This article introduces the contributions made by a leading management scholar (Lou Pondy) and discusses ways he responded as a mentor to the questionings of his many students.

This research attempted to determine the power of an organization development (OD) program to reduce absenteeism and turnover rates among hourly employees of a medium‐sized Mid‐western life insurance company in the USA. Forty‐six months of archival records were examined within time series...

Some of Lou Pondy′s closest colleagues were invited to submit letters and articles, as a starting point for this special issue. Many letters were received from leading scholars at some of the most respected institutions in the world, capturing Lou′s human qualities and his unique analytic...