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Seventeen students and five lecturers from the Au DM in OD program participated in the IODA Conference at Zeist (The Netherlands) between August 27 – 31, 2006
The IODA conference this year attracted consultants and practitioners, chief learning officers, management development officers, HRM/HRD managers and people interested in organization development, in addition to the Assumption University’s participants.
The conference held at the Woudschoten Conference Centre deliberated over questions, such as, how are organizations, societies and OD dealing with the disparity and diversity between people and what is the future of the OD profession.
The diversity and expertise represented at the conference was eye-opening to the doctoral students, and an intellectual feast to the resource faculty attending the conference from Assumption University.
Overall the conference provided a hands’ on experience to Au doctoral scholars searching for newer definitions of organization development in the 21st century.
Patima Jeerapaet
This is my first time to join the IODA conference. My view of myself as a learner changed. I had not thought I would gain much from this conference but I was totally wrong. I have learnt a lot more about Organization Development and Change management which definitely added value to myself and supported my purpose of taking OD which is “To lead individual, groups and organization with integrity and productivity that contribute to transform of people in society”. I learnt about different cultures, the way they think and their values. I had associated with some experienced OD consultants and practitioners from many countries and learnt about their  viewpoints, ideas and leadership styles which help develop my skill in OD. I learnt to change and develop the ability of each people inside and outside the organization to work together effectively and efficiently.
I am impressed how well the conference was organized. There is only one suggestion
I would like to make, that is for the organizer to distribute the course materials before each session begins in order to allow the participants to read beforehand. There were many good sessions and it would have been more beneficial if the participants can participate more effectively.
Pornpin Chaivikrai
My participation in IODA conference was informative, revealing, and memorable. The whole experience of the five days attendance at the conference has opened up for me another meta-paradigm shift in my understanding of an organization that has to constantly change and adapt. It gave me the opportunity to listen to speakers experienced in the field from different countries. It also broadened my knowledge of change management and I acquired many additional and invaluable experiences, in particular, working with others to solve problems. 
The theme of IODA year 2006’s conference was “Vive la difference” and the common thread running through the conference and activities associated with it taught me how to live with differences in the profession, within organizations themselves, and in living  together generally, in other words, how to cope with and use social diversity. There will always be differences within organizations as well as differences in approaches and viewpoints.
Last but not least, I learned the bona fide meanings of the five distinctive colors, each of which represented a different set of belief systems or theories. Moreover, this five days attendance at the conference has brought about paradigm shift in me, to appreciate my own gifts and the gifts of others. I could use the new found knowledge to improve on my organization.
Athippong Premyothin
Come up with unclear objective to join this seminar, then my mind was widely opened to learn, to share, and to develop myself. The world is too large too make it change in over night. But OD can, by let us change ourselves, change the others, change society, and then can change the world.
The IODA members are all around the world and most of them are professional. I have learnt the way to discuss with new friends in different culture, the different viewpoint, and the hot spicy arguments between European and American OD consultancies to make something we called creativities. All week I have spent there is very useful experience. Positive thinking, open all left and right brain to learn, and develop my skill are all my impressions in this seminar.
Nathaya Pupat
This is my first experience to attend the International conference of Organization Development in Netherlands. The topic of “Vive la difference”, Acknowledge the importance of differences is very interested to me because nowadays we live with differences in organizations, in social diversity, and differences in approach and viewpoint of human.
In the opening ceremony day, I felt that this conference was not the same as other conferences that I had ever seen before because I found the different environment of opening ceremony. This conference approached the participants to explore themselves to new friends by the use of the storytelling as a reflection on our own experience by translating diversity experience to other people from many organizations, countries. Moreover, I have learned new knowledge of organization development and change, thinking process and creativity, etc.
In conclusion, this conference is valuable for me to explore new idea, open-minded and have a good relationship with others. Moreover, I have learned that difference cultures, backgrounds, nationalities and countries bring to the difference thinking, opinion, perspective, and behavior that can merge together in one place like IODA Conference 2006.
Wipa Thaweewararuk
a) Impression. I found new friends. I have chance to listen to other OD practitioners’ experience. It was a starter point for me on that day to explore.
b) Learning from presentation and sessions attend. First class was Spiral Dynamics; Dieuwke Begemann, she talked about the color of condition of life, there is development of corrective consciousness. I am interested with her presentation. But these colors are different from, combining difference approaches to change-Léon de Caluwé. Both presenters although presented about the color of people, group of people, but they presented in different meanings, but so interesting me.
I also had chance to visit Heineken company, listen to their leadership style, their company’s strategy, and discussed in groups for some advices for this company, I learned a lot from experienced OD practitioners, and found that this company consists of many blue people, and most leaders are men, so our advices recommended Heineken to hire less blue, Heineken should focus on the context, commitment, cultural part rather than the content.
 c) My own dynamics of learning and integration (content, process, context).
I explore lots from IODA conference, IODA is offering me the opportunity to be mentored by experienced OD professionals. By meetings with international OD professionals, I had chance to study their case in their countries, and I can adapt to my study, IODA offers a network for intensive learning, working and discussing together. I develop form “I preserve” to “I explore”. I learned from my workshop I attended, mostly experienced OD professionals support younger generation and encouraged me to express ideas. I feel that I started from ordinary person with some knowledge of management(content) is changing by attending this IODA conference (process)and becoming the first step of OD practitioner(context).
Pinyo Rattanaphan
My reflection on OD conference
I feel in this conference. I feel “IODA.” (Inspiring, optimistic, dynamic and amazing)
1. Inspiring: The Conference is very inspiring in many aspects for instance, content, friendly environment and most importantly people. I think I found many role models for my future career.
2. Optimistic: I feel myself optimistic about OD practitioner and practices. It seems to me that everyone is young-at-heart. It seems to me that the longer time one stay in this practice, the younger their hearts will be. This is the field where there are challenges but everyone seems to be optimistic on their careers.
3. Dynamic: This is a very dynamic science. It is well prepared for any incoming challenge and idea. It is not a rigid science. It’s quite holistic. This feature is reflected by the conference where diverse knowledge and people are well mixed. 
4. Amazing: The event is quite amazing in term of both contents. Contents cover many areas of interests. At first I thought this field was oriented for corporate setting. In the conference, I am surprised that OD already expanded to other organization setting such as NGOs, non-profit organization, and religious organization. This reflects that OD is quite flexible and quite open to all.
Nauvarat Songswaddichai
The reflection of IODA meeting in my point of view are as following:-
1. The expert speakers and the practitioners are smiling welcome and willing to share their ideas.
2. The environment in the group is excellent for young OD to express their ideas with brave.
3. We can find the good OD practitioners, the way to practice which come from the profit organization and non profit organization. I learned many strategies with different views.
Chalit Limpanavech
The IODA Conference is the first of its kind I ever joined. Throughout the conference, I think I had learned a lot and just realized that there is an organization that gather all practitioners in OD and Change Management together. It’s a good idea to have people who are consultants and practitioners gathering once a year to share their experience in a very diverse group from around the world. They learned from each other the experience of each country and adapt to their own knowledge. I think OD need a lot of PR not only in Thailand, but throughout the world to create more awareness and encourage more people to join. A lot of organization in Thailand have already done the OD but some called it CHANGE MANAGEMENT, some called something else. That is my reflection.
Udom Hongchatikul
It’s my great pleasure to have the opportunity to participate in 2006 IODA Conference and all the conference activities, interviews and discussions were closely related to the theme of the conference “diversity”. The participants of this conference came from every part of the world. The conference discussed the OD from organizational perspective, professional perspective and social perspective.
All participants in the conference participated in the activities and discussed actively and enthusiastically. Even sometimes they came up with different ideas/thinkings, they were open-minded and modest to listen to others’ opinions and suggestions.
It was very nice experience to have the chance to visit Twynstra Gudde (TG), the leading consultancy firm in the Netherlands for 40 years, since we did not visit TG only as visitors, but also as the OD practitioner!
I do hope that I will have the chance to attend the IODA conference again.
Esmaeil Tekeyh sadat
very briefly my reflection on IODA Conference is positive. informality is the basic parameter of the IDOA Conference in breakfast , lunch , Coffey break , particularly in the Dinner ceremony and early bird session I learned a lot from this informality , collaborative and friendly relationship . Client visit was the another important characteristic of IODA Conference .problem solving in practice was a good lesson for us . complexity theory by Dr AVI, OD and SP by Dr Greiner and group print thinking by Dr Leon de Calwe and Scenario planning by Dr Jac Geurts had given a great perspective to OD practitioner.
in my view the Conference had also a limitation .most important inattentive collaboration subjects discussed parallel where as no body could able to capture the whole idea, second we recognized too many consultants and I send a lot of Emails but I received a few feedback .
suggestion :
the Website of IDOA is the accessible communication framework for sustain collaboration to all members and OD practitioner . I would like to suggest to the Precedent of the IDOA to open WEB site to all OD practitioners particularly OD Doctoral Candidate to join freely in the web site having log in name and user name for contribution .
Kanyarat Jantarachirat
Attending in IODA Conference is a precious moment for me to explore something new, something that I cannot get it from the classes or my daily working life. Spending more time with people who are really specialized in many different fields in OD gave an opportunity to generalize my thought to
see what OD techniques can do to solve problems in my organization. Such techniques as the experts used them before for OD intervention I think some of them are useful. I can use it as a tool and implement to my organization.
The lessons and work shops arranged in the Conference may not go much in details due to the time is short and limited, I think I get a whole picture which is enough. To further the knowledge in depth in the future if any, the participants can contact the experts later. The business cards were
distributed throughout the class and also outside the class so that everyone has a chance to contact them back and ask for more details.
The company visit was impressive. It allowed me for the touch of real operation and problem solving. It is far important beyond any case studies that we learned from the textbooks and in classrooms. I can listen to the problems that exist in the present time with many solutions that are
suggested by many experienced participants.
 
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