Showing posts with label Organizational Development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Organizational Development. Show all posts

Techniques of Making OD (Organizational Development) Effective

Techniques of Making OD (Organizational Development) Effective
We can follow the following techniques to make the OD (Organizational Development) more effective:
1. Organizational restructuring: The most comprehensive type of organization change/ development involves a major reorganization, usually referred to as a structural change – a system-wide rearrangement of the task division and authority and reporting relationships. A structural change affects performance appraisal and rewards, decision making, and communication and information processing system.

2. Task and technological changes: This is another way to bring OD at organizational (macro) level. It may try to change task or the technology or both of them as per necessity.

3. Goal setting (MBO): Management by objectives (popularly known as MBO) is an extremely popular tool of OD. It was the first described and advocated by Peter Drucker in 1954. He stressed that business performance requires that each job be directed towards the objective of the whole business.

MBO, also referred to as “Management by Results” is based on the assumption that involvement leads to commitment and if an employee participates, in setting goals, such employees will be motivated to perform better. It ultimately leads to the achievement of objectives. As an OD technique it involves the following steps:
  • People who are involved in the programme must be educated about the basic principles and procedures of MBO.
  • Employees and managers meet formally and agree upon clear-cut and quantifiable objectives.
  • Progress towards the chosen objectives is reviewed after some internal feedback is provided to employees.
  • An overall evaluation is made to assess the current progress for the next cycle of objective setting and planning.
4. Quality of Work Life (QWL): It is one of the most popular and widely used system wide intervention techniques. It refers to the favorableness or unfavorableness of a job environment for people. The basic purpose is to develop work environment that are excellent for people as well as for the economical health of the organization. The elements in a typical QWL program include many items viz., open communications, equitable reward systems, a concern for employee job security, and participation in job design.
No comments:
Related keywords ,

Steps Involved in the Organizational Development

Steps / Processes Involved in the Organizational Development

OD (Organizational Development is a complex process of behavioral interventions. OD responds to unique problems of a specific organization. It is designed and implemented systematically.

Organizational development processes may differ from organizations to organizations depending upon the culture of the society in which it is being applied. For example, where trade unions have poetically bent, the workers are on the board of directors. There are also more industrial government interactions. In such climate, organizational development is more concerned with power and political implications of the action plans. The OD process consists of following steps.

Related Topic:

1. Initial Diagnosis / Consultation

The first step in the organizational development process is to approach the organizational development consultant to determine the types of OD programme to be developed. The consultant may be a professional consultant from outside or he may internal service personnel, expert in organization development programmes. At this point, the consultant may have consultation with person from various levels in the organizations in order to gain the knowledge of imports. For this purpose, he may interview such persons or he may adopt any other way to be acquainted with the necessary information.
organization development process

2. Data collection

The next step in the process is data collection. The consultant meets various groups away from the work in order to determine the organizational climate and behavior problems faced by the organization. They gather information through surveys and develop information through interviews etc.

3. Data Feedback and Confrontation

Data, so collected are made known to work groups concerned and are asked to review the data collected. They so through the data and locate the points of disagreement, discuss such points and take the decision and then suggest the priorities for change.

After having an initial diagnosis and solution to problems, data will be given back to employees for collecting their viewpoints. The situation of confrontation may arise at the time of discussion on solutions of problems.

4. Action Planning and Problem Solving

Data are made known to work groups concerned and are asked to review the data collected. They so through the data and locate the points of disagreement, discuss such points and take the decision and then suggest the priorities for change.

Data are used by the groups to suggest specific recommendations for change. They discuss the problems faced by the organizations and stretch specific plans including who is responsible for problems and at what time.
 
5. Team Building

During the whole process, group meetings are convened to discuss the programme and the consultant in the whole process as a team. The consultant helps them to see the value of open communication and trust them. These are essential prerequisites for improved group functioning. Consultant also encourage team building through organizing meeting with managers and their immediate subordinates so that they can improve the functioning of the work group with the guidance of consultant.

6. Inter Group Development

With the development of natural team (i.e. a manager and his subordinates), the larger groups comprising several team may be developed. Understanding and co-ordination will be developed among different groups to achieve the objectives. In other words, with the development of natural team (a manager and his sub-ordinates), the larger groups comprising several teams may be developed. In this way, it will include the whole organizations.

7. Appraisal and Follow up

The consultant further helps the organization in making an appraisal of the programmes and find out deficiencies if any. He can develop additional programmes in are where the original programme is felt ineffective and results are poor and that requires improvement. Thus, the consultants advise follow up for better understanding.

Thus, the above social process and the steps discussed are not the same with every type of organization. They may differ from organization to organization depending upon culture of the society in which it is being applied.
You may also like:
1 comment:
Related keywords , ,

Models for Managing Organizational Change

Change is a necessary way of life in organization . Most organizations today are faced with tremendous forces for change stemming from different sources. A systematic and planned way of managing change successfully has become a primary responsibility of management, in this context, we have discussed different approaches that we would recommended for managing organizational change.

How to manage any change in organization is a difficult process. When organization makes any components, resistance from employee’s side comes up. To make the change successful, organization should manage it. There are different approaches to manage organizational change. On this matter, we consider the following models.

1. Kurt Lewin's Three Step Model

 Kurt Lewin argued that successful change in organizations should follow three steps. They are:

a) Unfreezing the status quo

Unfreezing means the change efforts to overcome the pressure of both individual resistance and group conformity. The status quo can be considered as the equilibrium state. Any employees who achieve the high status stick to it. He does not want to move from it. So, if any change organization wants to implement then employee resists that change due to the status quo. So, to implement the change successfully, organization unfreezes the status quo of the employee. This can be done through following ways:
  • Driving forces. 
  • Restraining forces and
  • Combination of both forces.
The driving force is that force which directs the behaviors of the employee from the status quo.

The Restraining is that force which hinders the movements from the status quo, changing behavior of employee through increasing their pay, if they accept the change, by counseling employee individually and by making temporary employee into permanent. Through this status quo can be unfreeze and change can be successfully implemented.
Fig. Unfreezing the Status Quo

Likewise, unfreezing is to make individual aware that the present behavior is inappropriate, irrelevant and unsuitable for change. In other words, unfreezing is the process in which a person casts aside his old behavior which might be inappropriate, irrelevant or inadequate to the changing demands of the situation. This aspect of action is an important as the action relating to changing the target. Just as a farmer must clear a filed before planting new seeds, a manager helps his employees clear their minds of old roles and purposes. Lewin has suggested some measures which are quite helpful in undertaking unfreezing process. These are as follows: 
  • The physical removal of accustomed routines, sources of information and social relationships of the individuals being changed.
  • The undermining and destruction of social support.
  • Demeaning and humiliating responses to help individuals to see their old attitudes or behavior as unworthy and think to be motivated to change.
  • The consistent linking of reward with willingness to change and of punishment with unwilling to change.

b) Movement to a new status

Only unfreezing the status quo is not sufficient to manage the change. Now the employee who has changed their behavior from status quo should be moved to the new state to make the change stable. If they are not moved to the new state, they might freeze to the status quo. Thus, movement to the new state is another step to make the organizational change successful. 

This is the stage at which the individuals being changed learn new behavior – methods of working, new thinking, perception of new roles etc. There are a variety of ways through which all these can be in calculated. Lewin has provided guidelines for effective change which are as follows: 
  • Recognize that the primary purpose of change is to improve performance results.
  • Make individuals responsible for their own change.
  • Encourage improvisation, team performance and coordinated initiatives.
  • Ensure that people see how they fit into the larger organizational picture.
  • Encourage learning by doing and provide just-in-time training for performance. Use positive energy, meaningful language and courageous leadership drive change relentlessly.

c) Refreezing the new change

Refreezing means that what has been learnt is integrated into actual practice. At this stage,  individuals internalize the new beliefs, feelings and behaviors learned during the changing phase. They adopt these elements as a permanent part of their behavior repertoire. Often, there is a tendency that individuals revert back gradually to their old behaviors which they were displaying before the change, in the absence of suitable reinforcement. Therefore, reinforcement is necessary for the internalization of new behavior. Once the employee is moved to the new state, they should be retained in the new status, otherwise they may come back to the previous state and change may not be successful. 

Thus, to retain them in the new state is very much essential to make change successful. To retain / refreeze in the new state, temporary force should be systematically replaced with permanent ones. This builds up confidence in employee towards organization and will be socialized in the new environment. In this way, the change can be made successful in the organization.
 
2. Lippit, Watson and Westley’s Model

These three experts provides three factors which should be taken into account while introducing change viz, internal distribution of power; internal mobilization of energy; and external communication. Regarding interaction between internal system and external environment, they suggested correspondence between external and internal reality, goals and values for action and skills and strategy for action. 


3. Dalton's Model

This model of OC (Organizational Change) focuses four major phases and four specific sub-processes of learning. It highlights that the learning process for managers is highly complex. The process of learning incorporates establishment of new objectives, break of prior social ties, initial threat to self-esteem, increased self-confidence etc. To implement the change process properly, there should be proper distribution of power among managers. 

4. Black, Mouton, Barnes and Grienier’s Model

This model of OC (Organizational Change) is based on managerial styles. It tries to change the organization to work under team management (i.e. 9 x 9 style = high concern for both people and task). 

5. Argyris’ Model

The focus of this model is towards diagnosis of needs, attitudes and feelings of the staff. The methods used for purpose of measuring above variables are interviews, design of survey and questionnaires. The data so collected are organized and discussed at a seminar. Then the training programs are organized for concerned staff after that revaluations of needs are done. Here, attempts are made to suggest some structured innovations which were implemented.

6. Kotter's Eight-Step Model 

Kotter, in his study, listed some common mistakes managers make when trying to initiate change. According to him, managers may fail to create a sense of urgency about the need for change, to create a coalition for managing the change process, to have vision for change and effectively communicate it, to remove obstacles that could impede the vision's achievement, to provide short term and achievable goals and to anchor the changes into the organization's culture.

For the purpose of effective organizational change, Kotter presented following eight-steps: 
a) Establish a sense of urgency by creating a compelling reasons for why change is needed. 
b) From a coalition with enough power to lead the change.
c) Create a new vision to direct the change and strategies for achieving the vision.
d) Communicate the vision throughout the organization.
e) Empower others to act on the vision by removing barriers to change and encouraging risk taking and creative problems solving. 
f) Plan for, create and reward short-term "wins" that move the organization toward the new vision.
g) Consolidate improvements, reassess changes and make necessary adjustments in the new programs. 
h) Reinforce the change by demonstrating the relationship between new behaviors and organizational success. 

7. Action Research 

Action research is another approach that is used to manage organizational change. It is a change process based on systematic collection of data and then selection of change action based on what the analyzed data indicator. For the purpose of managing change in organizations, following steps are discussed under action research. 

a) Diagnosis 

Diagnosis is analogous to the physician's search to find specifically what ails a patient. In action research, the change agent asks questions, reviews records and interviews employees and listens to their concerns. 

b) Analysis 

Diagnosis is followed by analysis. What problems do people find? What patterns do these problems seem to take? The change agent synthesizes this information into primary concerns, problem areas and possible action. 

c) Feedback 

The third step, feedback requires sharing with employees what has been found from the first and second steps. The employees, with the help of the change agent, develop action plans for bringing about any needed change. 

d) Action 

Now the action part of action research is set in motion. The employees and the change agent carry out the specific actions they have identified to correct the problems. 

e) Evaluation 

The final step consistent with the scientific underpinnings of action research is evaluation of the action plan's effectiveness, using the initial data gathered as a benchmark. 


Organizational Development is another approach that is used to make organizational change. It is a collection of planned change interventions, built on humanistic-democratic values, that seeks to improve organizational effectiveness and employee well-being. For the purpose of managing organizational change, OD has introduced following techniques. 

a) Sensitivity Training

Sensitivity training is used to the training groups that seek to change behavior through unstructured group interaction. 

b) Survey Feedback

Survey feedback is the use of questionnaires to identify discrepancies among member perceptions; follow discussion and suggest remedies.

c) Process Consultation 

Process consultation is a meeting in which a consultant assists a client in understanding process events with which he or she must deal and identifying processes that need improvement.

d) Team Building

Team building is a high interaction among team members to increase trust and openness for organizational change. 

e) Inter-group Development 

Inter-group development in OD efforts to change the attitudes, stereotypes and perceptions of each group. 

f) Appreciative Inquiry 

Appreciative inquiry is an approach that seeks to identify the unique qualities and special strengths of an organization, which can then be build on to improve performance.
You may also like this:
No comments:
Related keywords , , , , ,

Meaning of Organizational Development

Organizational development is a long-range effort to improve an organization’s problem-solving and renewal processes, particularly through a more effective and collaborative management of organizational culture with special emphasis on the culture of formal work teams with the assistance of a change agent, or catalyst and the use of the theory and technology of applied behavior science, including action research. In other words, organizational development (OD) is a planned process of change in a organization’s culture through the utilization of behavioral science technology, research and theory. Hence, OD is the systematic application of behavioral science knowledge at various levels such as group, inter-group, organization etc. to bring about planned change. 

Business organizations seek growth and enhancement. Organizations Development briefly called OD, is the most significant, innovative and integrated process of achieving operational efficiency and effectiveness in organizations. OD is a planned and calculated attempt to change the organization, typically to more behavioral environment. It places high priority on humanistic values and goals. It is a way of looking the whole human side of organizational life. Organizational Development (OD) has been widely used in recent years as an approach to introduction to planned change in organization. Organizational development is a planned effort initiated by process specialist to help an organization develop its diagnostic skills, coping capabilities, linkage strategies.

There are several definitions given by different experts about the organizational development which are as follows:

"OD is a planned, managed, systematic process to change the culture, systems and behavior of an organization in order to improve organization's effectiveness in solving its problems and achieving its objectives." – Harold Rush 

"Complex education strategy intended to change the beliefs attitudes, values and structure of organizations, so that they can better adapt to new technologies, markets and challenges." – Warren Bennis 

"OD is a planned process designed to improve organizational effectiveness and health through modifications in individual and group behavior, culture and systems of the organization using knowledge and technology of applied behavioral science." – Dale S. Beach 

"Organizations Development is a long range effort to increase an organization's problem solving and renewal capabilities though an improvement of its culture with the assistance of an outside expert in behavioral sciences, called a change agent." – French and Bell 

"Organizations development is a planned process of change in an organization's culture through the utilization of behavioral science technology, research and theory." – W. Warner – Weley 

From the above definitions, organizational development is a wide planned organizational process to improve organizational effectiveness and help to cope with environmental changes by using knowledge and techniques of behavioral science.

The silent characteristics of OD are categorized into five steps. 

First, OD is a systematic approach to planned change. It is a structured cycle of diagnosing organizational problems and opportunities and then applying expertise to them.

Second, OD is grounded in solid research and theory. It involves the application of our knowledge of behavioral science to the challenges that the organization face.

Third, OD recognized the reciprocal relationship between individuals and organizations. It acknowledges that for organizations to change, individuals must change.

Fourth, OD is goal oriented. It is a process that seeks to improve both individual and organizational well being and effectiveness.

Fifth, OD is designed to solve problems. 

Features of Organizational Development 

Features of organizations development program are as follows: 
  • It is problem oriented. OD attempts to apply theory and research from a number of disciplines, including behavioral science, from the solution of organizations problems.
  • It involves change agents. The process requires the facilitative role of a change agent to assist the organizations in redirecting its functioning.
  • It involves learning principles. OD's basic feature is reliance on re-education to bring about change. Re-education involves applying fundamental learning principles.
  • It is action oriented. OD focuses on accomplishment and results unlike approaches to change that tend to describe how organizational change takes place. OD's emphasis is on getting things done.
  • It is planned and long term. OD is data based approach to change that involves all of the implementation, monitoring and taking corrective action, when necessary. For significance of the anticipated and desired change, quick results are not expected; the entire process can take several years.
  • It reflects a systems approach. OD is both systematic and systemic. It is a way of more clearly linking the human resources and potential of an organization to its technology, structure and management processes.

 

Approaches of OD The approaches of organizational development (OD) are: 

1. Individual Intervention

The objectives of this type so organizational development is to increase the ability and motivation of individual employees. This type of development include:
  • Counseling and coaching: In the case of counseling the problems of the employees are discussed to do better in future. In case of coaching leader guides and directs the follower but not actually perform. Therefore, in both case consultation is given. So it the reason the employees know the alternative way of doing the job. 
  • Sensitivity training: Sensitivity training also known as T-groups (for training groups) or laboratory training or encounter groups is a methods by small face-to-face interaction experiences are used to give people insight into themselves. The concept of sensitivity training has evolved from the group dynamics concept of Kurt Lewin. The main objective of sensitivity training is to help individuals understand how they communicate, how their behavior affects others and how they are perceived by others.
  • Survey feedback: In this method, the result of survey are discussed. The survey is taken for department or whole organization.
Advantages
The major advantages of individual intervention approach are:
  • The outcome of such training is to help employees understand others better, become aware of their own feeling and perceptions and improve communication. 
  • It provides more supportive behavior, more open and self understanding, improved communications, increased belongingness to the group, conflict reduction etc.
Limitations
  • Mangers have to take extra care of subordinates. It increases their time as well as orgnization’s expenses. 
  • There is a chance of low productivity from employees side.

2. Process Intervention

It helps in increasing the interaction skills. Therefore, includes the following techniques.
a) Team buildings: First of all, team is built to discuss the problems. Team building starts from setting the objectives. Then, the performance of the team is evaluated. Then the role of the member is cleared. Ultimately the process is analyzed. And it increases the team effectiveness.

b) Process consolation: In this process, the outside consultant assist the team to perceive and understand the team effectiveness. So that consultant and the team can observe the process, which has to be improved.

c) Inter-group development: It helps in changing the perception and stereotype in the group. The main process of inter-group development can be used as the decision-making. The decision-making process and participation can improve the feeling of inter-group with warm relation.

Advantages
  • It deals with significant interpersonal problems prevailing in today’s organization. 
  • It helps the organizations and employees help themselves.
Limitations
  • It lays less stress on participant’s involvement. 
  • It is a long-term process, involving considerable commitment and cost.

Causes and Reasons of Origin of Organizations Development 

Following causes have led to the program of organization development. 

1. Desire for more Experimental Learning Processes 

The reason of organizational development is the desire for more experimental learning processes in employee training. As soon as they experience the problems relating to human behavior, they discuss and analyze them with their superiors or colleagues and learn something from this experience. This type of behavioral approach is much better than the traditional approaches of lectures and discussions. 

2. Fast Speed of Change

OD needs organizations to be much effective so that it may survive and prosper. The organizations development attempts to develop the culture of the whole organizations so that it may respond to change more uniformly and capably. It improves the problem solving ability by improving group dynamics or cohesive force.

3. Reward Structure on the Job

The main cause of OD is the fact that reward structure on the job did not adequately reinforce training; hence training momentum into the transition from a classroom to a work situation is excessively lost. The environment in the organizations does not support the training and therefore many well designed training and development programs fail. So, it is better to change entire organizations so that it will support the training that is provided.
You may also like this:
No comments:
Related keywords , , ,

Organizational Development: Objectives, Roles and Values of Organization Development

Organizational development (OD) is the most significant, innovative, integrated process of achieving operational efficiency and effectiveness in organization. According to Bennis a pioneer in the field of OD is a response to change, a complex educational strategy intended to change, the beliefs, attitudes, values, structure of organizations so that they can better adopt to new technologies, market and challenges and decrying rate of change, itself. It is essentially a long-range effort to improve an organization's problem solving abilities and its ability to cope with change (i.e. internal as well as external). OD is a planned and calculated attempt to change the organization, typically to a more behavioral environment. It places high priority on humanistic values and goals. It is a way of looking at the whole human side of organization life.

Objectives and Goals of Organizational Development

A typical OD programme has the following objectives and goals.
  1. To increase the level of interpersonal trust among employees.
  2. To increase employee's level of satisfaction and commitment.
  3. To increase openness of communications.
  4. To confront problems instead of sweeping them under the rug?
  5. To effectively manage conflict.
  6. To increase co-operative and collaboration among employee.
  7. To improve the organization's problem solving and self-renewal capabilities.
1. Increase the levels of interpersonal trust among employees

The main objective of OD effort is the improvement in internal potentialities. OD with its strategy brings out that potentialities and use it to gain competitive advantages. This benefits both the organization and employee.

2. Development of more effective team management

Teamwork is more effective than individual work. Complex task becomes simple with team spirit. A self-managed team increases the effectiveness of the organization. Thus, OD puts its effort for the development of effective team management.

3. To effectively managed conflict

OD helps in the development of better method of conflict resolution instead of usual bureaucratic methods. It adopts the techniques like face-to-face communication, participation methods to handle the conflict.

4. To increase co-operation and collaboration among employees

All the OD techniques are built on humanistic democratic values. It value human more. It does not equalize human with machinery component it treats employee as the living resources.

5. Openness of communications

Miss-communication is the source of conflict. Close communication is the barriers for development. To remove conflict and to support idea exchange, innovation and creation, required OD welcomes the open communication pattern. Open communication facilities the flow of idea and information is in the organization that is fruitful for OD.


Role of Organizations Development

Organizations development is a long term strategy for organizations. Organizational change plays the following roles in organizations development. 

  • Increased personal and organizational awareness that improves the organization's ability to adapt to a continuously changing environment and continue to grow, learn and stay competitive.
  • An effort to develop a work climate that encourages creativity and openness provides opportunities for personal growth and development, rewards and healthy behavior.
  • The ability to attract and keep healthy and productive employee.
  • A significant decrease in dysfunctional behavior.
  • Improvement in communication, problem solving, conflict resolution skills, resulting in increased effectiveness and less wasted time from communication breakdown, game playing and win-lose confrontation.
  • Improved organizational effectiveness (increased productivity and more; more effective goal setting, planning and organizing, clear goals and responsibility, better utilization of human resources; and bottom line improvement)
  •  A better understanding of an organization and its strength and weakness.
  • Greater commitment and involvement of organizational members in making the organizations successful.
  • Better management from top to bottom.
  • Improved team work within and between groups.

Problems/ Limitations of Organizations Development 

Besides the positive role played by organizations development, OD program has following limitations: 

  • Organizational development fails to motivate people with low level of achievement needs. If an organization is loaded with only this type of people, it is useless to try organizations development.
  • Organizational development program are often quite costly and only large organizations can afford this luxury without any guarantee of positive outcome.
  • Organizations development makes people unfit for the real organizational world because no organizations can fully adopt open system concept.
  • There is discrepancy between ideal and real situation. Organizational development tries to achieve ideal result without taking into account of real situation.
  • Resistance to change is a natural phenomenon and organizational development puts undue pressure to change. Hence, it fails even it is a long term strategy. 

Organizational Development (OD) Values 

The OD paradigm values human and organizational growth, collaborative and participative processes, and spirit of inquiry. The change agent may be directive in OD; however, there is a strong emphasis on collaboration. Concepts such as power, authority, control, conflict and coercion are held in relatively low esteem among OD change agents. The following are the underlying values in most OD efforts.
organization development values
You may also like this:
No comments:
Related keywords , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)