Case Western Reserve University and the Department of Organizational Behavior have housed the Master of Science in Organization Development (MOD) & now the Master of Science in Positive Organization Development and Change (MPOD) programs for over 40 years. During the program’s history, many alumni have shared anecdotal accounts of cognitive, affective and behavioral changes that positively transformed their lives toward becoming more self-aware, more self-confident and effective change agents. Given such accounts, this study explores the question: How do MOD and MPOD graduates experience positive transformation and sustain it over time? Positive transformation, within this study, refers to the long-lasting, strength-based changes in behavior, affect and cognition used to help oneself and others to flourish. Through the use of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and Appreciative Inquiry (AI), 32 graduates spanning MOD classes 1 – 15 and MPOD classes 1 – 4 were interviewed to answer the research question.
The MOD/MPOD program shaped the interviewees’ lives and changed their futures. The program’s design in conjunction with the cohort’s composition supported the interviewees’ positive transformative experiences. The study concluded: (1) positive relationships with high-quality connections (HQCs) serve to facilitate strength-based behavioral, emotional and cognitive changes that lead to positive transformation; (2) validation and confirmation support individual transformation contrary to the disconfirmation and discrepancy theories of change; (3) positive relationships with HQCs increased interviewees’ capacity to withstand conflict and experience it as a learning opportunity; (4) multi-dimensional diversity heightened and deepened self-awareness by engaging with diverse others, having exposure to diverse learning modalities, and experiencing oneself in diverse contexts; and, (5) creating generativity via positive relationships and doing work that brings value to others added meaning to the interviewees’ lives.