Polytechnic University of the Philippines

Open University System

Organizational Development and Leadership Effectiveness

MEM 643

Topic: Understanding Organizational Development and Training

Subtopics:
 Understanding Organizational Development
 Characteristics of Organizational Development

Submitted by:

Kissarah B. Villanueva
MEM 1-C
PUPOUS Sto. Tomas Campus
May 26, 2019
 ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING
Subtopics:
 Understanding Organizational Development
 Characteristics of Organizational Development

I. Introduction
We live in a world that has been turned upside down. Organizations are
pouring money, technology, and management expertise into regions that were once
off limits, acquiring new enterprises, forming joint ventures, creating new global
businesses from the ground up. Many major organizations are going through
significant changes, including outsourcing, downsizing, reengineering, self-
managed work teams, flattening organizations, and doing routine jobs with
automation and computers. Some experts contend that if you can describe a job
precisely or write rules for doing it, the job will probably not survive.
Change is avalanching down upon our heads and most people are utterly
unprepared to cope with it. Tomorrow’s world will be different from todays, calling
for new organizational approaches. Organizations will need to be adapting to these
changes market conditions and at the same time coping with the need for a renewing
rather than reactive workforce.
Organizational Development (OD), as it has emerged in the mid-sixties in
the western countries in response to the needs of the changing times, has reached
the shores of the Philippine archipelago in no time at all.

Organizations, particularly business corporations, commercial enterprises,

educational institutions, service organizations both public and private, and
individual practitioners in personnel management, human resource development
and organizational theory, have picked up the trend of Organizational
Development.

OD has been used as an approach to dealing with problems towards

organizational effectiveness and productivity.
Cummings, T. & Worley, C. (2009). Organization Development & Change.
South-Western Cengage Learning: Mason, Ohio, USA. p.22

Andres, T.Q. (1983). Organizational Development and Productivity in the

Philippine Setting. New Day Publishers: Quezon City, Philippines. p. vii

II. Definition
Organizational Development (OD) is a familiar term among behavioral scientists
and human resource developers yet difficult to define. However, it is necessary to
gain a sense of what it can do from varied definitions already given like the
following:

Warner Burke: A planned process of change in an organization’s culture through

the utilization of behavioral science technology, research, and theory.

Wendell French: A long-range effort to improve an organization’s problem-

solving capabilities and its ability to cope with changes in its external environment
with the help of external or internal behavioral-scientist consultants, or change
agents, as they are sometimes called.

Richard Beckhard: An effort (1) planned, (2) organization-wide, and (3) managed
from the top, to (4) increase organization effectiveness and health through (5)
planned interventions in the organization’s “processes,” using behavioral science
knowledge.

Michael Beer: A systemwide process of data collection, diagnosis, action

planning, intervention, and evaluation aimed at (1) enhancing congruence among
organizational structure, process, strategy, people, and culture; (2) developing new
and creative organizational solutions; and (3) developing the organization’s
selfrenewing capacity. It occurs through the collaboration of organizational
members working with a change agent using behavioral science theory, research,
and technology.

Warner Burke and David Bradford: Based on (1) a set of values, largely
humanistic; (2) application of the behavioral sciences; and (3) open systems theory,
organization development is a systemwide process of planned change aimed toward
improving overall organization effectiveness by way of enhanced congruence of
such key organization dimensions as external environment, mission, strategy,
leadership, culture, structure, information and reward systems, and work policies
and procedures.

III. Research
Organizational Development (OD) emerged from human relations studies
in the 1930s, during which psychologists realized that organizational structures and
processes influence worker behavior and motivation.
OD is a complex educational strategy intended to change the beliefs,
attitudes, values, and structure of organizations so that they can better adapt to new
technologies, markets, challenges, and the dizzying rate of change itself.

OD deals with improving an organization’s performance and individual

development of its employees. Each organization should be viewed as a coherent
system composed of distinct parts.

OD as a process, it includes methodologies and achievements in strategic

planning, organizational design, leadership development, team building, culture
change, coaching and mentoring, performance management, and
diversity and balance between work and life.

Goals of OD
 To make organization a more acceptable place for people to work.
 To build trust among groups and individuals through-out the organization.
 To create an open, problem-solving climate.
 To increase sense of ownership and feeling of belongingness.
 To ship from autocratic to participative approach in managing the
organization.
 To bring cooperative approach as opposed to competitive approach.
 To develop a reward system for the achievement of the organization’s goals
(profit or service) and development of the people.
 To produce an effective and healthy organization.

Characteristics of OD

1. OD is an interdisciplinary and primarily behavioral science approach that

draws from such fields as organization behavior, management, business,
psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, education, counseling, and
public administration.

2. A primary, though not exclusive, goal of OD is to improve organizational

effectiveness.

3. The target of the change effort is the whole organization, departments, work
groups, or individuals within the organization and, as mentioned earlier, may
extend to include a community, nation, or region.

4. OD recognizes the importance of top management’s commitment, support,

and involvement. It also affirms a bottom-up approach when the culture of the
organization supports such efforts to improve an organization.
 5. It is a planned and long-range strategy for managing change, while also
recognizing that the dynamic environment in which we live requires the ability
to respond quickly to changing circumstances.
6. The major focus of OD is on the total system and its interdependent parts.

7. OD uses a collaborative approach that involves those affected by the change

in the change process.

8. It is an education-based program designed to develop values, attitudes,

norms, and management practices that result in a healthy organization climate
that rewards healthy behavior. OD is driven by humanistic values.

9. It is a data-based approach to understanding and diagnosing organizations.

10. It is guided by a change agent, change team, or line management whose

primary role is that of facilitator, teacher, and coach rather than subject matter
expert.

11. It recognizes the need for planned follow-up to maintain changes.

12. It involves planned interventions and improvements in an organization’s

processes and structures and requires skills in working with individuals, groups,
and whole organizations. It is primarily driven by action research (AR)

IV. Summary

From the above definitions, we can thus say that OD is a planned

change and a total system effort involving top management with the goal of
increasing general organizational effectiveness and health and helping in
the accomplishment of specific organizational objectives and targets by
means of planned interventions in the organization’s structures and
 processes using behavioral and social sciences and all other relevant
disciplines. Organizations are faced with rapidly accelerating change, and
OD can help them cope with the consequences of change.
The practice of organization development must be in alignment with
organization and business objectives; is rooted in the behavioral sciences;
is long range and ongoing; stresses a process orientation to achieve results;
is based on collaboration; and is a systems orientation. These conclusions
can be drawn about the characteristics of OD.
.

V. References
Cummings, T. & Worley, C. (2009). Organization Development &
Change. South-Western Cengage Learning: Mason, Ohio, USA. p.22

Andres, T. Q. (1983). Organizational Development and Productivity in the

Philippine Setting. New Day Publishers: Quezon City, Philippines. p. vii

Salvador, S. M., Gomez, M. A., & Geronimo, E. F. (2008). Organizational

Development and Leadership Effectiveness: Human Perspective.
Philippines: Allen Adrian Books, Inc.

G. McLean, “Organization Development Principles, Processes,

Performance” (2005) Characteristics of OD , pp. 12-13

VI. Activity
Direction: Choose only the letter of your answer.
1. It is a complex educational strategy intended to change the beliefs, attitudes,
values, and structure of organizations so that they can better adapt to new
technologies, markets, challenges, and the dizzying rate of change itself.
A. Human Resource Development
B. Management Development
 C. Organizational Development
D. Career Development

2. Who defined organizational development as a planned effort, organization-

wide, and managed from the top, to increase organization effectiveness and
health through planned interventions in the organization’s “processes,” using
behavioral science knowledge?
A. Michael Beer C. Richard Bechard
B. Wendel French D. Warner Burke

3. The following are goals of OD except, ____________________________.

A. to produce an effective and healthy organization.
B. to bring competitive approach as opposed to cooperative approach.
C. to create an open, problem-solving climate.
D. to ship from autocratic to participative approach in managing the
organization.

4. When did OD emerge from human relations studies?

A. 1920s C. 1940s
B. 1930s D. 1950s

5. OD is guided by a ________________________whose primary role is that of

facilitator, teacher, and coach rather than subject matter expert.
A. Change Agent
B. Change Team
C. Line Management
D. All of the above