Organization Development

Reported By :

Mary Janette J. Malabanan

About Organization Development (OD)

Relatively new field of study 50s & 60s How organizations and people function and how to get them to function better Start Point the leader identifies an undesirable situation and seeks to change it

Focus - Making organizations function better (total system change)

Orientation - Action (achieving results through planned activities) No unifying theory just models of practice OD is an organization improvement strategy

Interpersonal or Intergroup conflicts

Organization

Start Point
Poor team performance Inappropriate leadership style

Poor alignment to organizations strategy

Focus
Change new state of things, different from old state of things

Can be viewed as an opportunity or as a threat

1st order change Change
(making moderate adjustments)

2nd order change

(reinvent, reengineer, rewrite)

What needs to be changed and how to go about it?

Orientation
Diagnosing Taking Action Re-Diagnosing Taking New Action

This process is known as

Action Research

Three ingredients: 1. 2. 3. Participation OD consultant (as collaborator & colearner) Iterative process of diagnosis & action

Change occurs based on the actions taken New knowledge comes from examining the results of the actions

Definition
Collaborating with organizational leaders and their groups to create systemic change on behalf of root-cause problem-solving toward improving productivity and employee satisfaction through strengthening the human processes through which they get their work done

Techniques
Diagnostic Team-Building Intergroup Education and Training Structural Process Consultation Grid Organization Development Third-Party Peace Making Coaching and Counseling Life and Career Planning Planning and Goal Setting Strategic Management

Team Building Interventions

Diagnostic meetings Team building focused on goal setting, decision making, problem solving etc. Building & maintaining effective interpersonal relationships Role analysis techniques for role clarification & defination

Intact work teams

Team building interventions

Team building focused on task accomplishment

Special teams

Task allocations Interunit conflicts Role negotiation

Participation & Empowerment

Participation in OD programs is not restricted to elites or top people; it is extended broadly throughout the organization Increased participation and empowerment have always been central goals and fundamental values of OD Participation enhances empowerment and empowerment in turn enhances performance Empowerment is the key to getting people to want to participate in change

Teams & Teamwork

Many tasks are so complex that they cannot be performed by individuals; people must work together to accomplish them. Putting those empowered individuals into teams creates extraordinary effects on performance.
Characteristics of successful teams
1. clear, elevating goal

2.
3. 4.

result driven structure

competent members unified commitment

Teams create synergy i.e. sum of efforts of team is far greater than sum of individual efforts.
A number of OD interventions are specifically designed to improve team performance. Examples team building, quality circles etc.

5.
6. 7. 8.

collaborative climate
standards of excellence external support and recognition principled leadership ..Larson & LaFasto

Models and theories

Change is a three-stage process
Stages 1 Unfreezing the old behavior/ situation 2 Moving to a new level of behaviors 3 Refreezing the behavior at the new level
Kurt Lewin

Edgar Schein modified this theory by specifying psychological mechanisms involved in each stage Later Ronald Lippitt, Jeanne Watson and Bruce Westley expanded this model into seven-stage model

Seven stage model

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5

Developing a need for change Establishing the change relationship Diagnosing the client systems problem
Examining alternative routes, establishing goals & intentions of action

Transforming intentions into actual change efforts

Phase 6
Phase 7

Stabilizing change
Achieving a terminal relationship

Four Levels of Evaluation Model

Originated with Ph.D. dissertation research in 1952
Donald Kirkpatrick

Published in four-article series titled Techniques for Evaluating Training Programs in 1959 Developed to clarify evaluation concept in four levels: reactions, learning, behavior, and results Primarily used to evaluate traditional instructor-led training programs

Level 1 Reactions
Measures how participants react to a training program This type of questionnaire is often called a Smile Sheet Data is collected and processed using a Likert scale Kirkpatrick's emphasis on customer satisfaction

Level 2 Learning
Measures the extent to which students have increased their skills, knowledge, or desired attitudes Pretest Participants are tested before the program Post-test Participants are tested after training is complete Experimental Group A group that receives the training Control Group A group that does not receive the training Validity Looks at how closely matched the test items are to the actual objectives

Level 3 Behavior
Measures whether the training is being used on the job If training was successful, new skills should appear on the job

Data Performance measures, observations, interviews, and questionnaires

Data becomes harder to obtain additional time and money and more difficult to trust, e.g. Hawthorne effect

Level 4 Results
Measures the effect on what the organization cares about--the BOTTOM LINE: Sales, productivity, profits Very difficult to assess but necessary to document Important to establish baseline data in order to document change

Strengths of Model
Easily understood within and outside of the field Well-established and utilized throughout industrial and other professional environments Used as basis for other evaluation models including Kaufman and Kellers Levels and Phillips ROI Model

Limitations of Model
Too simplistic Causal relationship between levels has not been proven Levels 1 and 2 are subject to bias, which may lead to erroneous conclusions Many organizations implement only Levels 1 & 2, thereby ignoring learning transfer which is arguably the most important outcome Levels of evaluation should be expanded beyond training to include performance improvement interventions

Summary

OD can make a difference

Good understanding Proper response Adaptability