What is the role of an OD Practitioner

The primary goal of OD is to improve organisation effectiveness; therefore the primary role of
an OD consultant is to establish helping relationships within the organisation, with and
between individuals and groups, to achieve that objective. The way that goal is acted out depends
on the nature of the task in hand. It may involve the OD practitioner playing a variety of roles –
being the sounding board to the top people, guiding a change team, designing or redesigning an
organisation or process, being a partner to key decision-makers on a transformation project,
facilitating a work team, being a process consultant to a critical work group, providing
methodological leadership to a change program, being an extra pair of hands in an overloaded
period, carrying out regular health checks in each strategic cycle, and so on.

So while OD roles can be diverse, the purpose and the outcome we aim for is consistent: to bring
greater health and effectiveness to the organization, especially in times of change. In addition, let’s
briefly look at the three elements that make OD consultants different in the world of consulting:

- the centrality of relationship-building

- expertise in human dynamics and the intervention processes associated with that
- the development process of OD practitioners.

Expertise in human dynamics

OD’s primary goal is to help an organisation become more healthy and effective, especially during
change. The key custodians of organisation health are not the internal or external HR or OD
specialist; they are the organisation’s leaders and managers. Therefore, an OD consultant has to be
committed to encouraging ownership and the growth of organisation capability among the primary
practitioners of OD, that is, leaders. By taking that stance, our main approach is not one of offering
expert advice. Instead, our commitment is to design processes to facilitate an organisation’s ability
to help itself through the skilful engagement of its key leaders. Our goal is to help an organisation to
secure from its own internal members the acceptance, energy, competence and commitment to
make things work.

Relationship-building
As OD practitioners we cannot rely on just a formal role, rank or power to influence; instead, we
have to earn the right to help by focusing on increasing our interpersonal influence to make things
happen, which in turn makes managing the relationship arena a key focus. Managing relationships
and using one’s self to shift mindsets and behaviour requires an in-depth understanding of how the
human system works. We need to draw not only on our understanding of various theories –
psychodynamic, psychoanalytical, system, group dynamics, action research and change – we also
need to have a heightened level of self- awareness and understanding to put ourselves into a good
place to be of service to our clients.

The self as an instrument

Unlike the expert technical consultant, it is not just our thinking skills (head) that will enable us
to do the job; we have to bring our head, heart and all of our being to make real-time intervention
effective. Even if we start off thinking that all we need is a bit of technique and knowledge, our
experience will soon tell us that more is required. We will discover that we cannot take our clients
to places to which we ourselves have not been able to travel. If we have never resolved conflict in
our personal life, we can never help clients resolve conflict in their world. In other words, it is not
concepts or techniques that will give us the competence to do our job – even though they are
important for our credibility. It is the ability to stay acutely aware of our own inner
processes moment by moment, our ability to get in touch with the complexity of what’s lurking
below the waterline of human dynamics, that will stand us in good stead in this work.
 Therefore the development of OD practitioners is not about academic study alone but about
spending more and more development time getting to know this one instrument we own and
learning to do more fine-tuning of that instrument through the integration of our learning and
experience.

Organizational Practitioner Styles

Organizational practitioners, also referred to as change agents, are directly involved in organizational

functions where a change in policy, procedure, leadership or even business model are concerned. The

primary objective of the organizational practitioner is to act as the liaison between upper-tier management

and employees or team members of the organization. It is the role of the organizational practitioner to

work between both parties to ensure change is understood and put into practice. Depending on the change

being made, or the type of organization in question, different organizational practitioner styles are

available to help suit the needs of each organization's unique makeup.

The Cheerleader Style

The Cheerleader Style of an organizational practitioner is a variation which is the most enthusiastic in the

practitioner's approach and personality when working toward change. This style is characterized by the

practitioner remaining upbeat and motivated. Similar to a typical cheerleader, this style is used when the

happiness of those being directed is deemed important, and is also helpful when change issues could affect

morale.

The Stabilizer Style

Organizational practitioners operating under the guise of a Stabilizer Style work in a manner that is neither

overt nor undercover. This style is highlighted by the practitioner's ability to work with teams and groups

in a calm and rational manner, with the goal of causing as little disruption as possible. This style is

preferred by upper management and larger organizations to assist with change in policy or procedure that

may be viewed as negative or out of character for the organization. The stabilizer keeps a balance between

the needs and goals of management and the layman's thought processes and feelings.

The Analyzer Style

Using the Analyzer Style, an organizational practitioner uses analytical techniques to work on problems,

issues, concerns and logistics. This method places the overall goals and needs of the organization, as an
entity, above the needs of individual members of the organization or specific teams. This method is useful

in situations in which the organization is willing and able to handle backlash, while allowing the

organizational practitioner to remain focused on solely working toward goals and solutions alone, without

having to handle the input of others. This is a task-oriented style.

The Persuader Style

The Persuader Style works on maintaining harmony in situations where changes in process or policy could

have a negative impact on morale, work environment or thought process. This method requires the

organizational practitioner to remain neutral in both thought and approach. Maintaining a low-key

approach and staying on task are among the ways in which this style is unique. This is the least

confrontational approach, as the organizational practitioner works independently on tasks and does not

seek the input of others, but rather helps persuade others that the task is right on track.

The Pathfinder Style

The Pathfinder Style is the most team-oriented and focused method one can choose. One of the primary

functions of this style is for the organizational practitioner to lead a team by rallying team members to

keep everyone focused on the same goal. The premise of this style is rooted in the theory that strength

exists in numbers. The organizational practitioner leading the charge is referred to as a "pathfinder," as it
is up to the practitioner to keep everyone moving in the same direction and actively involved.

What are the competencies of OD professionals

If you want to understand a profession, the code of ethics and the competency framework is usually a

good place to start.

As Organization Development (OD, OrgDev) is a profession that is often recognized by name, but still

poorly understood, we dedicate this post to sharing the key OD competencies.

We imagine a future where all those that are leading organizations become OD practitioners, intentionally

developing organizations for a better future and not only managing their current functioning.
If you lead organizations or part of organizations, advise organizational leaders or aspire to lead an

organization, we hope this article sparks your curiosity to explore further and develop the

competencies that you resonate with.

For our profession, the Organization Development Network has defined the Global OD Competency

Framework, with 5 key competencies and 15 specialty areas.

Global OD Competency Framework, v1.0 2019

Here’s an outline from Matt Minahan, who was part of the team that created the framework. You can find

the source document of the outline here.

“Competency 1: Systems Change Expert

 Systems Change Leader — who can comfortably work within a whole system and advise on
strategies for organizational change, transformation, and alignment.
  Culture Builder — who fosters commitment and engagement based on an environment of
trust and promotes the health and vitality of the organization.
 Innovator — who sponsors, develops, and can challenge the organization to create strategies
for disruption, breakthroughs, transformation, and innovation.

Competency 2: Efficient Designer

 Efficient Designer — who strives for simplicity and designs strategies, interventions, and
processes to facilitate a desired business outcome with the client and end-user in mind.
 Process Consultant — who increases leadership and organizational capacity, facilitates group
dialogue and decision-making by creating a non-threatening environment.
 Data Synthesizer — who operates as an integrator connecting multi-stakeholder views and
translates salient information to create clarity and commitment.

Competency 3: Business Advisor

 Strategic Catalyst — who thinks strategically, takes initiative, and acts to achieve results tied
to the organization’s goals.
 Results-Oriented Leader — who understands and applies the principles of customer service,
sets challenging goals, and measures impact and project return on investment.
 Trusted Advisor — who effectively develops trusting relationships and partnerships through
integrity and authenticity and is clear about the outcomes that are important to key
stakeholders.

Competency 4: Credible Strategist

 Credible Influencer — who empathetically relates to clients, understands their needs, and has
the knowledge to translate the business reality into terms that can be agreed upon and
committed to by the client.
 Collaborative Communicator — who communicates clearly and concisely, and tailors
communication in ways that meet the needs and motivations of client groups at all levels.
 Globally Diverse Integrator — who can effectively work within diverse cultures, and creates
an inclusive environment for people of all identities to feel valued, respected, and able to
contribute.
Competency 5: Informed Consultant

 Exemplary Consultant — who cultivates meaning, working relationships, and commitment

with stakeholders to effect change, and demonstrates an understanding of client expectations,
effectively contracting for goals, outcomes, and resources.
 Emotionally Intelligent Leader — who effectively reads stakeholders, seeks out different
perspectives, and uses emotional intelligence to guide appropriate action, and understands and
reflects on one’s own personal values, boundaries, feelings, biases, triggers, and ethics to
manage their impact on the work.
 Life-Long Learner and Practitioner — who demonstrates leadership in a specialized area of
OD, stays up to date on methodologies and tools, and leverages best practices to drive results in
line with the organization’s needs. The website has about a dozen specific theories listed,
including appreciative inquiry, culture change, diversity and inclusion, organization design, the
science of decision making, systems theory, and team development.”

In our experience, this competency framework brings clarity and, even though there’s lots to learn to

develop each competency (mindset and attitudes, skillset and behaviors, toolset and associated knowledge),

the best performing leadership teams

 have most of the competencies covered inside the team

 or partner with trusted advisers to complement whats currently missing while continuing
to build the competencies internally.