William Brendel
Office Location
Dr. William (Bill) Brendel's work centers on one guiding idea: organizations thrive when their people do, through work that engages their talents and interests. He prepares future Organization Development (OD) practitioners to help employees take part in shaping and carrying out meaningful change. His teaching and research focus on helping organizations align the human and technical sides of work so both improve. This approach helps create workplaces that perform well while also supporting dignity, trust and well-being.
Brendel developed the Mastering Organizational & Societal Transformation (MOST), the first psychometrically validated framework and assessment designed to define the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to build organizations that perform well and care for their people. The MOST model guides educators in building evidence-based courses, helps employers hire and develop OD talent and supports professional associations seeking stronger standards for the field.
Dr. Brendel's work spans more than twenty-nine years across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, where he has helped companies, nonprofits and health systems align strategy, culture and leadership to drive both innovation and employee well-being. Dr. Brendel has also served as a board trustee for the OD Network and chaired the OD Education Association.
Degrees & Certifications
- Ed.D. Adult Learning and Leadership, Columbia University
- MA Social-Organizational Psychology, Columbia University
- BA I/O Psychology, Clemson University
Teaching Responsibilities
Brendel teaches courses in the Ph.D. program in Organization Development & Change, including Leadership, Ethics, Organizational Design and Self-as-Instrument.
Awards & Fellowships
Bill Brendel’s work is often recognized for bridging insight and impact—blending scholarly rigor with tools that make a real difference in people’s lives and workplaces. His identity in the field is marked by efforts to democratize OD skills, while creating meaningful, accessible and evidence-based pathways for professional growth.
- 2025 Inducted into the Honor Society for Organization Development and Change, International Society for OD and Change
- 2025 OD for Human Flourishing Award, Organization Leadership & Development Network
- 2024 Article of the Year, Journal of Management Spirituality and Religion: recognized for a psychometrically validated leadership assessment adopted by HR Business Partners at organizations like Medtronic.
2025 Innovative Inventions in Organization Development, International Society for OD and Change - 2024 Larry Porter Award, Organization Development Network: recognized for making OD understandable and strategic.
- 2023 OD Review Article of the Year, Organization Development Review: awarded for developing an OD career approach used by organizations like the Ontario Healthcare System.
- 2021 Lisa Kimball Award, Organization Development Network: recognized for creating the first validated OD competency assessment, used by 2,000+ professionals and adopted by the OD Network.
- 2015 Innovations that Inspire Award, AACSB: Recognized for developing a virtual reality simulation to increase adaptive and ethical leadership skills based on real case studies.
Research
Brendel's current research includes helping Organization Development become an evidence-based field—linking what OD practitioners do to the impact they have. Using Bill's award winning, psychometrically validated assessment, participant receive feedback from peers and managers across 27 skill areas. Bill's current research will reveal which combinations of skills predict different kinds of success—like hitting performance targets or deepening stakeholder engagement. This is the first large-scale research to connect validated competencies with real-world results across organizations.