Orgnisational development process

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C ontents :

Introduction ...3

Characteristics of OD . .4

Emerges from four backgrounds . .5

Emerges from three backgrounds . ..6

Beliefs, assumptions, and values of OD . ..7

A ction research .10

Improved organization performance .. .11

A normal OD process . ..12

Future of OD process .. .13

Conclusion .. 14


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In troductio n

Change is avalanching down upon or heads , and most people are utterlyunprepared to cope with it. Future shock, the disorientation produced by

super change, has important implications for organizations and managers,who have to cope with today s accelerating rate of change. The modernmanager must not only be flexible and adaptive in a changing environment,but must also be able to diagnose problems and implement changeprogrammed.

Organization are never static. They are in continuous interaction with externalforces. changing customer attitudes, new legislation, and technologicalbreakthroughs all act on the organization to cause it to change. The degree of

change may vary from one organization to other, but all face the need foradaptation to external forces. Many of these change are forced uponorganizations, whereas others are generated internally. Because change isoccurring rapidly, there is need for new ways to manage. Organizationaldevelopment is a discipline applying behavioral science to help organizationto adapt to these changes. OD is aimed not only improving the organizationeffectiveness better but also at enhancing the development of members.

Defi n ing Or ga n izatio n Developme n t :

OD is a planned approach to improve employee and organizationaleffectiveness by conscious interventions to those processes and structure that have an bearing on the human aspects of and organizations.


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C haracteristics of Or ga n izatio n al Developme n t (OD):

1 . OD is a planned strategy to bring about organizational change.

2. OD always involves a collaborative approach to change.

3. OD programmes include an emphasis on ways to improve an enhanceperformance.

4. OD relies on a set of humanistic values about people and organization.

5. OD represents a system approach .

6. OD is based upon scientific approaches to increase organizationaleffectiveness.

A history of or ga n izatio n al developme n t :

The history of OD is rich with the contribution of behavioral scientists andpractitioners, many of whom are well known, as well as the contributions of many people in client organizations.

Systematic organization development activities have a recent history and, to use the analogy of a mangrove tree , have at least fourimportant trunk stems. One trunk stem consist of innovations in applyinglaboratory training insights to complex organizations. A second major stemis survey research and feedback methodology . Both stems intertwined with athird, the emergence of action research . paralleling these stems , and to someextent linked, is a fourth stem the emergence of the Tavistock socio-technical and socio-clinical approaches. The key actors in these stems interact with each other and are influenced by experiences and concepts form manyfields.


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E mer ges from four back grou n ds :

According to one theory, OD emerged from four backgrounds (Cummings, &Huse, 1989):

1 . Laboratory trainings : The National Training laboratories(NTL ) development of training groups known as sensitivity training or T-groups . Laboratory training began in 19 46when Kurt Lewin and hisstaff at the research centre of groups dynamic s at MIT were asked bythe Connect Interrelations of the American Jewish congress for help ontraining community leaders . A workshop was developed for the leaderto learn about leadership and to discuss problems . At the end of eachday ,the researchers discuss privately what behavior and group

dynamics they observed . The leaders asked permission to sit on thesefeedback sessions. Reluctant at first, the researchers finally agreed. Thusthe first T-groups was formed in which people reacted to informationabout their own behavior.

2. Survey research feedback : Kurt Lewin formed the research center forgroup Dynamics at MIT in 19 45. After he died in 19 47, his staff movedto the university of Michigan to join the survey research center as part

of the institute for social research. It was headed by Rensis Likert ,apioneer in developing scientific approaches to attitude surveys (five-point Likert sale ) .

3. A ction research : In 19 40 John Collier, Kurt Likert and William whytediscovered that research needed to be closely linked to action if organizational members were to use it manage change .Action researchhas two results :a)organizational members research on themselves to

guide action and change, while, b ) researchers were able to study theprocess to gain new information .

4 P rod uctivity and Q uality of work- life : This was originally developed inEurope during the 19 50s and is on Trist and his colleagues at the


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Tavistock Institute of Human relations in London. This approachexamined both the technical and the human sides of organizations andhow the are interrelated.

E mer ges from Three Back grou n ds :

French (Varney 19 67 ) described the history of OD as emerging about 19 57and having at least three origins :

1 . Douglas McGregor s work with Union Carbide in an effort to apply someof the concepts from laboratory training to a large system.

2. A human relations group at the Esso Company that began to view itself as a internal consulting group offering services to field managers ,rather than as a research group writings report for top managers . Withthe help from Robert Blake and Herb Shepard, the group began to offerlaboratory training in the refineries of Esso.

3. The survey research center started using attitude surveys.

E mer ged i n the space :

The years 19 60- 19 70 were a period of rapid movement in high technology(space race due to soviet sputnik challenge ) . HRD efforts increased as wemoved into project groups and task forces to cope wit the challenges of newtechnologies. Behavioral science was brought into the work place, and a newtermed appeared APPLIED behavioral science. This provoked a term that

became known as OD, due in part to the reaction HRD programs appeared tobe effective, but had little or no impact on the workplace. That is HRDprograms were based upon sound learning and people learned, but thelearning often failed to be applied to work place (Nadler, 198 4 ) .


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Beliefs, Assumptio n , a n d Values i n Or ga n izatio n al Developme n t:

1 . B eliefs : A beliefs is proposition about how the world works that theindividual accepts as true it is a cognitive fact for the person.

2. A

ssump tion : The assumption are beliefs that are regarded as so valuableand obviously correct that they are taken for granted and rarelyexamined and questioned. Richard Beckhard in his book 19 69 ,described several assumption about the nature and functioning of anorganizations held by practitioners.a) Organizations are group (team ) .b ) Relevant change goal.c) Organizational and individuals.

d ) Communication, mutual trust and confidencee) Decision making.

3. V al ues : the values may be defined as some norms of people, which canmake some guidelines for the development of the organizations. Thereare three types of OD values;a) Humanisticb ) Optimisticc) Democratic.

OD i n terve n tio n s :

" Interventions " are principal learning processes in the " action " stage (seeF igu re 1 ) of organization development. Interventions are structured activitiesused individually or in combination by the members of a client system toimprove their social or task performance. They may be introduced by achange agent as part of an improvement program, or they may be used by theclient following a program to check on the state of the organization's health,or to effect necessary changes in its own behavior. " Structured activities " mean such diverse procedures as experiential exercises, questionnaires,attitude surveys, interviews, relevant group discussions, and even lunchtimemeetings between the change agent and a member of the client organization.Every action that influences an organization's improvement program in achange agent-client system relationship can be said to be an intervention.


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There are many possible intervention strategies from which to choose. Severalassumptions about the nature and functioning of organizations are made inthe choice of a particular strategy. Beckhard lists six such assumptions :

1 . The basic building blocks of an organization are groups (teams ) .Therefore, the basic units of change are groups, not individuals.

2. An always relevant change goal is the reduction of inappropriatecompetition between parts of the organization and the development of amore collaborative condition.

3. Decision making in a healthy organization is located where theinformation sources are, rather than in a particular role or level of hierarchy.

4. Organizations, subunits of organizations, and individuals continuouslymanage their affairs against goals. Controls are interim measurements,not the basis of managerial strategy.

5. One goal of a healthy organization is to develop generally opencommunication, mutual trust, and confidence between and across levels.

6. People support what they help create. People affected by a change must be allowed active participation and a sense of ownership in the planningand conduct of the change.

Interventions range from those designed to improve the effectiveness of individuals through those designed to deal with teams and groups, intergroup

relations, and the total organization. There are interventions that focus ontask issues (what people do ) , and those that focus on process issues (howpeople go about doing it ) . Finally, interventions may be roughly classifiedaccording to which change mechanism they tend to emphasize : for example,feedback, awareness of changing cultural norms, interaction andcommunication, conflict, and education through either new knowledge or skillpractice. [12]

One of the most difficult tasks confronting the change agent is to help create inthe client system a safe climate for learning and change. In a favorable climate,human learning builds on itself and continues indefinitely during man'slifetime. Out of new behavior, new dilemmas and problems emerge as thespiral continues upward to new levels. In an unfavorable climate, in contrast,learning is far less certain, and in an atmosphere of psychological threat, it often stops altogether. Unfreezing old ways can be inhibited in organizationsbecause the climate makes employees feel that it is inappropriate to reveal


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true feelings, even though such revelations could be constructive. In aninhibited atmosphere, therefore, necessary feedback is not available. Also,trying out new ways may be viewed as risky because it violates establishednorms. Such an organization may also be constrained because of the law of

systems : If one part changes, other parts will become involved. Hence, it iseasier to maintain the status quo. Hierarchical authority, specialization, spanof control, and other characteristics of formal systems also discourageexperimentation.

The change agent must address himself to all of these hazards and obstacles.Some of the things which will help him are :

1 . A real need in the client system to change2. Genuine support from management 3. Setting a personal example : listening, supporting behavior4. A sound background in the behavioral sciences5. A working knowledge of systems theory6. A belief in man as a rational, self-educating being fully capable of

learning better ways to do things.

A few examples of interventions include team building, coaching, Large GroupInterventions, mentoring, performance


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Actio n research:

Wendell L French and Cecil Bell define organization development (OD ) at onepoint as " organization improvement through action research " . If one idea canbe said to summarize OD's underlying philosophy, it would be action researchas it was conceptualized by Kurt Lewin and later elaborated and expanded onby other behavioral scientists. Concerned with social change and, moreparticularly, with effective, permanent social change, Lewin believed that themotivation to change was strongly related to action : If people are active indecisions affecting them, they are more likely to adopt new ways. " Rationalsocial management " , he said, " proceeds in a spiral of steps, each of which iscomposed of a circle of planning, action, and fact-finding about the result of action " .

Figure : Systems Model of Action-Research Process.


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Improved or ga n izatio n al performa n ce:

The objective of OD is to improve the organization's capacity to handle itsinternal and external functioning and relationships. This would include suchthings as improved interpersonal and group processes, more effectivecommunication, enhanced ability to cope with organizational problems of allkinds, more effective decision processes, more appropriate leadership style,improved skill in dealing with destructive conflict, and higher levels of trust and cooperation among organizational members. These objectives stem froma value system based on an optimistic view of the nature of man that manin a supportive environment is capable of achieving higher levels of development and accomplishment. Essential to organization development andeffectiveness is the scientific method inquiry, a rigorous search for causes,experimental testing of hypotheses, and review of results.

U n dersta n di ng or ga n izatio n s :

Weisbord presents a six-step model for understanding organization :

1 . Purposes : The organization member are clear about the organization smission and purpose and goal agreements, whether people support theorganization purpose.

2. Structure : How do we divide up the work? The question is whetherthere is an adequate fit between the purpose and the internal structure.

3. Relationship : Between individual, between units or department that perform different tasks, and between the people and requirements of their job.

4. Rewards : The consultant should diagnose the similarities between what the organization formally reward or punished for doing.

5. Leadership : Is to watch for blips among the other boxes and maintainbalance among them

6 . Helpful mechanism : Is a helpful organization that must attend to inorder to survive which as planning, control, budgeting, and otherinformation systems that help organization member accomplish.


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A n ormal OD process ca n be phased i n followi ng ma nn er:

Problem ide n tificatio n : The first step in OD process involves understandingand identification of the existing and potential problems in the organization.The awareness of the problem includes knowledge of the possible

organizational problems of growth, human satisfaction, the usage of humanresource and organizational effectiveness.

Data C ollectio n : Having understood the exact problem in this phase, therelevant data is collected through personal interviews, observations andquestionnaires.

Dia gn osis: OD efforts begin with diagnosis of the current situation. Usually, it is not limited to a single problem. Rather a number of factors like attitudes,assumption, available resources and management practice are taken intoaccount in this phase. There are four steps in organizational diagnosis :

y Structural a n alysis: Determines how the different parts of the organizationare functioning in terms of laid down goals.

y Process a n alysis: Process implies the manner in which events take place in asequence. It refers to pattern of decision making, communication, groupdynamics and conflict management patterns within organization to help in theprocess of attainment of organizational goals.

y F u n ctio n a n alysis: This includes strategic variables, performance variables,

results, achievements and final outcomes.y Domai n a n alysis: Domain refers to the area of the organization for

organizational diagnosis.

Pla nn ing a n d impleme n tatio n : After diagnosing the problem, the next phaseof OD, with the OD interventions, involves the planning and implementationpart of the change process.E valuatio n a n d feedback: Any OD activity is incomplete without properfeedback. Feedback is a process of relaying evaluations to the client group bymeans of specific report or interaction.


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F uture of Or ga n izatio n al Developme n t :

The research and the practice in the field of OD has led to the emergence of new concepts and interventions . Therefore , OD is a continuously growing

field . The factors that add to the strength of OD include soundness of itsprocesses, the emphasis of OD interventions and democratic processes and onbringing about a simultaneous change in a people as well technology . ThoughOD seems to have a promising future , there are certain factors that have thepotential to make the OD future uncertain . These include nature of organizational leadership and the value of top management , knowledge of management about OD , the importance given by the management to trainingemployees in OD skills , interdisciplinary nature of OD dissemination of OD

techniques ,integration of techniques in the field of OD with those in otherfields and the recording and maintenance of the history of OD.

F u n dame n tal stre ng ths of Or ga n izatio n al Developme n t :

1 . H um anistic val ues :Positive beliefs about the potential employees.2. S yste m orientation : All parts of the organization , to include structure ,

technology, and people, must work together.

3. Ex periential learning : The learners experience in the trainingenvironment should be the kind of human problems they encounter thework . The training should not be all theory and lecture.

4. P roble m solving : Problems are identified , data is gathered , correctiveaction is taken , progress is assessed , and adjustment in the problemsolving process are made as needed . The process is known as Actionresearch .

5. C ontingency orientation : Action are selected and adapted to fit the need.

6. C hange agent : Stimulate , facilitate ,and coordinate change.7. Levels of change : Problems can occur at one or more level in the

organization so the strategy will require one or more interventions.


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C on clusio n :

Organizational development process vary from different organization toorganization, which is very important for and organization to improve

the productivity , inter-discipline ,teamwork, giving helping hands, etc.to accomplish organizational goal and individual goal. So the ODintervention are initiated at the top and require employee participationand commitment , therefore , visionary leaders that work as changeagents, developing a vision and providing continuous and sustainedsupport is paramount.

Biblio graphy :

1 . Punjab technical university books.2. Organizational development , (sixth edition, Pearson ) .3. Google.

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Orgnisational development process