Grid Organization Development

One of the most structured and popular organization wide intervention

programme in OD is GRID OD developed by psychologist Robert Blake and
Jane Mouton (1964, 1969). This approach to OD emphasizes the
importance of how helping managers become more effective and
systematically creates an ideal strategic model to guide organizational
planning and actions.
This OD intervention uses a variety of specially
designed diagnostic instruments that enable individuals and groups to
study their own behaviour and identify areas that need improvement.

Grid and Management Styles

Grid OD proposes those two fundamental dimensions of

l e a d e r ’ s    behaviour, that are essential for understanding managerial
effectiveness:
a. Concern for people 
b. Concern for results

T h e   gr a p h i c a l   pr e s e n t a t i o n   o f   t h e   m o d e l   i l l u s t r a t e s   t h e   c o n c e p t
further.
Grid Organization Development (OD): 
Grid Organization Development (OD) Managers who have a low concern for production and
a high concern for people view people's feelings, attitudes & needs as valuable. This type of
manager strives to provide subordinates with work conditions that provide ease, security,
and comfort. Managers who have a high concern for production but a low concern for
people’s attitudes & feelings and give little attention to individual creativity, conflict &
commitment. As a result, their focus is on the work organization. 
Grid Organization Development Managerial style is the most effective in overcoming the
communications barrier to corporate excellence. By showing a high concern for both people
and production, managers allow employees to think and to influence the organization, thus
promoting active support for organizational plans. 

Grid Organization Development -Application Stages: 

Grid Organization Development -Application Stages Grid Organization Development has two
key objectives:
(1) to improve planning by developing a strategy for organizational excellence based on
clear logic, and
(2) to help managers gain the necessary knowledge and skills to supervise effectively. It
consists of six phases designed to analyze an entire business and to overcome the planning
and communications barriers to corporate excellence. 

GRID OD PHASES:
Phase 1: The Grid Seminar: 
Phase 1: In Grid seminar participants analyze their personal styles on the Managerial Grid
and learn team methods of problem solving. Top management attends the seminar and
then leads the next level of management through a similar experience. In addition to
assessing themselves using questionnaires and case studies, participants receive feedback
on their styles from other group members. 

Phase 2: Teamwork Development: 

Phase 2: Teamwork development begins with the organization's top manager and
employees who report directly to him or her. These people later attend another team
meeting with their own subordinates & continues down through the entire organization.
Before conclusion of seminar, the team sets group and individual goals. 

Phase 3: Inter-group Development: 

Phase 3: Improving inter-group relations involves following steps: Each group summarize its
perceptions of the actual and ideal relationships; Two groups meet and limit their
interaction to comparing their perceptions via a spokesperson; Two groups then work on
making the relationship more productive. The action step is completed when both groups
have a clear understanding of the specific actions each group will take and how those
actions will be followed up. 

Phase 4: Developing an Ideal Strategic Organization Model: 

Phase 4: Top managers work toward achieving a model of organizational excellence,
incorporating six basic factors as follows: Clear definitions of minimum and optimum
organizational financial objectives; Clear, explicit definitions of the character and nature of
organizational activities; Clear operational definitions of the character and scope of markets,
customers, or clients; An organizational structure that integrates operations for synergistic
results; Basic policies for organizational decision making; and Approaches  to  implement
growth  capacity  and  avoid   stagnation  or  obsolescence. 

Phase 5: Implementing the Ideal Strategic Model : 

Phase 5: Organizations can be divided into identifiable segments, such as, products, profit
centres, or geographical areas. The top management team assigns one planning team to
each segment. One corporate headquarters team and a coordinator must be established.
The planning coordinator & corporate headquarter team need to ensure that the
implementation plan is understood clearly. 

Phase 6: Systematic Critique : 

Phase 6: The systematic critique determines the degree of organization excellence after
Phase 5 compared with measurements taken before Phase 1. The basic instrument is a 100-
question survey investigating behaviour, teamwork, inter-group relations, and corporate
strategy. With instruments administered at each phase, it is possible to observe the degree
of change and gain insight into the total process of change.