Submitted:
27 February 2025
Posted:
28 February 2025
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Abstract
The Urgent Need for Regenerative Organizational Development (OD)
We live in a VUCAV² context, which is made up of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity, velocity-driven, vulnerability. This has shown us the big problems with traditional ways of developing organizations that focus on short-term efficiency, shareholder supremacy, and mechanistic structures. The increasing fragility of company ecosystems, driven by AI-induced labor revolutions, economic instabilities, ESG failures, and intergenerational wealth disruptions, necessitates a comprehensive overhaul of organizational resilience approach. Poor governance, leadership transition crises, unstable economies, and fluctuating capital control contribute to wealth disruptions across generations. All these factors jeopardize business resilience and longevity. As conventional enterprises grapple with sustaining generational leadership transitions, organizations must reconceptualize governance utilizing regenerative intelligence and adaptive resilience frameworks. This work presents a novel paradigm, Regenerative Organizational Development (ROD), to tackle these systemic issues. This is a robust system that employs AI-driven decision-making, neuroplastic leadership, productivity, well-being, and intergenerational longevity as essential facilitators of enduring business transformation.
This research is founded on Positive Organizational Psychology (POP) and the Theory of Hope. This analysis transcends the conventional emphasis on pleasure and well-being, as evidenced by Gallup and MIT Sloan research, to examine how systemic regeneration, hope, and purpose might enhance the adaptability of business ecosystems and the labor market in the long run, with enduring corporate and economic governance. Tata, the Rockefeller Foundation, Merck, Mitsui, and TPC Singapore exemplify intergenerational enterprises. Microsoft, Danone, and Unilever exemplify regenerative enterprises. Temasek, Bhutan's Gross National Happiness, and ASEAN's Regenerative Economy Initiatives exemplify governmental economic systems. These indicate that ROD is not an evolutionary derivative of OD but a fundamental framework for sustaining businesses and economies. We employed a mixed-method study to develop an empirical success model for ROD. The research employs longitudinal business case analyses, AI-driven models of organizational development impact, and assessments of psychological leadership adaptability. This study's principal conclusions indicate that organizations emphasizing psychological safety and well-being in leadership exhibit up to 70% more employee flexibility, demonstrating that humanized business models outperform mechanistic corporate governance systems.
AI-enabled organizational development improves decision-making in governance by 40% and mitigates risks related to systemic instability and market disruptions.
Following ROD principles, intergenerational businesses have been around for more than 100 years, showing that regenerative capitalism leads to long-term economic growth.
This thesis is pertinent to corporate sustainability, ESG governance, and organizational psychology as it illustrates the transition from mechanical organizational development to business models grounded in ecosystems and regeneration. This thesis gives business and policymakers scalable, evidence-based ways to include human well-being, AI governance, and regenerative capitalism in their long-term plans during times of systemic disruption.
Keywords:
1. Introduction
1.1. Background, Justification & Problem Statement
1.2. Theoretical Framework: A Synopsis
1.3. The Research's Significance
1.4. Research Purpose, Questions, and Objectives
1.5. Thesis Organization
2. Literature Review: Using Regenerative Intelligence to Rethink Organizational Development
2.1. Organizational Development (OD) Evolution and Systemic Challenges
2.2. Regenerative OD's (ROD) Rising Sign as the Missing Link
2.3. Psychological Safety, Governance Failures, and CEOs Trauma
2.4. Regenerative Capitalism and the "S" in ESG: Beyond KPIs for Short-Term Performance

2.5. Family Offices: Multi-Capital Approaches and Regenerative OD
2.6. Reevaluating OD Using the AHA SHIFT Models, 3Rs-T, and 5Ps
2.7. Systemic Intelligence and Generative AI
2.8. Key Takeaways
3. Research Methodology
3.1. Mixed Methods Approach to Ensure ROD Effectiveness
3.2. Research Questions and Research Objectives
3.3. Justification of Mixed-Methods Approach
3.4. Research Design
3.5. Theoretical Framework and Research Methodology
3.6. Data Collection Methods, Data Analysis and Mathematical Modeling
3.6.1. Case Study Selection & Justification
3.6.2. Thematic Analysis & AI-Powered OD Impact Modelling
3.7. Sample Size, Approach of Sampling, Justification
Workforce & Leadership Assessments


3.8. Ethical Considerations & Reflexivity


4. Results & Data Analysis
4.1. Strengthening the Base for ROD (Regenerate Organizational Development)


4.2. Empirical Findings and Mathematical Modelling: Validating ROD through Data and Research Questions
- Leadership Adaptability (Qualitative vs. Quantitative Findings): Interview insights suggested that leaders trained in neuroplasticity-based coaching exhibited higher adaptability in decision-making. Quantitative data confirmed this, showing a 30% increase in strategic flexibility (p < 0.001). However, AI-driven assessments suggested lower adaptability scores for leaders in rigid hierarchical structures, highlighting divergence.
- Sustainability Governance (Mixed-Methods Integration): While structured interviews with policymakers indicated strong advocacy for AI-assisted sustainability foresight, workforce surveys revealed skepticism due to concerns over AI governance transparency. This divergence emphasizes the necessity of integrating human oversight within AI-powered decision-making frameworks.
4.2.1. Key Formulas Applied in Measuring ROD Effectiveness

4.2.2. Mapping Empirical Findings to Research Questions

4.2.3. Case Study Validation of ROD Principles


4.2.4. The Role of AI, Neuroplasticity, and Systems Thinking in ROD Outcomes

4.3. The Role of ROD Frameworks in Scaling Transformation
4.3.1. Neuroscience-Based Leadership Models vs. Traditional Models


4.3.2. The 3Rs of Regenerative Systems Intelligence: From Mindset to Systemic Impact

4.3.3. The 5Ps: A Leadership Framework for Regenerative Systems Intelligence


4.3.4. Activating the Regenerative Leadership Playbook for Systems Consciousness

4.3.5. Activating Regenerative Leadership: The Playbook for Systemic Transformation

4.3.6. The Execution Plan: Regenerative Leadership Playbook for Deployment (4 Phases Across 18+ Months)

4.3.7. Success Metrics for Regenerative Leadership Transformation
4.3.8. Envisioning the Impact of a Regenerative Leader on the Organization
4.4. Integrating Research Findings with the 5Ps and 3Rs-T Frameworks

4.4.1. AI, Neuroplasticity, and Happiness in Building Resilient Organizations

4.5. The Role of Intergenerational Family Enterprises in Scaling ROD in ASEAN
4.5.1. Exemplars of Regenerative Intelligence in Family Enterprises
4.5.2. The Role of Multi-Capital Stewardship in Long-Term Business Sustainability

4.5.3. Success Principles for ASEAN’s Intergenerational Business Growth in ROD
4.5.4. Case Study: TPC Singapore’s Role in Scaling ASEAN’s Regenerative Economy
4.6. Recommendations for Scaling Regenerative Organizational Development (ROD)
4.7. Takeaway: Broader Implications for ROD in the Anthropocene
5. Conclusion & Future Considerations: The Future of Regenerative Organizational Development (ROD) – Pathways for Systemic Adoption and Research Advancement
5.1. Introduction: ROD's Crucially Important Part in the Anthropocene
5.2. Important Advancements of this Thesis toward ROD Field
5.3. The Playbook for Regenerative OD to drive Systemic Change5.31. Playbook for Regenerative Leadership
5.3.2. Envisioning the Regenerative Leader: Neuroplasticity, Strengths, and Systemic Thinking
5.3.3. Phases of Leadership Transformation: Aligning with Real-World Insights
5.3.4. Measuring Impact of a Regenerative Leader Using the 5Ps Framework
5.4. Regenerative OD Impact: A Framework for Measurable Transformation
5.5. Policy Recommendations to Enable ROD Adoption
5.8. Future Research Directions: Scaling ROD to a Global Movement
References
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
| ASEAN | Association of South East Asia Nations |
| ESG | Environments, Social, Governance |
| SDG | Sustainable Development Goals |
| PPP 5Ps 3Rs-T AI-DAO GTM RSF TGM RLI VUCAV² |
People-Planet-Profit Purpose, People, Partnership, Planet, Prosperity Restoration, Resilience, Regenerate, Transcendence Artificial Intelligence- Decentralized Autonomy Organization Go-to-Market Regenerative System Framework Trinity Growth Model Regenerative Leadership Intelligence Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity, Velocity, Vulnerability. |
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