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Organizational Development
Tom Holland
Assumptions
Organizations are systems composed of component parts.
It is better to improve performance and productivity than to accept
low effectiveness.
Accurate information is helpful; knowledge can lead to health.
Informed, free choices are good for people and organizations.
People should have some ownership and responsibility for their own
jobs.
Adapting to new conditions is good.
Opening up conflicts can lead to productive growth if handled
skillfully.
Change does not have to be haphazard, but the results of change
efforts are not always 100% predictable or controllable.
It is O.K. for us to make mistakes along the way and learn from them
how to improve our efforts.
Both formal and informal relationships are important components for
change.
Principles of Change
Successful change is an on-going journey of learning and growing,
not a quick fix.
Incentives for change must be greater than those for keeping status
quo.
There must be some degree of buy-in and support for new practices
to be tried.
You cant change everything at once, so start where your people are
right now and what theyre interested in doing.
People are more motivated to make changes they have helped
design.
There will always be anxiety, fear, resistance when doing things
differently. The greater the change, the greater the resistance.
Making positive changes is more effective than negative ones.
There must be some championsof the changes and their
purposes.
Steps should be consistent with the values driving the new ways of
working.
Energy and commitment dissipate quickly and motivation wanes as
time lapses.
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Organizational Culture
Culture: that set of unspoken habits, norms,
and practices that guide how a group goes
about doing its work
Group culture develops over time, emerging
from the work habits of founders
It typically focuses on operational
maintenance.
Newcomers are socialized into cultural
assumptions about how we do our work here.
These assumptions and habits are resistant
to change, continuing to guide work even
when outside conditions change.
Power and politics
Power: the degree to which individuals can influence
others
Position power: authority based on role definition
Relational influence based on informal networks
Politics: they ways power is used
Power is unequally distributed, may be misused, stifling
engagement and effective performance
Coalitions: people who work together for shared goals
Dominant coalition: those who exercise the most power
in a system
Power analysis: understanding the configuration of
power and the ways it is used to frame situations and
agendas for action
Organizational development: strengthening shared
power through interventions designed to increase
inclusive political processes and expertise-based
influence
Force-field analysis
Identify those influences that are pushing
toward change.
Identify those influences that are resisting
change, supporting the status quo.
Explore ways to strengthen the pushing
influences and diminish the resisting
influences.
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Some possible barriers
Reward system reinforces old ways of doing things (such
as following rules rather than producing results.
Trying new things and making mistakes are punished.
Changes may threaten existing balance of power.
Fear that changes may open up conflicts between
individuals or groups.
Fear of the unknown.
Organizational culture resists change.
Leaders demand quick changes or they cave in to
resistances.
The higher the resistances, the lower the prospects for
successful change.
Engage people in finding solutions
In what ways do the findings from this assessment
enrich our understanding of the issue that prompted it?
Given those findings, what are some things we could do
to improve our performance?
What would be going on here if this organization (place/
community) were functioning as we would like?
What are the results we want to accomplish?
What sorts of changes and steps would be useful for us
to try in reaching those results?
What are some small-scale experiments we could try
that could take us there?
Who should do what, when?
How should we monitor our progress and assess our
results?
Types of interventions
Individuals
Teams
Inter-groups
Total organizations
Communities
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Types of interventions and uses
at the individual level
Training: helping person learn specific skills.
Coaching: guidance on solving interpersonal problems
(using, for example, 360 assessments, J oharis window, Myers-
Briggs, stress management techniques)
Goal setting: helping people formulate goals and
priorities for improving their effectiveness
Performance appraisal: modifying ways of assessing
employee performance and using feedback to improve.
Job descriptions: useful when job duties are
ambiguous and expected results unclear.
Career planning: for individuals who have outgrown
their roles and want new skills and challenges.
Procedures manual: formalizing the approved methods
for handing common problems in work.
Process improvement: steps to improve the
effectiveness of ways people do their work.
Team level:
Characteristics of strong teams
Understanding, relevance and commitment to shared
goals
Open communication of ideas and feelings
Active participation and distribution of leadership
Flexible use of decision-making procedures
Encouragement and constructive management of
conflicts
Equality of power and influence
High group cohesion
Strong problem-solving strategies
Interpersonal effectiveness
Positive interdependence
Interventions at the team level
Team building: activities to increase work group
cohesiveness, reduce biases, build trust
Job enrichment: changing mix of job responsibilities so
members have greater responsibilities
Quality of work life: improving work conditions and
employee participation in decisions that affect them and
org.
Quality circles: using small work groups to identify
ways to improve performance and effectiveness
Goal setting: helping work groups establish shared
goals and steps for improvement
System mapping: clarifying inputs, transformations,
outputs, and feedback loops to improve efficiency
Conflict management: reducing destructive conflict
between members of a work group through healthier
communications
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Conflict management
(in increasing order of difficulty)
Recognize that some differences are useful and
always present
Substantive issues
Emotional issues
Prevent initiation of conflicts by developing clear
understanding of triggering factors
Set limits on ways conflict may be expressed
Help individuals cope differently with
consequences of conflict
Resolve basic issues underlying the conflict
Interventions at the
inter-group level
Goal setting: negotiating changes between
teams through agreements on shared goals and
ways of working
Work flow planning: improving the flow of work
and products from one part of the organization
to another
Inter-team development: two or more work
groups work to improve their relationships
Cross-training / job rotation: building skills
and knowledge needed to work in another part
of the organization
Interventions with total organization
Management by objecti ves: setting shared goals and
steps for achieving desired results
Strategic planning: establishing long-term goals and
directions for the whole org.
Re-engineering: radical re-design of work processes to
improve efficiency
Total quality systems: improving value and excellence
across components of the organization through feedback
and ongoing changes
Structural change: altering reporting relationships and
objectives for component parts of the organization
Culture transformation: changing assumptions about
who we are, why we are here, what are rightand
wrongways of doing things
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Interventions at the
community level
Neighborhood resource development:
concerted efforts to expand or improve services
available in neighborhoods
Economic development: working to increase
job opportunities in an area
Public education: systematic efforts to improve
public awareness and understanding of an issue
or problem
Political advocacy: efforts to influence votes
on issues or candidates; efforts to influence the
decisions of public officials on issues affecting a
community or region
Civil disobedience: planned steps of violating
laws seen to be unjust
Guidelines for planning
interventions
Explore possible solutions to problems identified, not
more detailed dissections of the problems.
Brainstorm alternative routes to success before
evaluating them.
Consider realistic constraints on choices and changes.
Consider short-term and longer-term implications of
alternatives.
Make sure choices serve to advance org. mission
Go with alternative that generates most support.
Begin with small-scale experiments working toward
solutions.
Identify criteria for monitoring results.
Verbally rehearse steps to take.
Identify possible barriers and ways to deal with them.
Make sure steps, tasks, expectations are clear.
Leading Change Effectively
1. Identify participants for change efforts,
depending on level and issue.
2. Explore together the findings of
assessment and implications for people
and the organization (or community).
3. Formulate specific areas for change,
targets and goals.
4. Link everything with the mission of the
organization. Why are we doing this?
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5. Formulate work plans for
achieving changes together
a. Specify objecti ves for each dimension.
What do we want to accomplish?
b. Identify results to be attained for each
objective.
What will success look like in each area?
c. Set clear work assignments and timetable.
Who will do what, by when?
d. Identify evidence of success.
Assessed by what criteria?
e. Publicize intended results and steps.
How will we be accountable to others?
6. Make success a teameffort
Be sure everyone knows what is expected
of her/him and how that links to group
goals
Articulate how each individuals talents
contribute to success of the whole
Identify means for problem-solving and
accountability as a team (what will we do
when problems and barriers show up?)
Specify methods for reporting and
communicating progress (how will we
know its done?)
Monitor, evaluate, and report on results
Find ways to reward successes
7. Coordinate implementation
Maintain emphasis on mission and goals
Keep in contact with team members
Empower and encourage them to sustain
movement toward goals
Accept the anxieties of change
Encourage risk-taking and nontraditional
ideas and actions
Remind members to hold themselves and
others accountable
Take barriers and obstacles back to the
group for solutions (dont fix it)
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8. Reinforce Changes
Communicate progress widely, using
multiple means
Articulate the connections between
actions and results
Recognize and reward successes
Report results to others outside team
Encourage group learning from experiences
(sharpen the saw)
Develop and nurture new leaders,
ensuring leadership succession
Model the behaviors expected of others