Organization Development:

An Overview

Presented by: Marge Mohoric, Ph.D.

 Defined
 Organization development (OD) is an
attempt to influence the members of an
organization to take greater
responsibility for their own actions. It is
an organization-wide effort, managed
from the top, to increase organization
effectiveness.

2
 Typical OD Process
 Startup, contracting
 Assessment, diagnosis
 Feedback to clients
 Action planning
 Interventions,
implementation, evaluations
 Managed by internal or
external facilitator,
consultant

3
 OD Profession—Brief History
 1940s survey research and feedback
 1950s action research
 1960s efficiency studies, motivation,
quality circles
 1970s strategic change, planned change
 Theorists: Lewin, Likert, Beckhard, Bennis,
Levy, Argyris, Schein, Burke, Senge

4
Ways to discuss OD
 As a profession
 As a philosophy/paradigm
 Theories and models
 Tools and techniques

5
Need for OD Today
 Organizations experience rapid change,
so more need for OD
 Current OD Topics: change
management, appreciative inquiry,
coaching, continuous learning,
emotional intelligence, large-scale
interventions, learning organization,
self-managed teams, systems thinking

6
Planned OD Change
 Strategic OD:
 Organizational
transformation
 Cultural change
 Self-designing organizations
 Strategic management

7
Planned OD Change—cont’d
 Work from a plan with vision,
milestones, measures and
celebrations
 Must involve top
management
 Usually has a champion
(facilitator)
 Best if planned and
implemented via teams

8
Some OD Change Models
 Balanced Scorecard
 Benchmarking/Total Quality
Management
 Business process reengineering
 Cultural change
 Organizational learning
 Involves changes to organizational
structures and processes
 Establishes core competencies

9
Difference in OD and Org. Behavior
 Organization behavior is the study and
application of knowledge about how
people, individuals and groups, act in
organizations.
 OD takes a long-range approach to
improving organizational performance
and efficiency and focuses on the total
system.
10
 OD Resources
 Fifth Discipline, Senge
 Practicing OD: A Consultant’s Guide,
Sullivan
 Organizational Change and Development,
Cummins & Worley
 OD: its nature, origin and prospects, Bennis
 OD: behavioral science interventions for
organization improvement, French & Bell
11
OD is an applied behavioral science
concerned with:
(added 10-30-06)
 The health of the organization
 Organizational effectiveness
 The organization’s capacity to solve
problems and capture successes (AI)
 The organization’s ability to adapt,
change, or of self-renewal
 The organization’s ability to create a
high quality of life for its employees
12
Possible OD consultant
recommendations (added 10-30-06)
 Teambuilding
 Strategic planning
 Appreciative Inquiry
 Alignment of various systems (i.e.
performance management, HR,
communication, leadership, etc.)
 Peer Teaching
 Leadership Coaching
 Training
 Curriculum Design/Development

13
OD Success Factors
(added 10-30-06)

 Systematic processes to AI, identify

problems, generate solutions, and
implementing those solutions
 Employee participation
 Top management involvement
 Organization must be ready for change

14
OD Stumbling Blocks
(added 10-30-06)

 Lack of Trust within the organization

(between individuals, among groups, up and
down the hierarchy)
 Methods of dealing with conflict
 Decision-making processes (how and by
whom, top down)
 Ownership of organizational goals
 Communication patterns (open, candid,
feedback)
 Leadership (styles, behaviors)

15