Understanding Organisation Development (Part 1)
Posted by Akada. September 10th, 2007 | | No Responses YetSometime in 1997, I went to see my father after completing two-year training in organization development (OD). We were discussing my welfare and work and I mentioned the training in OD. He quickly asked what that was. I had not anticipated the question so I really did not have a ready answer for him. After a couple of minutes of thinking, I informed him that I am a kind of physician to organizations - what physicians (doctors) do to individuals, I do to organizations.
This stimulated his interest and we went on to discuss various aspects of what organization development (OD) can do for organizations. As we start this series today, I find myself recalling most of our discussions and therefore using it as a starting point for those who do not know about OD. In addition to that discussion, I have practiced OD for ten years and I recall with fun how most people I meet when I tell them I am an OD Consultant or Practitioner, ask “what’s that?” My response to them will also form part of this introductory series on understanding organization development (OD).
For the avoidance of doubt, whenever I use the abbreviation OD, I am refereeing to Organization Development. In order to understand OD, we need to understand first and foremost that every organization, like an individual, has a life. It gets born when it comes into existence; it grows, gets ill (sometimes terminally) and, if not treated, dies. If treated it gets well and grows to maturity and faces the challenges of growth and maturity.
In order to understand OD, we need to understand first and foremost that every organization, like an individual, has a life. It gets born when it gets into existence; it grows, gets sick and, if not treated, dies. If treated it gets well and grows to maturity and faces the challenges of growth and maturity.
Organization Development (OD) is a process-oriented approach that helps an organization become and remains vital, flexible, efficient, effective, future oriented, innovative and healthy. While individuals are very good at having a periodic health check, not many organizations in Nigeria think about a periodic health check. In some organizations, annual health checks are mandatory for certain categories of staff but not for the organization itself. Consequently, we find healthy people working for very ill organizations and as a result productivity, organizational effectiveness and efficiency are reduced despite the huge sums of money spent on healthcare of the human resources.
In some organizations, annual health checks are mandatory for certain categories of staff but not for the organization itself. Consequently, we find healthy people working for very ill organizations and as a result productivity, organizational effectiveness and efficiency are reduced despite the huge sums of money spent on healthcare of the human resources.
Organization Development is therefore concerned with processes that promote efficiency effectiveness and health of the organization in order to maximize productivity, profitability and sustainability.
OD is appropriate for all types of organizations – micro, small, medium scale enterprises, non-profit organizations, public sector organizations and private sector organizations, multinational, bilateral and multilateral development agencies. Any organization that has concern for efficiency, effectiveness, health, productivity, profitability and sustainability should seek support or assistance from OD consultants to bring this about in a professional way.
There are certain characteristics that differentiate OD from any other organizational intervention. These are:
1. OD processes are planned, it does not just happen, it is planned, and it requires a conscious decision for long-range change, not a “quick fix”. Any organization interested in embarking on OD must plan for it. OD is not a happenstance. Just as you plan for your annual health check, so you plan for OD processes in your organization. Your organizational health check, termed organizational assessment, might reveal certain issues which are affecting efficiency and effectiveness and need to be taken care of urgently.
2. OD processes are organization-wide, and require involvement and participation by the entire members of the organization. In order to have a reliable diagnosis, everyone in the organization must be included or at least all strata of the organization must be represented in the process. By so doing, you are able to see the problem from different perspectives and most probably the solution.
3. OD processes are managed from the top. They require management commitment and full support because top managers control resources and reward systems. Although OD efforts can be undertaken at any level of the organization without direct top-management participation, OD is less likely to succeed if it does not have the tacit approval from top management.
4. OD processes increases organization effectiveness and health. Though it is oriented toward change and a desire for a better organization, it expands people’s ideas, beliefs and behaviours so that people can apply new ideas and approaches to solving old problems thereby increasing efficiency, effectiveness and health.
5. OD processes are participatory. OD emphasizes stakeholder participation in diagnosing problems, considering solutions, selecting a solution, identifying change objectives and implementing planned change. Everyone in the organization affected by change should have an opportunity to contribute to and accept responsibility for continuous improvement process.
6. OD processes draw largely from behavioural science knowledge. It draws largely from sociology, psychology, anthropology, political science, economics, management and business administration. In more recent times OD also draws from the arts, especially theatre, drama, drumming, singing, painting, etc. It adopts a multidisciplinary approach in designing interventions.
In summary, OD can be seen as a long-range programme of planned change that is designed to build organizational effectiveness and health. The OD Consultant helps the organization to achieve these goals by designing an intervention process which is contracted with the top of the organization. The process looks at the whole functioning of the organization and involves people from the entire organization. By using behavioural science, action research and other interventions deriving from different backgrounds, the OD consultant supports the organizations’ capacity to reflect, revise and organize its vision and strategy building process, to improve human and other resources, the information flow, and to reflect upon communicational patterns and the existing and desired culture of the organization.
OD has become recognized as the only organizational effort that takes into consideration the health of the whole organization. Its main emphasis and interventions are based on systemic approach in which all parts of the organization are examined in an effort to resolve crises and conflicts or promote efficiency and effectiveness. OD is thus concerned with the health, wellbeing and improving systems and process to ensure organizational sustainability.
OD, thus, focuses on assuring healthy inter- and intra-unit relationship and helping groups initiate and manage change. OD’s primary emphasis is on relationships and processes between and among individuals and groups.
OD consultants believe in “empowering employees” by giving them a say, if not the chief say, in decision-making, “creating open communication” “facilitating ownership of change processes and outcomes”, promoting a culture of collaboration, and promoting inquiry and continuous learning.
Organization Development (OD) is being increasingly discussed and prioritized as a key capacity-building strategy for various sectors (ranging from public, private and civil society), as organizations adapt to their fast changing environments due to globalization and as they seek to increase their impact. As a result, there is an increasing demand for OD consultancy appropriate to the sectors. For this type of support to be effective, however, it needs competent local OD practitioners who are able to facilitate development processes in organizations and individuals that support learning and change.
In Nigeria, however, there is very limited availability of such quality consultants able to meet this demand. This is where we in Akada Konsults have positioned ourselves to train consultants in OD and to provide result oriented OD consultancy services to clients in the public and private sectors.