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The International Residency is an intense 10-day module offered in locations outside the USA. Taught by AU/NTL and local host faculty, this course focuses on consultation theory and skills, along with diversity and cultural competence. Students gain basic knowledge, skills, and field experience needed to practice OD effectively in client systems worldwide.
Prior to the Residency, students spend a class weekend examining theory, models, and experiences of diversity, focusing on “differences that matter,” their use of self in diverse settings, and pathways to inclusion. They examine their experiences and assumptions as U.S.-based practitioners, including how this background affects their responses – and perceptions that host nationals may hold about them -- as professionals working outside the USA.
During the Residency, cohort members conduct fieldwork to develop their understanding of local and national cultures and acquire deep understanding of key theories related to diversity and cultural competence. Then, in small teams, they apply these and other learnings about consultation processes to complete a compressed full-cycle OD consultation in a local client system. Sample Residency clients include a chamber orchestra, social service agency, video production firm, and various government agencies. The faculty team serves as instructors, coaches, and mentors during the entire Residency.
This course includes foundational readings, field activities, the full-cycle OD consultation, lectures and presentations by faculty and leading executives and OD professionals from the host country. Students deepen their learning through written work, team and individual reflections, and presentations to their class. Our students find this Residency to be a landmark experience in the AU/NTL curriculum. When they return to the USA, they have a strong base of theory and practice, and powerful development of their use of self in professional OD work.
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