Introduction to Organization Development

Dr. Anuraag Awasthi

Last Class.

Interventions are the vehicles for causing change.The inventory of OD interventions is quite extensive. Interventions can also be clubbed together in classes in terms of The objectives of the interventionsThe target of interventionsOverview of OD interventions

Diagnostic Activities (Interviews, Questionnaires, surveys, meetings etc.)Team-Building Activities (to enhance the effective operation of teams)Inter-group Activities (To improve the effectiveness of intergroup activities)Survey Feedback Activities (Activities that rely on questionnaire surveys)Education & Training (Activities designed to improve individuals skills, abilities, and knowledge.)Families of OD interventions

Techno-structural or Structural Activities (Activities designed to improve the effectiveness of org. structures and job designs. Eg. Job enrichment, MBO, physical setting interventions, etc.)Process Consultation Activities (Activities that help the client to understand and act upon processes like Communication, problem solving, decision making, leadership and authority, intergroup cooperation and competition etc.)Grid Organization Development Activities (6 phase change model to upgrade, individuals, teams, intergroup, corporate planning, implementation and evaluation activities)Third Party Peacemaking Activities (External consultant to help 2 members of an organization)Families of OD interventions

Coaching and Counseling Activities (Includes non-evaluative feedback and exploration of alternative behaviors) Life and Career Planning Activities (Help individuals know their career goals and how to achieve them) Planning and Goal-setting Activities (Activities to improve planning, goals setting etc skills at all levels) Strategic Management Activities (Activities that help key policy makers to reflect on mission, goals etc.)Organizational Transformation Activities (Activities that involve large scale changes which fundamentally change the nature of the organization) Families of OD interventions

Each of these families include many interventions. They include both conceptual material and actual experience with the phenomenon being studied.Some are directed towards specific targets, problems or processes.

Families of OD interventions

Team Interventions

Much of the organizations work is accomplished directly or indirectly through teams. Work team culture exerts a significant influence on individual behavior.Teams and Work Groups

A work group is a number of persons, usually reporting to a common superior and having some face-to-face interaction, who have some degree of interdependence in carrying out tasks for the purpose of achieving organizational goals. A team is a form of group, but has some characteristics in greater degree than ordinary group, including a higher commitment to common goals and higher degree of interdependency and interaction.Teams and Work Groups

Cross functional teams comprise individuals who have a functional home base eg. Manufacturing, design, engineering, or marketing etc but who meet regularly to solve ongoing challenges requiring inputs from a number of functional areas. These could be permanent or temporary teams.Cross-functional Teams

Individuals in organizations function not so much as individuals alone, but as members of groups or teams.

For an individual to work effectively, a pre-requisite is that the team must function effectively.Effective Teams

Clear Purpose (defined and accepted vision, mission, goal or task, and an action plan) Informality (Informal, comfortable, and relaxed) Participation (encouragement to participate) Listening (Use of listening techniques like Questioning, paraphrasing and summarizing) Civilized disagreement (comfortable with disagreement, does not suppress conflict) Consensus decision making (agreement through discussions, avoidance of voting)Characteristics of an Effective Team

Open Communications (Feelings seen as legitimate, few hidden agendas) Clear roles and work assignments (clear expectation and work evenly divided) Shared Leadership (In addition to a formal leader, everyone shares in effective leadership behaviors) External Relations (Team develops outside relationships, resources, credibility) Style diversity (Team has broad spectrum of group process and task skills) Self-assessment (periodic examination of how well the team is functioning)Characteristics of an Effective Team

High Performance Teams have the same characteristics, but to a higher degree. They are distinguished from effective teams in the sense that they have strong personal commitment to each other, and to others growth and success. Teams and work groups being the fundamental units of organizations, OD interventions work towards helping teams display above characteristics, apart from solving problems.High-Performance Team

Team-Building activities are the single most important group of OD interventions.

Its goals are the improvement and increased effectiveness of various teams within the organization. Some interventions work on formal teams, other on special teams like startup teams, teams formed due to mergers, organization structure changes, task forces, committees, cross-functional project teams etc.

Team-building Interventions

Process Consultation

The Process consultation (PC) is similar to team-building except that PC places greater emphasis on diagnosing and understanding process events. A skilled 3rd party (consultant) works with individuals and groups to help them learn about human and social processes and learn to solve problems that stem from process events.

Process Consultation Interventions

Examples of organizational processes are communications, the roles and functions of group members, group problem solving and decision-making, group norms and group growth, leadership and authority, and intergroup cooperation and competition.Process Consultation Interventions

Role Analysis Technique (RAT) / Process (RAP)

Role Analysis Technique (RAT or RAP) is designed to clarify role expectations and obligations of team members to improve team effectiveness. A role incumbent may not have a clear idea of the behaviors expected of him or her by others, and equally often, what others can do to help the incumbent fulfil the role is not understood. Role Analysis Technique / Process

In this technique, in a series of steps, role incumbents, along with team members define and delineate role requirements. The role being defined is called focal role.

In a new organization, it may be desirable to conduct a role analysis for each of the major roles.Role Analysis Technique / Process

Step 1 : The focal role individual and the entire team discuss the focal role, its place in the team, the rationale for its existence, its overall place in the organization, specific duties of the office and behaviors.

The final behaviors are finally agreed.3 Steps of RAT/RAP

Step 2 : This step examines the focal role incumbents expectations of others. The incumbent lists his or her expectations of the other roles in the group that most affect the incumbents own role performance.Thes are discussed, modified, and agreed upon by the group and the focal role person. 3 Steps of RAT/RAP

Step 3 : Members of the group describe what they want from and expect from the incumbent in the focal role.These expectation of others are discussed, modified and agreed upon by the group and the focal role person.The focal role person makes a written summary of the role as it has been defined. (Role Profile)3 Steps of RAT/RAP

This technique is particularly useful for new teams, but it may also be helpful in established teams where role ambiguity or confusion exists.Role Analysis Techniques / Process

Interdependency Exercise

This is useful to improve cooperation among team members and among their units. This is also useful : For assisting people in getting better acquainted In surfacing problems that may be latent and not previously examined In providing useful information about current challenges being faced in others areas of responsibility. Interdependency Exercise

It generally works with upto 10 people, who form two lines of five people each, facing each other.

Persons facing each other interview each other about the important interdependencies between their jobs and/or units, what is going wrong and what is going fine.Interdependency Exercise12345678910

They also make action plans at the end of the interview or to meet further.

At the end of the meeting, people in one of the row shift towards one side in circular motion, and do the exercise again. This is repeated till 5 interviews are over. Then people within the unit conduct similar interview.Interdependency Exercise

Role Negotiation Technique

Role Negotiation deals with the relationships of power, authority and influence within the group. The change effort is directed at the work relationships among members. It avoids probing into the likes and dislikes of members for one another and their personal feelings about one another.Role Negotiation Technique

The technique is basically an imposed structure for controlled negotiations between parties in which each party agrees in writing to change certain job related behaviors in return for changes in behavior of the other. This technique is most useful when conducted over 2 days, followed by a follow-up meeting a month later.Role Negotiation Technique

Contract Setting (setting the climate and ground rules in writing) Issue Diagnosis (What others need to do more, stop doing, continue doing or do less) Influence Trade or negotiation period (Two individuals discuss the most important behavior changes they want in others)

Steps in Role Negotiation Technique

Gestalt Approach to Team Building

Gestalt approach to OD focuses more on the individual than the group.

It is based on the belief that persons function as whole, total organisms. Each person possesses positive and negative characteristics that must be permitted expression.Gestalt Approach to Team Building

One must come to terms with oneself, must accept responsibility for ones action, must experience and live in the here and now, and must stop blocking off awareness, authenticity and the like by dysfunctional behavior.

The goals of Gestalt therapy are awareness, integration, maturation, authenticity, self-regulation and behavior change.Gestalt Approach to Team Building

Gestalt orientation is used in OD while working on leader-subordinates relations and team-building.

The primary thrust is to make the individual stronger, more authentic, and more in touch with the individuals own feelings. Building a better team may result, but it is not the primary goal.Gestalt Approach to Team Building

The Gestalt OD practitioner often works within a group setting, but the focus is usually on individuals.

A Gestalt OD practitioner fosters the expression of positive and negative feelings and causes individuals to become more aware of what they want from others, and pushes toward greater authenticity for everyone.Gestalt Approach to Team Building

The Appreciation & Concerns Exercise

Each member of a group jots down 1 3 appreciations for each member of the group Also jot down 1 or 2 minor irritations or concerns that may be interfering with getting the work done. One person volunteers and listens to others. All go thru this exercise.Appreciation & Concerns

Responsibility Charting

This helps to clarify who is responsible for what on various decisions and actions. A grid with the types of decisions are listed on left side and the actors who might play some part in decision making on those issues across the top of the grid. A behavior is assigned to each actor opposite each of the issues. Responsibility Charting

Responsibility ( R ) - The responsibility to initiate action to ensure decisions are carried out .Approval / Veto rights (A / V ) Person who can approve or veto on an issueSupport ( S ) Providing logistical support and resources for the particular itemInform (I) Must be informed and, by inference, cannot influence Responsibility Charting

Responsibility Charting

(R - Responsibility, A/V - Approve/Veto, S - Support, I - Inform) Actors ->Decisions

Visioning

Group members in one or more organizational groups develop or describe their vision of what they want the organization to be like in the future. The time frame may be 6 months to 5 years in future.Visioning

Force Field Analysis

It is a device for understanding a problematic situation and planning corrective actions. Step 1 Identify and completely describe an existing problematic situationStep 2 - Carefully and completely describe the desired situationStep 3 Identify the forces and factors operating in the current force field.Force Field Analysis

Step 4 Examine the forces. Which are strong, weak, under your control etc.

Step 5 Add more driving forces, remove restraining forces or do both.Force Field Analysis

Step 6 Implement the action plans that should cause the desired condition to be realized.

Step 7 Describe what actions must be taken to stabilize the equilibrium at the desired condition and implement those actions.Force Field Analysis

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