Raymond Saner & Lichia Yiu : A Sisyphean Task:Managing Porous Boundaries During OD Interventions in UN Agencies

Organization Development (OD) Practitioners working within the UN system encounter difficulties because of ill-defined organisational structures, multiple political interferences (external and internal), cross-cultural value differences of UN staff and different management practices of UN Agency leadership best described as “Porous Boundaries”. This article introduces and defines “Porous Boundaries”, shows its relation to power politics frequently used in UN Agencies and discusses the role of the OD consultant who needs to adjust his consulting approach to match these environmental challenges.

Key words: Organization Development, United Nations, Porous Boundaries, Power factor, Role of Consultant.