I’m a change strategist for organizational development (OD). As a change strategist*, I provide specific and tailor-made OD strategies for organizations where I work. As a facilitator in OD implementation, I design the transformation process through personal competence and collective experiences. Thus, I see OD as a process of progressive change.

I believe that organizational development is about how a group of people make the best out of their reality as a system of people. People are not machine parts. People are emotional, political and irrational – instinctive. Sometimes, they can be extremely creative and progressive. Some other times, they can be emotionally stubborn and (seemingly) happy to doom themselves in hating their own work. What might seems so valuable, can suddenly be so meaningless; and vice versa.

It is not only about doing business because we have to, nor working for the sake of fulfilling the responsibility. It is about bringing values into what our work, and harvesting values from what we are working. This is the essence of progressive change.

As a practitioner, I believe it is simply about being present in our work as a process to create systemic progress. Paradoxically, it is not that simple. Designing this process in work setting to improve capacity, creative process and organizational sustainability is my calling; my work. From my life, I create my work; and from my work, I reframe my life story.

James W. Sasongko

Senior HR Manager at PT ECCO Indonesia

* Special thanks to Hengki Setiawan for helping me in crafting my personal branding!