. Many thanks to all who participated!
• 18 of 63 (29% response rate) members participated in the survey. And 42 of 630 non-
members (6.6% response rate) took the survey. A response rate of 10% is considered
good for an online survey.
• Members average 10.6 years of professional experience, while non-members average
18.5 years of professional experience.
Members
(Years)
Non-members
(Years)
Average 10.6 18.5
Range 1-30 0-40

3. Reasons for involvement in MBODLG
Members and non-members seek access to OD thought leaders, learning, and meeting OD
professionals. Members and non-members both want collaborators. Members seek a social
connector, mentors, and a sounding board.

4. Reasons for involvement in MBODLG – Member Comments
 At first, it was to get to know other OD professionals who might share some of my
interests. Then I spotted a need and developed a presentation to put on with a
colleague. The same colleague was on the Executive Team and recruited me to write
the newsletter, saying it would be “good experience.“ He was right; I've learned
invaluable information about digital marketing. I’ve become more and more involved in
running MBODLG as an organization and am being recognized for this by my peers,
which is very nice.
 I would like to continue "the conversation" with others after the event. Having an area on
the website to encourage dialogue about the subject matter and application would be
helpful.
The first comment talks about the benefits of involvement. The second comment
expresses interest in ways to continue the conversation after events.

5. Reasons for involvement in MBODLG –Non-Member Comments
• I was looking to enter the field so I wanted to learn, meet people, and put it on my
resume.
• Meeting decision makers who work in organizations in need of training.
• Deeper Inquiry Group (a special interest group of MBODLG)
Non-members seek to enter the OD field, find prospective clients, or participate in
an MBODLG special interest group.

6. Members participate primarily by attending monthly events (82%) and
reading the newsletter (41%).

7. Event Attendance - Members and Non-Members
78% of Members attend 1-3 events 43% of Non-Members attend 1-3 events
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8. Non-member Attendance
69% of non-members attended 1-3 events over the past 2 years. Only 12% attended 4-6
events in the past 2 years.

9. Topic, speaker, and location have the biggest impact on the decision to
attend events for both members and non-members. Location, time of day
and format is a greater factor for non-members, however.
Respondents were asked to rate what affects their decisions to attend on a scale of 1-3,
with 3 most important and 1 least important. Scores are the weighted averages, calculated
by dividing the sum of all weighted ratings by the number of total responses.

10. Comments elaborate on the way that time, location and day of the
week negatively impact the decision to attend events, for both
members and non-members.
• I am a working mother, and evenings are challenging!
• Having the event on the same night of the week at the same location often prevents me
from attending. I work at night and the Lesley University location is not convenient for me.
• I would love to attend more events. But I work south of Boston and the combination of
where events are held and the time that they start makes getting there too onerous. If
they started earlier and/or were on public transportation in the heart of the city (or south)
it would be easier to get there.
• Meetings almost always seem to start too early for me and located in places that are hard
to get to with limited parking. I work in Chelmsford so I have to drive into Cambridge or
Boston for the meetings.
• Most events are too far away and too late in the evening for my preference
• I live in Vermont so could only attend if the event were at a time and date when I could
come to Massachusetts. That hasn't happened yet but I am hopeful it will.

11. A few comments reveal the importance of topic, seeing peers,
format, and cost as affecting the decision to attend events.
• The topic is definitely what draws me most. Sometimes it seems very focused on OD
consultants, which is not my situation.
• Likely turnout, so the popularity or usefulness of the topic.
• I host events so need to be there, but also enjoy the opportunity to see people I know
and talk to them.
• Prefer lecture.
• Cost.

12. By far, MBODLG colleagues are how both members and non-members hear
about us. Online search (Google, LinkedIn, Yahoo) are also important. Third
are other professional associations and schools.

13. Comments reveal the importance of other OD-related organizations
and schools in finding out about MBODLG.
• I helped start the original Boston OD Network many years ago.
• Years ago I was a member of the Greater Boston OD Network (predecessor to MBODLG). The
MBODLG started up and I attended some events (with Jonathan Mozenter).
• The OD Network recommended getting involved with local chapters (and offered a discounted rate
for being a member of both)
• Boston Facilitators Roundtable. (2)
• Suffolk ODLG Program (event held there in January 2011)
• I attend the Deeper Inquiry Group on a fairly regular basis. (MBODLG special interest group)
• One of my former business partners, Deborah Slobodnik of Options for Change, presented for the
group many years ago. So I have been aware of you for some time.
• From a career coach.

14. 
Members: A Closer Look
Suggestions and interest in greater involvement
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15. We asked members what MBODLG could do better - topics and
speakers topped the list, followed by location and format.
Respondents were asked to rate their suggestions on a scale of 1-3, with 3 most important
and 1 least important. Scores are the weighted averages, calculated by dividing the sum of
all weighted ratings by the number of total responses.

16. Comments indicate that speaker/topic quality is good / improving, but members
would like access to slides if they can’t attend, follow-up in the form of dialog
and action, and ways to pulse the community on topics of interest.
• “Better" isn't the word I would use here; topic/location is relative to each individual. I
found value in the events I attended because I had an interest in the topic and
Cambridge is convenient. Maybe what the committee/we could do "better" is set up a
process that keeps the community pulse. A start could be a survey like this :-) For me,
it would be triple bottom line & organizational sustainability!
• Speakers have been good. There are many choices in OD in Boston; hence,
enrollment might not be as high.
• You are doing an excellent job in identifying topics and speakers. Where I feel you fall
short is the inability to access the highlights, PPTs of meetings when a member is not
able to attend. Also, there is very little dialogue or action after a meeting. It is an event.
How can we better reinforce a process to continue the conversation on the topic for
those who are interested?

17. Other comments indicate the location is convenient for some, and more
volunteers and insight into the interests of the Boston OD community is
needed.
• I think event topics/presenters have improved but they remain the real draw and reason
to attend rather than do something else.
• I love your location (personally, it works for me). I would like to see some sessions not in
the evening.
• Better understand the niche that the ODLG fills and what the needs of that niche is
relative to the Boston area OD/consultant community. Enroll more volunteers to help.

18. Members would like more online services – a member directory, access to
workshop slides, webinars, more blog content, and an online forum.
Respondents were asked to rate their suggestions on a scale of 1-3, with 3 most important
and 1 least important. Scores are the weighted averages, calculated by dividing the sum of
all weighted ratings by the number of total responses.

19. Member comments describe preferences in more detail - online services,
cohorts organized around specific topics, opportunities to connect with
self-employed consultants.
• Some kind of online forum with member access to employment/partnership consulting
opportunities?
• It would be great if you would create a knowledge management area within MBODLG.
This could easily be done electronically. You could try it out in a WIKI in a particular
topic area and tie in either a blog or interaction discussion.
• Topic teams. For instance, create cohorts around a theme or topic that is important to a
subset of the group. One topic might be employee engagement as an example.
• Being able to connect with other self-employed consultants to discuss the business
side of running a practice -- discovering a niche, developing a systematic and reliable
marketing and sales process, and creating free gifts, such as info products my niche
would find attractive.

20. When members were asked if they would be willing to increase their
participation to make these suggestions happen, 66% of members surveyed
said “maybe” and 20% said “yes.”

21. Comments echo this. Member willingness to increase involvement
depends on the kind of support needed.
• I have volunteered in the past, I'd count myself in as a "maybe" in future, but I'm not
able at this time.
• Depends on what kind of support. But I'd be willing to consider doing more, given a
range of options.

22. When given a list of specific ways to contribute, 69% of members
said they would be willing to help select speakers/topics; 46% said
they would help recommend/research speakers, be a speaker, or be
an event host.

23. 
Non-members – a closer look
Reasons for not joining MBODLG, participation in other organizations, best events and
books
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24. Reasons non-members do not join MBODLG
The top 3 reasons non-members don’t join are inconvenient location, needs met by another
professional organization, and topics not relevant to their needs. Other reasons are meeting time,
lack of free parking, and speaker caliber.
Respondents were asked to rate their suggestions on a scale of 1-3, with 3 most important and 1 least important.
Scores are the weighted averages, calculated by dividing the sum of all weighted ratings by the number of total
responses.

25. Comments reveal that a number of non-member respondents were
lapsed members or unaware that they weren’t an MBODLG member.
• Didn’t know I wasn’t.
• I plan to renew my membership.
• Not every meeting you schedule has a topic that is of interest to me, but you often have material that is
relevant and useful. Thank you. Why do you assume I am not a current paid member? As far as I know
I am ...unless I just lapsed? Or is this because I have more than one email address on file here? I plan
to renew my membership. I originally signed up with a paid membership, and held a paid membership
for two years or so.
• I didn't know I wasn't a paid member. I will look into that. I do have to be judicious in the choices I make
about membership fees and other expenses.
• I’m re-upping my paid membership; $80 or $90 dollars for one evening would seem a lot. Perhaps it
would work well to have two kinds of membership. Sorry, I just haven't gotten around to sending in my
dues.
• Membership expired. I must have missed the renewal notice. (Renewal notices were more prominent
when Jim ran the organization.) Also, it has been a busy time, I am working farther away, going to
meetings has been challenging. I'm living abroad, which is the reason I have not attended during the
past year; however, when I was attending, I felt that there was a lot of theory discussed and not a lot of
practical application provided.

26. Other comments refer to the MBODLG attendee mix not meeting non-
member needs
Interested in meeting people in internal roles (OD /HR/ Management)
• I have been a member for years and needed a break. Also, ratio of internal vs. independent professionals has gotten
large. I want to learn from people in organizations as well.
• When I am able to attend, I generally feel like a minority and a little out of place. Most of the other attendees seem to be
OD consultants or in other roles in which OD practices are their primary focus or function. I, on the other hand, am a
manager with interest in and some knowledge of OD, but it is not my primary role.
• Many of the professionals are OD sole practitioners; I work for an insurance company in an HR role. Limited time so
other prof. meetings compete with this.
Interested in meeting people who could provide access to business development opportunities:
• I have a strong and rich network of OD colleagues. I tend to spend too much time with them -- my comfort zone -- and
not enough time connecting with people in other industries. I'm making a concerted effort to connect with people who are
different. The BFR is more suited to my needs to develop business contacts for my instructional design practice.
• I like ODLG a lot... but given my lack of time and my need to constantly market myself... it's more of a "nice to know"
than a "good chance I'll find some freelance work" investment of my time.

27. Other reasons non-members don’t join is work schedule, lack of
time, budget, and infrequent attendance.
• Have not really thought about becoming a member due to budget and time.
• Because I travel a lot, I am frequently not available to attend AND sometimes the
location is just too inconvenient to get to during rush hour.
• My schedule often requires that I work too late to attend the meetings.
• Not a paid member because not likely to attend enough meetings to make it worthwhile.

28. Three respondents said their needs were better met by the Boston
Facilitators’ Roundtable or the Deeper Inquiry Group.
• I'm finding that BFR is meeting my needs better, both in times of meetings and topics.
• I find that BFR is more suited to my needs to develop business contacts for my
instructional design practice. I like ODLG a lot... but given my lack of time and my need
to constantly market myself... it's more of a "nice to know" than a "good chance I'll find
some freelance work" investment o my time.
• My main reason for signing up was to attend the Deeper Inquiry Group. I did attend 4 or
5 other events during that period, and did not feel a particular draw to continue. If an
event did come up that strongly attracted me, I would have to consider.

29. Some non-members are interested in OD topics but only come infrequently
or live too far away to attend.
• Still interested in the topics, but without a driving interest, it takes a lot to get me to
Boston at night for a talk.
• I go to things that look interesting.
• I’m living abroad.
• I am not currently living in the United States, which is the reason I have not attended
during the past year; however, when I was attending, I felt that there was a lot of theory
discussed and not a lot of practical application provided.
• I am no longer actively pursuing this field.

30. 70% of non-members belong to the Boston Facilitators’ Roundtable.

31. More professional organizations mentioned by non-members
• Association of Career Professionals International
• The Boston Club
• Cape Cod Institute
• International Society for Performance Improvement
• New England Association for Conflict Resolution
• Society of Organizational Learning
• New Talent Management Network.
• National Coalition for Dialog and Deliberation
• Alliance for Nonprofit Management

32. Non-members were asked to name the best OD events they had
attended
MBODLG events
• Julie Lynch (2 mentions):
• 1) Motivation Factor was a great topic that was well presented.
• 2) Good workshop, topic was on interest to me.
• Otto Scharmer. (2 mentions)
• I enjoyed the session you hosted with Jay Vogt. The experiential design and relevance
of the content to my work with current and future clients was compelling. Thanks.
• Debra Woog's session on Defining Your Own Success.
• Bill Joiner on Leadership Agility at Mass ODLG - applicable ideas.
• Haven't attended recently, but have really enjoyed some from ages ago, one on
understanding different cultures and another on doing focus groups with employees to
get at employer brand.

33. Best OD events continued
Other events
• ASTD's annual meeting last year. Phenomenal. It focused on the latest e-trends in
learning way beyond e-learning. I have not been recently.
• Edgar Schein workshop at the Academy of Management in 2010.
• When Cultures Meet with Barry Oshry. It was experiential and well facilitated.
• Standing in the Fire - Webinar, well done, interactive, content superb.
• A small book club started with friends/fellow alumni from my Org. L & D grad program.
Members of the group recommend books, we agree on the selection, etc. The
discussion after reading a selection provides lots of opportunity for broad discussion as
well as the chance to seek or give advice about applying lessons to our own situations.
• Cognitive Edge training, 4 days in Boston December 11-14, Managing in the Complex
domain featuring Dave Snowden. Complexity is red hot in Management consulting and
Cognitive Edge has the most practical approach.
• Hearing Daniel Pink again at the Brattle. Enjoy his perspective and the EQ link.
• IDEAS Boston, although not an OD event, is thought provoking.

34. More Best OD workshops / events
• 1- An HRLF session featuring industry thought leaders to describe "old" and "new"
paradigms of OD and implications for how we practice based on what we are learning
is most effective. 2- A Keystone Partners HR Forum discussion of a company
describing a recent initiative in depth, allowing insight into what other companies are
doing.
• BFR’s Graphic Facilitation (2 mentions):
• 1) Feel like I came away with a good understanding of process and tools I can use.
• 2) Useful for self and clients.
• Michael Roberto, author of KNOW WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW & WHY
GREAT LEADERS DON'T TAKE YES FOR AN ANSWER. He has great
depth, material based on solid research, fabulous stories, great humor, and
engaged participants.
• I attended an introductory course on the Adizes methodology at the Riga
Business School in Riga, Latvia.

35. Non-members - Best OD book or article
Books by Bob Kegan and Lisa Lahey (4 mentions)
• How the way we talk can change the way we work : seven languages for transformation
/ Robert Kegan, Lisa Laskow Lahey. (2)
• Immunity to Change. I find it valuable b/c I can easily apply the info to my practice. (2)
Take the Lead (2 mentions)
• I just completed reading Take the Lead by Betsy Myers and discussed it with my OD
Book Club. It was the best, because she used a lot of storytelling to illustrate her
principles of leadership and at the end of each chapter provided interesting questions
for the reader. I found the storytelling and practical question format to be very effective.
• Take The Lead by Betsy Myers. Easy but interesting read. Practical advice. Thought
provoking questions at the end of each chapter.
• Clear Leadership -- does that count?

36. More Best OD book or article mentioned by non-members
• That is a huge question. The resources that rank "best" with me are highly readable and
draw a clear link between theory and practice. Some examples are: Drive, Daniel Pink;
Immunity to Change, Bob Kegan and Lisa Lahey; Elephant in the Room, Diana Smith;
Practice of Adaptive Leadership, Ron Heifitz et al; Power of Full Engagement, Tony
Schwartz.
• Fritof Capra...love his writings. The Hidden Connections: A Science for Sustainable
Living. The Necessary Revolution (Senge, Smith, Kruschwitz, Laur, Schley) shows
organizations a path to sustainability. The Power of Co-Creation (Ramaswamy and
Gouillart) has great examples of the power of creating change by involving the whole
system in creating it.
• SWITCH. It is a fun read, offers a compelling though simple model of change, and
includes rich stories and cases to illustrate and ground their model. Bill Joiner on
Leadership Agility.

37. More Best OD book or articles
• Six Secrets to Doing Less by Matthew E. May, Excerpt in Strategy and Business. It is a
confirmation, with examples of a tenet I hold as valuable. Positive Intelligence at HRLF.
New, engaging content; great presenter. Did assessment beforehand so topic had
personal relevance.
• Chris Worley on the New Management Imperatives. Brene Brown's Daring Greatly. It is
an expose of what is real and authentic in every one of us.
• Anything related to Chris Argyris.
• Harvard Business Review article; thought provoking.
• Nonprofit Quarterly recent issue on nonprofit governance I am currently enjoying the
behavioral economics literature and finding great insights into my practice.
• Some of David Rock's material on coaching.

38. THANK YOU!
• Thanks again to the 60 people (members and non-members) who took the time to
complete this survey to help us learn more about your needs.
• Thanks also to the following people who helped make the survey and report possible:
o Jenny Rose, who developed an earlier version of this survey.
o Ed Dolan, who developed two versions of this survey –one for members and a
slightly different one for non-member - and administered it .
o Mary Robins, who developed the first draft of this report.
o Clarissa Sawyer, who completed a second draft of this report and posted it on
Slideshare for distribution.
o Nathan Sreenivasan, who reviewed the second draft and made helpful changes.
o The Executive Team of the MBODLG for making this possible.
• Comments or questions? Email us at: programs@mbodlg.org