ORGANIZATION CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT

(MODULE 4 STUDY MATERIAL).

Submitted to – Submitted by –
Ms Dipanwita Biswas, Harpreet singh Malhotra
Assistant Professor A322151716
Amity law school, Noida BBA.LLB (H)
Amity university SEC – C, SEM – 06

Table of Contents
1. Organization Development intervention:.....................................................................2
A. Meaning of OD Interventions...................................................................................2
B. Definition of OD Interventions –...............................................................................2
C. Characteristics of OD interventions –......................................................................3
2. Classification of Intervention.......................................................................................4
3. Techniques of interventions........................................................................................8
 1. Organization Development
intervention:
A. Meaning of OD Interventions –
Organizational Development (OD) Interventions are structured program designed to
solve a problem, thus enabling an organization to achieve the goal. These intervention
activities are designed to improve the organization’s functioning and enable managers
and leaders to better manage their team and organization cultures. OD interventions
include team development, laboratory training, managerial grid training, brainstorming
and intergroup team building. The intervention should take place at all three levels,
namely, individual, group and organisations.

The OD interventions may address the following issues that an organization might be
facing –

 Procedural issues,
 Performance issues,
 Knowledge issues,
 Skill issues,
 Willing to work issues,
 technology, etc.

B. Definition of OD Interventions –

1. According to Prof. Robert Zawacki – “OD intervention is a sequence of

activities actions and events intended to help an organisation improve its

performance and effectiveness.”

2. According to Prof. Wendell L. French and Prof. Cecil H. Bell – “OD

intervention refers to the range of planned, programmatic activities client and

consultant participate in during the course of OD program. ”

 C. Characteristics of OD interventions –

There are eight characteristics of organisations development interventions –

 Its emphasis, although not exclusively so, on group and organisational

processes in contrast to substantive content.
 Its emphasis on the work team as the key unit for learning more effective
modes of organisational behavior.
 Its emphasis on the work team management of work-team culture.
 Its emphasis on the management of the culture of the total system.
 Attention to the management of system ramifications.
 The use of the action research model.
 The use of a behavioral scientist-change sometimes referred to as a
“catalyst” or “facilitator.”
 A view of the change effort as an ongoing process.
 2. Classification of Intervention
Kormanik proposes a classification of OD interventions in 6 groups:

 Large scale,
 Strategic,
 Techno structural,
 Management and leadership development,
 Team development and group processes,
 Individual and interpersonal processes.

Large-scale Interventions

 Large scale interventions typically involve a full-size group of stakeholders

working toward the definition of a future state.
 These interventions start from top levels of the organization which analyze, plan,
and define the intervention’s outcomes then the people are involved in the
solution, creating with this a shared commitment, effort, which will support the
implementation of defined actions in the long term.
 Some examples include the following: appreciative inquiry summit, future search,
open space and real time strategic change.
 Large scale interventions are highly structured; each activity is carefully planned
beforehand – this is particularly important since the whole system participates
simultaneously, in the same room, at Notes the same time

Strategic Interventions

 Strategic interventions contribute to align the organization with its environment.

Cummings and Worley state that these interventions “link the internal functioning
of the organization to the larger environment; transforming the organization to
keep pace with changing conditions”.
 Strategic intervention helps organizations to gain a better understanding of their
current state, and their environment, that allow them to better target strategies for
competing or collaborating with other organizations.
 According to Kormanik the following can be includes under the umbrella of
strategic interventions: - mission planning, strategic planning, goal setting,
 visioning planning, benchmarking, SWOT, communication, commitment and
culture change.

Techno Structural Interventions

 Techno structural interventions focus on improving the organizational

effectiveness and human development by focusing on technology and structure.
 These interventions are rooted in the fields of engineering, sociology, and
psychology, combined with socio-technical systems and job analysis and design.
 These types of interventions rely on a deficit-based approach; the idea is to find
problems to solve.
 According to Cummings and Worley, techno structural approaches focus on
improving an organization’s technology like for example - task methods and job
design, and structure like for example division of labor and hierarchy.

Management and Leadership Development Interventions

 These types of OD interventions aim to improve organizational performance by

increasing effectiveness of formal and informal leaders.
 Their use is wide spread, and almost all organizations have programs in place to
identify, measure, and improve the quality of their leaders.
 Kormanik includes the following examples: executive and professional
development, mentoring, coaching, action learning, action science, succession
planning, 360-degree feedback, participative management, technical/skills
training.

Team Development and Group Processes Interventions

 Team development and group processes interventions aim at improving different

aspects of a group performance, such as goal setting, development of
interpersonal relations among team members, role clarification and analysis,
decision making, problem solving, and communities of practice, among other.
 One of the most important objectives of team building interventions relies on
improving interdependency of team members. The underlying premise is that the
aggregated value of the team is much greater than any individual.
 Team building is applicable where group activities are interdependent. The
objective is to improve the coordination efforts of members, which will result in
increasing the team’s performance.
Therefore, the classification of OD interventions shows variation. Nevertheless, OD
interventions can be classified on two bases:

1. Approach adopted in using OD interventions;

2. Target of OD interventions.

On the basis of approach adopted in using OD interventions, these are classified

into two categories: process interventions and structural interventions.

Process interventions are those which emphasize process to accomplish a change.

Process OD Interventions includes –

 Sensitivity training,
 Team building,
 Survey feedback,
 Behavior modification,
 Grid organisation development,
 Career planning,
 Job expectation technique,
 Organisational renewal process

Structural interventions involve an adjustment or change in the organisation’s structure

to accomplish changed goals. Structural OD interventions include –

 Work schedule option

 Process consultation
 Management by objectives
 Collateral organisation
 Decision centers

Some Interventions may focus on changes in the task. Whereas others focus on setting
objectives.

On the basis of target of OD interventions, these can be designed to improve the

effectiveness or individuals. Dyads, teams and groups, intergroup relations, and total
organisation. The table given below presents some of these interventions.
 TARGET INTERVENTION

 Life and career planning

 Role analysis technique
INDIVIDUAL  Coaching and counseling
 Sensitivity training
 Decision Making
 Problem solving planning and goal setting

DYADS  Process consultation

(two individuals)  Third Party peace making

 Team building
 Family T- group
TEAM OR GROUP  Survey feedback
 Process consultation
 Role analysis technique

 Inter group activities

 Techno structural interventions
INTER GROUP  Process consultation
 Third party peace making at group level
 Survey feedback

 Techno structural interventions

 Confrontation meetings
TOTAL ORGANISATION
 Strategic planning activities
 Survey feedback
3.Techniques of interventions

There are 14 major “families” of OD interventions. (Techniques.)

1. Diagnostic Activities

Fact - finding activities designed to ascertain the state of the system or the status of
a problem.

2. Team Building Activities

Designed to enhance the effective operation of system teams. These can focus on
task-related issues such as the way things are done, necessary skills and resources,
relationship quality between team members and between team and leader, and
effectiveness. “Outdoor Adventure” teambuilding programmes are currently very
popular.

3. Intergroup Activities

Designed to improve the effectiveness of interdependent groups, ie those that must

cooperate to produce a common output. These focus on joint activities and the
output of the groups as a single system rather than 2 subsystems.

4. Survey Feedback Activities

Activities that focus on the use of questionnaires to generate information which is

then used to identify problems and opportunities.

5. Education and Training Activities

Designed to improve skills, abilities and knowledge. Several activities and

approches are possible, depending on the nature of the need.

6. Techno structural or Structural Activities

Designed to improve organisational structures and job designs. Activities could
include either:
a) Experimenting with new organisational structures and evaluating their
effectiveness.
 b) Devising new ways to bring technical resources to bear on problems
7. Process Consultation Activities

Activities that help the client “perceive, understand and act upon process events
which occur in the client’s environment”. The client gained insight into the human
processes in organisations and learns skills in diagnosing and managing them.
Emphasis on communication, leader and member roles in groups, problem
solving and decision making, group norms, leadership and authority and
intergroup cooperation and competition.

8. Grid Organisation Development Activities

It is a six - phase model designed by Blake and Mouton involving the whole
organisation.

The model starts with upgrading individual manager’s skills and leadership
abilities, moves to improvement activities, then to intergroup relations activities.
Later phases include corporate planning for improvement, developing
implementation tactics and finally evaluation of the change in organisation
culture.

It’s a long-term process lasting up to 5 years.

9. Third -Party Peacemaking Activities

Intervention by a skilled third party aimed at helping 2 organisational members

manage their interpersonal conflict. Based on confrontation and an understanding of
conflict and conflict resolution processes.

10. Coaching and Counselling Activities

The consultant works with org. members to (a) define learning goals; (b) learn how
others see their behaviour, and (c) learn new behaviours to better achieve their
goals. Key features are non-evaluative feedback and joint exploration of alternative
behaviours.

11. Life and Career Planning Activities

Activities focused on life and career objectives and how to go about attaining them.
Includes goal setting, assessment and training.
12. Planning and Goal Setting Activities

Theory and experience in planning and goal setting, problem solving models,
planning paradigms and “ideal vs. real” discrepancy models.

13. Strategic Management Activities

Helping key policy-makers reflect on the org’s basic mission and goals,
environmental demands, threats and opportunities. engaging in long-range planning
of both a reactive and a proactive nature. Attention is focused outside of the org. and
to the future.

14. Organisational Transformation Activities

Activities focusing on large-scale system changes that will fundamentally transform

the nature of the organisatiop. Virtually every aspect of the org. is changed:
structure, management philosophy, reward systems, work design, mission, values
and culture.