Organization Development

LEARNING OBJECTIVES Define role of OD practitioner. Identify your strengths and areas of

improvement as potential practitioner. Experience and practice your style of

intervention and influence in a group.

HAPHAZARD VS PLANNED CHANGEChange programs do not happen accidentally.Initiated with purpose and require leadership.OD practitioner deals proactively with changing

forces.

TWO TYPES OF CHANGEIN AN ORGANIZATION1. Random or haphazard change:

Forced on organization by external environment.

Not prepared for.

2. Planned Change:Deliberate attempts to modify organization.

EXTERNAL PRACTITIONERNot previously associated with client

system.Advantages: Different viewpoint and objectivity. Not dependent upon the organization.

Disadvantages: Unfamiliar with organization. Unfamiliar with culture, communication

networks, and power systems.

INTERNAL PRACTITIONERMember of organization who can be: A top executive. Employee who initiates change in work

group.Advantages: Familiar with culture and norms. Knows power structure. Personal interest in organization.

Disadvantages: May lack specialized skills. Lack of objectivity. Likely to accept organizational system. May lack necessary power and authority.

EXTERNAL-INTERNAL PRACTITIONER TEAM

Team combines external practitioner working with internal practitioner.

Probably most effective approach. Partners bring complementary resources. External practitioner brings expertise, objectivity, and new

insights. Internal practitioner brings knowledge of issues and norms, and

awareness of strengths and weaknesses. Provides support to one another. Achieve greater continuity over OD program. Team combines advantages of both while minimizing

disadvantages.

OD PRACTITIONER STYLESPractitioners have variety of styles.View styles as degree of emphasis placed

upon 2 dimensions: Effectiveness - degree of emphasis

upon goal accomplishment. Morale - degree of emphasis upon

relationships and participant satisfaction.

FIVE PRACTITIONER STYLES1. Stabilizer style2. Cheerleader

style3. Analyzer style

3. Persuader style4. Pathfinder style

Stabilizer StyleMaintains low profile.Tries to survive by following directives.

Cheerleader Style

Places emphasis on member satisfaction.Does not emphasize organization effectiveness

Analyzer StylePlaces emphasis on efficiency.Little attention to satisfaction of members.

Persuader Style

Seeks compromise between cheerleader and analyzer styles.

Achieves average performance.

Pathfinder StyleSeeks high organization efficiency and high

member satisfaction. Desired style for OD practitioner.

PATHFINDER PRACTITIONER FOCUSES ON SIX PROCESSES:

1. Communication.2. Member roles in

groups.3. Group problem-

solving.

4. Group norms and growth.

5. Leadership and authority.

6. Intergroup cooperation.

THE INTERVENTION PROCESS An intervention is a set of sequenced and

planned actions or events intended to help the organization increase its effectiveness.

It involves a collaborative relationship between a consultant and a client.

OD consultants may posses different consulting styles, philosophies and approaches.

A planned intervention is moving into an existing organization and helping it.

In effect examine the present ways of work, norms and values.

Look for alternative ways of working, relating or rewarding.

FUNCTIONS: Data gathering

Diagnosis

Facilitating change

THE OD CONSULTING ROLE IN THE INTERVENTION Process Consultation (Assisting instead of

control)

Diagnosis participation and suggestions

Expert and technical advice

OD CONSULTANT SKILLS Leadership skills Project management skills Communication skills Problem solving skills Interpersonal skills Personal skills

OD CONSULTANT ACTIVITIES Team development Strategy development Management development Employee development Technology integration

CONSULTANT – CLIENT RELATIONSHIP

Organization system

Client sponsor

OD prog. goals

Internal consultant

External consultant

Client target A

Client target B

Organizational environment

DEVELOPING A TRUST RELATIONSHIP

Client system expectations values

Consultant knowledge, skills, values

Consulting task performance expectations

Target org. Readiness for change,resistance

Consulting style/ approach

Consulting Style Model

CREATING A CLIMATE FOR CHANGE....• The change agent should act

congruently (authentically) in accordance with the values he/she is attempting to impose upon the client’s value system

• In short, the consultant should ‘practice what he/she preaches’.

• The consultant must think and act in a way that will create and enhance a positive climate for participation and learning.

VALUE SYSTEM CONFLICTS

The basic value system of the OD practitioner may not be compatible with the organizational culture, as a result, conflicts may arise between the value systems of the consultant and client or organization.

MICHAEL MACCOBY’S 4 BASIC TYPES OF MANAGERS

THE CRAFTSMAN THE JUNGLE FIGHTER THE COMPANY MAN THE GAMESMAN

CONSULTANT-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP MODES

-,+CHARISMATIC

+,+CONSENSUS

-,-APATHETIC

+,-GAMESMANS

HIP

(L) RESPONSIBILITY (H)

SHARING IDEAS, FEELINGS

OPEN

CLOSED

RED FLAGS IN THE CONSULTANT CLIENT RELATIONSHIP

The Level of Commitment to Change

The Degree of Leverage or Power to Influence Change

The Client’s manipulative use of the Consultant

CHAPTER 5

The Diagnostic Process

LEARNING OBJECTIVES Identify system parameters and recognize symptoms,

problems, and causes of organizational ineffectiveness. Recognize techniques for gathering information from

client systems. Describe major diagnostic models and techniques used

in OD programs. Apply systematic diagnosis to organizational situations. Describe major diagnostic models and techniques used

in OD programs. Apply systematic diagnosis to organizational situations.

DIAGNOSING PROBLEM AREASIdentification of areas for improvement.Assess organization’s current

performance and desired level of quality.

DIAGNOSING PROBLEM AREASProvides information that allows for faster-

reacting organization.Analyzes data on structure,

administration, interaction, and other elements.

WHAT IS DIAGNOSIS?A systematic approach to understand

present state of organization.Specifies nature of problem, causes, and

provide basis for selecting strategies.Involves systematic analysis of data.

CRITICAL ISSUES IN DIAGNOSISSimplicity.Visibility. Involvement.

Primary factors.Measure what’s

important.Sense of

urgency.

THE PROCESSDiagnosis is cyclical process involving: Data gathering. Identification of

problem areas.

Interpretation. Potential action

programs.

STEPS IN DIAGNOSISStep 1: Tentative problem identified.Step 2: Collect data.Step 3: Analyze data.Step 4: Feedback data.Step 5: More data needed?

STEPS IN DIAGNOSISStep 6: Problems areas identified.Step 7: Is client motivated?Step 8: Diagnosis and work on problem.Step 9: Monitor and assess results.

FIGURE 5.1THE DIAGNOSTIC PROCESS

PERFORMANCE GAPDifference between what organization

could do and what organization is doing.

SELF-ASSESSMENT GAP ANALYSISOF FOUR KEY AREAS1. Organization’s strengths.2. What can be done to take advantage

of strengths.3. Organization’s weaknesses.4. What can be done to alleviate

weaknesses.

FIGURE 5.2THE PERFORMANCE GAP

DIAGNOSTIC MODELSOf OD practitioners, 70% reported using a

model to assist in identifying problems.Models may be used to analyze structure,

culture, and behavior of organization.

TYPES OF DIAGNOSTIC MODELS

Analytical Emergent-group

behavior Management

practitioner

Sociotechnical systems

Cause maps and social network analysis

Force-field analysis

ANALYTICAL MODELUsed for interdepartmental issues.Examines characteristics of departments. Objective to help departments achieve

integration.

TABLE 5.1ORIENTATION OF FUNCTIONAL DEPARTMENTS

EMERGENT-GROUP BEHAVIOR MODELUsed to analyze interdependence of

groups.Collects data on activities, interactions,

and norms.

MANAGEMENT PRACTITIONER MODEL

Basic planning. General business

practices. Finance.

Advertising and promotion.

Market research. Personnel.

Six basic factors are analyzed:

SOCIOTECHNICAL SYSTEMS MODELTwo interrelated systems in organization:

Social system. Technical system.

The 2 systems are interrelated.Diagnosis determines interrelationships

and type of feedback required.

CAUSE MAPS AND SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS MODELSCause maps—mathematical

representations of relationships among variables.

Social network analysis—mathematical representation of individual and group.

Analysis reveals important interdependencies.

FORCE-FIELD ANALYSIS MODELBehavior balance between forces working

in opposite directions.Restraining forces - act to keep

organization stable.Driving forces - act to change

organization.

FORCE-FIELD ANALYSIS MODELWhen forces equal, organization in quasi-

stationary state of equilibrium.Analysis determines forces to increase or

decrease.

FIGURE 5.4FORCE-FIELD ANALYSIS MODEL

FIGURE 5.5EXAMPLE OF USE OF FORCE-FIELD ANALYSIS

The data collection process• Information quality is a critical factor in any

sucessful organization.• Consists of investigation, a body of data and

some form of processing the information.

Steps in the data collection process1. The definition of objectives - defining the objectives - understanding of goals is necessary

to determine which information is relevant for an OD practioner.

2.The selection of factors

- the second step is to identify the central variables ex:- turnover, budget etc…-

- the consultant needs to increase the depth of the data that is readily available .

- through this additional data the consultant and client determines which factors are important.

3. Selection of data gathering method .

- there is no best way to gather data

- the data should be aquired in a systematic manner.

- the task is to select an appropriate method to collect data.

methods of data collection.

- secondary sources

- employee survey

- other types of instruments. ex: sociometric, direct, Interview

The implementation of the programAfter data collection. operational aspects like designing,

printing, distributing etc.. Needs to be done. It has found that using an outside collection agent will be more effective than inside personnel.

The analysis of data.

- how data should be analyzed?This should be decided before the selection of selection of data-collecting method.

-Analysis may include comparison between different divisions or management levels.

Evaluating the effectiveness of data collection.

The validity of data: are we measuring and collecting information on the dimensions that we intend to measure?.

The time to collect data:- how long will it take to gather information? How much time is available?

The cost:- How much does the information cost?

The organization culture and norms:- the practioner should consider the techniques which are best suited to the organization culture.

The Hawthrone effect:- The effect of the observer upon the subject.

RED FLAGS IN THE DIAGNOSIS Confidentiality The Over Diagnosis The Crisis Diagnosis The Threatening and Overwhelming

Diagnosis The Consultant’s Favorite Diagnosis

FINDING THE RIGHT OD CONSULTANT3 major categories Outsourced functional expertise Subject specific New experience

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION A systems orientation – do they see the big picture? Do they know how to

connect the dots? Do they understand how to use the system to leverage change? A theoretical foundation – Is their education, training and experience to

anchored to sound theory and practice? Is there a body of research or inquiry that supports their

way of working? Can they explain their theoretical foundation in a way that makes sense

to others and can be integrated or merged with the organization’s culture? A learning perspective – do they ask good questions? Are they curious and

provocative in their thinking? Are they able to stimulate discussion in a way that engages the imagination of the organization and calls into question the status quo? A leadership philosophy – do they embody elements of good leadership?

Do they understand the impact of change on others? Are they courageous and willing to speak

up for unpopular issues? Do they see the potential in others and are they willing to put themselves at risk so that that potential may be realized? A psychological stronghold – can they help the organization to manage its

worries? Can they act as a filter and absorb the anxiety in the organization, allowing it

dissipate or foster appropriate action. Can they ruffle feathers? Can they soothe the nerves?