At the 40th Annual IODA Conference in Thailand, held from October 15-17 under the theme “OD for Sustainability: Wisdom, Adaptability, Innovation,” we celebrated three remarkable practitioners whose work demonstrates the transformative power of Organization Development.
The 2026 awards recognized contributions that span decades of OD practice and grassroots initiatives responding to some of the world’s most complex challenges. From advancing our understanding of organizational dynamics through storytelling to building trust, supporting healing and strengthening communities affected by conflict, this year’s recipients remind us that meaningful change begins with people.
Richard Beckhard Award 2026: Annette Simmons
The 2026 Richard Beckhard Award was presented to Annette Simmons in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field of Organization Development, her innovative work in theory and practice, and her longstanding connection with IODA.
Annette’s work has helped practitioners understand and address the often-invisible dynamics that shape organizational life. Her book Territorial Games: Understanding and Ending Turf Wars at Work gave OD practitioners a practical vocabulary for recognising dysfunctional behaviours such as shunning, camouflage and information manipulation; patterns that can undermine collaboration and organizational health.
Her influence extends beyond diagnosing organizational challenges. Through The Story Factor, Annette demonstrated how storytelling can become a powerful tool for leadership, communication and change. By helping people connect emotionally with ideas and possibilities, stories can transform a vision from something imposed by leadership into something people genuinely believe in and want to contribute to.
This approach complements Richard Beckhard’s well-known change formula, which highlights the importance of dissatisfaction with the present, a compelling vision of the future and concrete first steps. Annette’s work shows how storytelling can give that vision its emotional power, helping people find meaning and a shared sense of purpose in times of change.
Her more recent book, Drinking from a Different Well: How Women’s Stories Change What Power Means in Action, further explores how gender and diverse narrative styles can reshape our understanding of power. This work resonates strongly with IODA’s commitment to human dignity, inclusion and dialogue across cultures.
Annette’s relationship with IODA stretches back to the organization’s early years. She first joined the community at the IODA World Conference in Hungary in 1997 and returned for IODA’s first World Congress in Thailand in 2000. Her contribution also includes a memorable workshop in Abuja, Nigeria, in 2004, where African women shared stories of challenging traditional prejudices, building self-esteem and creating change in their communities.
Her work and her enduring connection with IODA exemplify the spirit of the Richard Beckhard Award: advancing the field while remaining deeply committed to the people and communities at the heart of change.
Saul A. Silverman Award 2026: Soraya Jamjuree & Daria Yemets
The Saul A. Silverman Award for Conflict Resolution, Healing and Human Dignity recognizes people whose work makes a meaningful difference in communities affected by conflict. This year, the selection committee chose to honour two recipients whose work, while rooted in very different contexts, shares a commitment to compassion, community-led healing and the restoration of human dignity.
Both Soraya Jamjuree and Daria Yemets were given the Saul Silverman Award demonstrating how Organization Development principles can support people facing profound challenges, creating spaces for dialogue, strengthening local leadership and helping communities find their own paths towards healing. Saraya was present at the conference and was given the award in person, whilst Saria was connected remotely.
Soraya Jamjuree: Civic Women in Southern Thailand
Since 2004, Soraya Jamjuree has worked in response to the long-running conflict in southern Thailand, building women’s leadership and fostering trust between Malay Muslim and Buddhist communities and state officials.
Her work combines dialogue and peacebuilding with practical support for families. Through scholarships, home visits and advocacy, she has helped keep more than a thousand children in school, while her storytelling initiatives have amplified the voices and experiences of women peacebuilders across the region.
Soraya’s work illustrates the importance of creating opportunities for people to be heard, building relationships across differences and enabling communities to participate actively in shaping their futures. In a context where divisions can be deeply entrenched, she continues to create spaces for trust, understanding and collective action.
Daria Yemets: Resilience Ukraine Project
Daria Yemets leads Resilience Circles within the Resilience Ukraine Project, helping communities affected by war develop the skills and support needed to navigate trauma and begin healing.
Since 2022, her programme has trained more than 500 community facilitators and reached thousands of Ukrainians through trauma-informed leadership and community support.
Rather than imposing solutions, this approach helps create the conditions in which healing can emerge naturally. By equipping local facilitators to support others, the programme strengthens community capacity, fosters resilience and helps address intergenerational cycles of harm.
Daria’s work is a powerful reminder that healing is not simply an individual process. It also depends on the relationships, spaces and communities that enable people to recover, reconnect and move forward together.
Two contexts, one shared commitment
Although Soraya and Daria work in very different conflict settings, their stories share important connections. Both have been shaped by border regions, where divisions between people can be especially visible and the consequences of those divisions deeply felt.
Where conflict can lead to polarization, they have chosen to build bridges. Their work creates safe spaces, supports communities through difficult experiences and empowers people to take an active role in their own healing and transformation.
In recognizing both recipients, the Saul Silverman Award celebrates not only their individual achievements but also the courage, persistence and skill required to sustain this work, often far from the spotlight.
Soraya and Daria join a network of past honourees from around the world whose work reflects the award’s enduring commitment to conflict resolution, healing and human dignity.
Celebrating the impact of our global OD community
This year’s award winners represent different dimensions of the same purpose: creating the conditions in which people, organizations and communities can flourish.
Annette Simons reminds us that stories can unlock new possibilities for change and help people find a shared vision. Soraya Jamjuree demonstrates how dialogue, women’s leadership and sustained community engagement can build trust across divides. Daria Yemets shows how trauma-informed support and local leadership can help communities navigate adversity and restore the foundations for healing.
Their work reflects what makes the IODA community so special: a shared commitment to learning across cultures, connecting diverse perspectives and putting the values of Organization Development into practice.
As we celebrate 40 years of IODA conferences and connections around the world, we honour these outstanding contributions and the many practitioners who continue to make a difference, often quietly, courageously and far beyond the spotlight.
To Annette, Soraya and Daria: thank you for your work, your commitment and the inspiration you bring to our global community.