ODPN moves forward

Last March 30, the Organization Development Practitioners Network (ODPN) had the induction of its new Board of Directors at the ECJ Executive Dining Room of San Miguel Corporation. They will carry on the 15-year tradition of the association as well as continue to introduce more breakthrough innovations.

Founding of ODPN

I remember the day clearly in August 2001, when a group of us practitioners met and decided to honor our profession by establishing an organization dedicated to its development and flourishing. It was a small coalition of 15 members. Many of us, were graduates of a special two-year program of San Miguel Corporation on Organization Development way back when we were employees. Then, again some were in private practice as consultants or some were organization development executives with major corporations. We were passionate about organization development. We saw it as a discipline that is inclusive but beyond human resource management and training and development. Organization Development needed an identity of its own.

ODPN was born with a Vision of being “a catalyst for positive change towards empowered, capable and engaged individuals, communities, organizations, and institutions”. Its mission is to be “an organization committed to advance the practice of OD through continuing personal and professional growth of members, enabling them to positively influence their organizations and to contribute to knowledge through research thereby creating opportunities for sustainable change and development in Philippine society and in the ASEAN region.”

We were very clear, what we wanted in the new organization. It will be a value-driven network where people learn and grow personally and professionally, and are able to provide meaningful contribution to their organizations. While members develop and grow, the organization and community which they are a part of benefit through application of learning. It will engage in capability building for the sustainable growth of leaders and organizations.

Resource Speaker: Dr. Rose Fuentes

The guest speaker for the event was Dr. Rose Fuentes, the President of the SAIDI Foundation, who is recognized as guru and pioneer of Appreciative Inquiry in the Philippines. She engaged the members in an interesting conversation on the well- researched topic of leadership. Dr. Fuentes notes, “Leadership is confronted with overwhelming realities. But seemingly, all around us, our disappointment is coming more from the inability of leaders to inspire those they lead”. Indeed, “we are hurting for true leadership”, a phrase borrowed from one of Pope Francis messages. Hopefully, the session moved everyone to commit and choose in the May election, leaders who will quench our thirst for new and right leaders.

Coalition of Experienced and Fresh Leadership

The New ODPN Board of Directors are composed of both experienced and fresh young leaders. Leading the new Board is Milalin S. Javellana. She is presently the Facility Director of the Philippine Australia Human Resource and Organizational Development Facility (PAHRODF), an Australian Government initiative that support organizational performance and learning, HR and OD sustainability through developing individual competencies and whole systems capacities.

Other Board Members with deep OD experience are: Dr. Joy Calleja is the Director for OD and HR Solutions of the Ateneo Center for Organization Research and Development. Schubert CaesarAustero is the Senior Vice President of PNB, heading the Human Capital development Division. Dr. Ed Canela, a Senior International OD and Project Management Consultant and a start-up Advocate and Co-Founder of the Umake 3D printing machine. Then, Dessie Dayo is currently the Head of Organization Development, People Development of San Miguel Corporation. He assumes oversight of the OD Function of the whole San Miguel Group.

Bringing in fresh, bright, and competent talent into ODPN, are the younger board members. Candy Mauricio, heads the Center for Mastery and Life Long Learning. Karl Samson, heads the Organization Development and Corporate Planning Department of Enchanted Kingdom. Then, Hilda Cardenas is the Vice President for Human Resources and Organization Development of FactSetPhilippines, Inc.

We congratulate the new Board. We look forward to a dynamic year ahead!
(Tita Datu Puangco is the CEO and President of Ancilla Enterprise Development Consulting, a major training and organization development company in the Philippines with an Asian reach. It specializes in enterprise transformation, executive coaching, corporate leadership and functional training, human resource systems, corporate academies, learning events and management of business training centers. Visit Tita’s Blog at https://titatalks training.blogspot.com. For additional information please email author at [email protected] or at [email protected])