Organisation

Development
Programme
Systems Theory
DR.RAJAN CHAUDHARY
O. D. PROCESS
• Action Plans are developed to correct problems, seize opportunities and maintains areas
of strengths .These are interventions specifically to address issues at the individual,
group, inter-group, or organizational levels.
• Results- this stage consists of a fact-finding about the results of the actions. Did they
have the desired effects? Have the problems been solved or the opportunities exploited?
• The process is diagnosis-action-evaluation-action
• An O. D. Programme thus starts with diagnosis and employs data collecting and data
analyzing throughout. These activities are required to provide an accurate account of
things as they are needed for two reasons-first to know the state of things or ‘what is’: the
second is to know the effects or consequences of actions
• The first area of diagnosis is that of various sub-systems of the total organization e.g.
teams
• The second area are the organizational processes e.g. decision-making communication
styles , relationships between groups, management of conflicts, setting of goals and
planning methods.
STAGES IN THE O.D. PROGRAMS

• ENTRY
• CONTRACTING
• DIAGNOSIS
• FEEDBACK
• PLANNING CHANGE
• INTERVENTION
• EVALUATION
SYSTEMS THEORY-foundation of O. D.

• This theory views organizations as open systems in active exchange with their environments.
• Systems theory is one of the most powerful conceptual tools available for understanding the dynamics of
organizations and organizational change.
• Definitions of Systems:
• A system is a “set of objects together with relationships between the objects and between their attributes.”
• A System is a set of “elements standing in interaction”.
• A system is “ an organized, unitary whole composed of two or more independent parts,components, or sub-
systems, and delineated by identifiable boundaries from its environmental supra system”
• A system is an “arrangement of interrelated parts.
• A system denotes interrelatedness, interconnectedness and interdependency among elements in a set that
constitutes an identifiable whole or gestalt.
ISSUES REGARDING SYSTEMS THEORY

• All open systems are input-throughput-output mechanisms

• Every system is delineated by a boundary. What is inside the boundary
and what is outside the boundary.
• More exchange takes place inside the boundary than outside the
boundary.
• Open systems have purposes and goals
• The law of entrophy states that all systems “run down” and disintegrate
unless they reverse the entropic process by importing more energy than
they use.
• Information is important to systems in several ways.
• Feedback is information to the organization from the environment.
• Feedback can be positive or negative
• Deviation-correcting feedback e.g. satelite mission off
target(negative): or return to earth (positive)
• Steady-state or dynamic homeostatis.Systems maintain a steady
state or equilibrium point and seek to maintain this equilibrium
against disruptive forces, either internal or external.
• All systems tend to get
elaborated, differentiated,specialized & complex.Called Differentiat
ion requires coordination & integration