About Organization Development (OD)

Relatively new field of study – 50’s & 60’s

OD is about how organizations and people function and how to get
them function better
Start Point – when 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

Start Point
t u re
c Poor alignment to organization’s strategy
s tr u
n
z a ti o
i

Po
a n
g

or
o r Po
Low productivity or qu

ly
a t e
ri

de
op le alit

sig
p r o ra y
ap m

ne
In o o r

d
P

t as
ks
Organization Intergroup conflict
a ls c e
r g o an
c le a m
n r
U r fo
pe
Interpersonal conflicts am
t e
o r
Po
Inappropriat
e leadership
style
 Revolutionary Values & Beliefs of OD
Organic systems (mutual confidence & trust) rather than mechanical systems (authority-
obedience) …. Warren Bennis

Basic units of change are groups, not individuals …. Richard Beckhard

Away from resisting and fearing individual differences towards accepting and utilizing
them …. Robert Tannenbaum

Trust and respect for individual

Open communication
Radical departure from Decentralized decision making
accepted values and beliefs
of 1960’s Collaboration and cooperation
Appropriate use of powers
Authentic interpersonal relationships
 Managing the OD Process
Three basic components of OD programs:

Diagnosis Continuous collection of data

about total system, its
subunits, its processes, and
its culture
Action All activities and interventions
designed to improve the
organization’s functioning
Program All activities designed to
management ensure success of the
program
Models and theories

Change is a three-stage process

Stage 1- Unfreezing the old behavior/ situation
Stage 2 - Moving to a new level of behaviors
Stage 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
Models and theories Contd..
Seven stage model representing the consulting process

Phase 1 Developing a need for change.

Phase 2 Establishing the change relationship.

Phase 3 Diagnosing the client system’s problem.

Examining alternative routes, establishing goals and
Phase 4
intentions of action.
Phase 5 Transforming intentions into actual change efforts.

Phase 6 Stabilizing change.

Phase 7 Achieving a terminal relationship.

System Approach

Technological
Economic System
System

Socio-Cultural Politico-Legal
System System
Continued…

To cope with the Commercial

Sector
Technical
Sector
change the
organizations must
subdivide into four
subsystem: Personnel
Sector
Controller
Sector
 Action Research Approach
• First coined by Kurt Lewin , then a professor at
MIT:
“a comparative research on the conditions and effects of
various forms of social action and research leading to social
action” that uses “a spiral of steps, each of which is composed
of a circle of planning, action, and fact-finding about the result
of the action”.
 Major Theories

Chris John Heron Paulo William

Jack
and Peter Freire's Torbert’s Whitehead's and
Argyris'
Reason's Participator Developmen Jean McNiff's
Action Cooperative y Action tal Action Living Theory
approach
Science Inquiry Research Inquiry
 Varieties of Action Research
Organizational change and work
research

Co-operative Inquiry
Action Science and Action Inquiry

Learning History
Appreciative inquiry
Whole systems inquiry
Participative action research

Art, storytelling and theatre as action

research

Public Conversations
 Action Research
Data Collection
Feedback of data to client system members Diagnostic

Action planning based on the data Participant

Types
Taking action Empirical

Evaluating results of actions Experimental

Diagnostic Researcher enters a problem situation, diagnoses it and make

recommendations for remedial treatment (recommendations may not be put
into effect by client group)
Participant People who are to take action are involved in the entire process
from the beginning (involvement increases the likelihood of carrying out the
actions once decided upon)
Empirical Researcher keeps the systematic, extensive record of what he/ she did and
what effects it had (may encounter situations too divergent from one another,
which may not permit generalizations)
It is controlled research on the relative effectiveness of various
Experimental techniques (is difficult to do when client wants immediate answers)
Models & Theories Contd..

The Burke-Litwin Model of Organizational Change

Warner Burke First order change (Transactional change)

Change
Second order change (Transformational change)
OD interventions directed towards structure, management practices,
and systems (policies & procedures) result in first order change.

OD interventions directed towards mission and strategy, leadership,

and organization culture result in second order change.
Models and theories Contd..

Transformational
factors

Transactional factors
 Managing the OD Process
Three basic components of OD programs:

Diagnosis Continuous collection of data

about total system, its
subunits, its processes, and
its culture
Action All activities and interventions
designed to improve the
organization’s functioning
Program All activities designed to
management ensure success of the
program
 Diagnosing Organizational Subsystems
Diagnostic targets Information sought Methods of Diagnosis
The total organization Q) What is organization’s culture? • Examination of organizational records –
Q) Are organizational goals and strategy rules, regulations, policies
understood and accepted? • Questionnaire survey
Q) What is organization’s performance? • Interviews (both group & individual)
Large and complex Q) What are the unique demands on this • Questionnaire survey
subsystems subsystem? • Interviews
Q) Are organization structures and processes • Observations
related to unique demands? • Organization records
Q) What are the major problems confronting this
subsystem?
Small and simple Q) What are major problems of the team? • Individual interviews
subsystem Q) How can team effectiveness be improved? • group meeting to review the interview data
Q) Do individuals know how their jobs relate to • Questionnaires
organizational goals? • Observation of staff meetings and other day-
to-day operations
Intergroup Q) How does each subsystem see the other? • Interviews of each subsystem followed by
subsystems Q) What problems do the two groups have in ‘sharing the data meeting’
working together? • Flowcharting critical processes
Q) How can they collaborate to improve • Meetings between both groups
performance of both groups?
Individuals Q) Do people perform according to organization’s • Interviews
expectations? • Information from diagnostic meetings
Q) Do they need particular knowledge or skills? • Data available with HR department
Q) What career development opportunities do
they have/ want/ need?
Roles Q) Is the role defines adequately? • Role analysis
Q) What is the ‘fit’ between person and role? • Observations
Q) Is this the right person for this role? • Interviews
 Diagnosing Organizational Processes
Organizational Information sought Methods of Diagnosis
Processes
Communication Q) Is communication open or closed? • Observations – in meetings
patterns, styles & Q) Is communication directed upward, downward, • Questionnaires
flows laterally? • Interviews and discussion with group
Q) Are communications filtered? ….. Why? How? members
Goal setting Q) Do people set goals? • Questionnaires
Q) Who participates? • Interviews
Q) Do they possess necessary skills for effective • Observations
goal setting?
Decision making, Q) Who makes decisions? • Observations of problem-solving meetings
problem solving & Q) Are they effective? • Analysis of videotaped sessions
action planning Q) Are additional decision making skills needed? • Organizational records
Conflict resolution and Q) Where does conflict exist? • Interviews
management Q) Who are involved parties? • Flowcharting critical processes
Q) How is it being managed? • Meetings between both groups
Superior-subordinate Q) What are the prevailing leadership styles? • Questionnaires
relations Q) What problems arise between superiors and •Interviews
subordinates?
Strategic management Q) Who is responsible for ‘looking ahead’ and • Interviews of key policy makers
& long range planning making long term decisions? • Group discussions
Q) Do they have adequate tools and support? • Examination of historical records
Q) Have the recent long range decisions been
effective?
 Diagnosis – The Six-Box Model

Purposes

Marvin Weisbord
Weisbord identifies six Relationships Structure
critical areas where
things must go right if
Leadership
organisation is to be
successful. According to
him, the consultant must
Helpful
attend to both formal and Rewards
Mechanisms
informal aspects of each
box.
En
vir
on
m
en

This model is still widely used

t

by OD practitioners
 OD Interventions

Human ●

●
T- Groups
Process consultation
Third –Party intervention
Team Building

Process
●
Organizational Confrontation Meeting
●
Survey Research

Technost ●

●
Formal Structural Change
Differentiation & Integration
Co-operative Union Management Projects
Quality Circles

ructural
●
Total Quality Management
●
Work Design
 Human ●

●
Goal Setting
Performance Appraisal

Resource Reward system

●

●
Career Planning & Development
●
Managing work Force Diversity
●
Employee wellness

Management

●
Integrated strategic Management

Strategic Culture Change

●

●
Strategic Change
●
Self-Designing organization
Interventions
Major families of OD interventions:
1. Diagnostic
2. Team-Building
3. Intergroup
4. Education and Training
5. Structural
6. Process Consultation
7. Grid Organization Development
8. Third-Party Peace Making
9. Coaching and Counseling
10.Life and Career Planning
11.Planning and Goal Setting
12.Strategic Management

Each of these families of interventions includes many activities

 Program Management
Cummings and Worley identified 5 sets of activities required for effective
change management:

Motivating Change

Creating a Vision

Effective Change
Developing Political Support
Management

Managing the Transition

Sustaining Momentum