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IOP 3705 EXAM PREPARATION NOTES
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EXAM PREPARATION NOTES: ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (IOP3705)LEARNING UNIT 1: GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO OD
OD DEFINED:
OD definition
Burke: “OD is a planned process of change in an organization’s culture through the utilization of
behavioural science technology, research, and theory.”
French: “OD refers to a long-range effort to improve an organization’s problem-solving
capabilities and its ability to cope with changes in its external environment with the help
of external or internal behavioural-scientist consultants.”
Beckhard: OD is an effort (1) planned, (2) organization wide, and (3) managed from the top, to (4)
increase organization effectiveness and health through (5) planned interventions in the
organization’s “processes,” using behavioural science knowledge
Beer OD is a system-wide process aimed at:
(1) enhancing congruence between organizational structure, process, strategy, people,
and culture;
(2) developing new and creative organizational solutions; and
(3) Developing the organization’s self-renewing capacity. It occurs through collaboration
of organizational members working with a change agent using behavioural science
theory, research, and technology
Cummings & OD is a system wide application and transfer of behavioural science knowledge to the
Worley planned development, improvement and reinforcement of the strategies, structures and
processes that lead to organisation effectiveness.
5 characteristics/features covered by Cummings & Worley OD definition:
1. OD applies to changes in the strategy, structure & processes of an entire system, like an organisation
2. OD is based on the application and transfer of behavioural science knowledge and practice
3. OD is concerned with managing planned change
4. OD involves both the creation and the reinforcement of change
5. OD is oriented to improving organisational effectiveness
Difference between OD and Change Management (CM)
OD Change Management
OD supports values of human potential, CM focuses more narrowly on cost, quality and
participation, development, performance and schedule
competitive advantage
OD is concerned with the transfer of knowledge and CM does not necessarily require the transfer of
skills so that the system is more able to manage these skills
change in the future
OD involves change management, but change management may not involve OD
,A Brief History of OD
Evolution of OD has emergence in applied
Behavioural sciences with 5 stems:
Laboratory Training: growth of “T-groups”-
Small group learn from their own interaction;
Workshop developed for people react to data
About their own behaviour. 2 conclusions:
(1) Feedback about group interaction was rich learning
Experience; (2) process of ‘group building’ had potential for
Learning transferred to “back-home” situations.
3 trends emerged: 1) emergence of regional laboratories
2) Expansion of summer program to year round
3) Expansion of T-group into business and industry w/ National
Training labs increasing involved with industry program
Action research/survey feedback: AR contributions of Collier, Lewin and Whyte – discovered that research
needed to be closely linked to action if organisation members were to use it to manage change.
Results of AR 2 fold: 1) members of org able to use research on themselves to guide action & change
2) Social scientists able to study that process to derive new knowledge that could be used elsewhere.
John French study on overcoming change led to development of participative management as means of
getting employees involved in planning and managing change.
*key component of most AR studies: systematic collection of survey data that were fed back to client org.
Common pattern in AR/SF = data collection, data feedback, action planning, implementation & follow-up
Normative Approach: the belief that a human relations approach represented “one best way” to manage orgs.
Examples- Likert’s Participative Management Program characterised orgs as having a type of management
system including: exploitive authoritative; benevolent authorative; consultative and participative group &
Blake and Moutons Grid Organisation Development approach with 2 objective: 1) to improve planning by
developing a strategy for organisational excellence based on clear logic and 2) to help managers gain the
necessary knowledge and skills to supervise effectively. It consists of 6 phases designed to analyse business &
to overcome the planning & communication barriers.
Productivity/ Quality-of-Work life: two phases: 1) Trist et al @ Travistock developed work designs aimed at
better integrating technology and people referred to as “ Sociotechnical systems”. Led to the discovery of self-
managing work groups as a form of work design.
QWL focused primarily on the personal consequences of the work experience and how to improve work to
satisfy personal needs
2) Expanded beyond work design to include features of the workplace that can affect employee productivity
and satisfaction like, reward systems, management styles and physical work environment.
Unfreezing
Strategic Change: involves improving the alignment among an organisations design, strategy, and environment.
Interventions seek to improve both the org relationship to its environment and the fit among its technical,
structural, informational, HR and cultural components.
Triggered by major disruptions like technological breakthroughs or new CEO.
Has influenced OD practice in that it requires OD practitioners to be familiar with competitive strategy, finance
Movement
and marketing and team building, action research and survey feedback. Skills improve OD’s relevance.
Theories of Planned Change
Refreezing
, Lewin’s Change Model
Change is conceived as a modification of those forces keeping a systems behaviour
Stable specifically referring to 2 forces- 1) those striving to maintain the status quo
And those pushing for change. When both forces are equal and current behaviours
Maintained referred to “quasi-stationary equilibrium”.
To change- increase force pushing change or decrease those maintaining current
State or combo of both. Change process 3 steps:
1. Unfreezing: This step involves reducing those forces maintaining the
Organisation’s behaviour at its present level.
2. Movement: This step shifts the behaviour of the organisation to a new level.
3. Refreezing: This step stabilizes the organisation at a new state of equilibrium.
Lewin’s model provides a general framework for understanding organisation change
Action Research Model
problem identification
Sees planned change as cyclic process in which initial research about org
Provides info to guide subsequent action, results of actions are assessed
To provide further info to guide further info consultation with
Is aimed at both helping specific organisations implement planned change behavioural scientist
And developing more general knowledge that can be applied to other
Settings. The model consists of 8 main steps:
1) Problem Identification: Key executive senses that org has 1/more problems
data gathering & prelim
diagnosis
2) Consultation with a behavioural science expert: OD practitioner & client
Carefully assess each other
3) Data gathering and preliminary diagnosis: Gather & analyse info to feedback to client
Determine underlying problems.
• Methods of gathering data include interviews, observations,
Questionnaires and organisational performance data Joint diagnosis
4) Feedback to a client or group:
• The consultant provides the client with all relevant data. This will
Help determine the strengths and weaknesses of the organisation. joint action planning
5) Joint diagnosis of the problem: • Members discuss the feedback
& explore whether they want to work on identified problems.
6) Joint action planning: • Here the OD practitioner and client Action
Jointly agree on further actions to be taken.
7) Action: involves actual change from one org state to another. data gathering after
May include installing new methods/procedures, reorganising action
Structures and work design and reinforcing new behaviours.
8) Data gathering after action: Gather data after action to measure and determine the effects of the action
• Feed results back to the organisation.
Trends of AR include- movement from smaller sub units of organisation to total systems and communities.
-is being applied increasingly in international settings, particularly in developing nations
-Applied increasingly to promote social change and innovation- most clearly in community development and
global social change projects.
The role of OD consultant has shifted from carrying out most activities with agreement & collaboration of
management to a modification of working with members to facilitate the learning process.
Positive Model
, Unlike Lewin model- that focuses on org problems & how to solve to function better- the positive model
focuses on what the org is doing right, helping members understand when org work at best & build off those
capabilities to achieve better results.
Model has been applied to planned change through process called Appreciative Inquiry (AI). It encourages a
positive orientation to how change is conceived and managed.
• The first phase determines the subject of change
initiate the • It emphasises member involvement to identify the organisational
Inquiry issue they have the most energy to address
• phase involves gathering info about “best of what is” in the org
inquire into • Org members conduct interviews &tell stories regarding certain topic
best practices • These stories are pulled together to create a pool of information
describing the organisation
• In this phase, members examine the stories to identify a set of themes
discover representing the common dimensions of people’s experiences
themes • The themes represent the basis for moving from “what is” to “what
could be”
envision a • Here members examine the identified themes, challenge the status
quo and describe a compelling future.
Preferred • Members collectively visualise the organisation’s future and develop
future “possibility propositions”
• final phase involves the design and delivery of ways to create the future
design & deliver • It describes the activities &creates plans necessary to bring about vision.
ways to create • Members make changes, assess the results and make necessary
the future adjustments as they move the organisation toward the vision and sustain
“what will be”
Comparison of Planned Change Models
• Similarities: Change preceded by diagnosis or preparation
Apply behavioural science knowledge
Stress involvement of organization members
Recognize the role of a consultant
• Differences General vs. specific activities
Centrality of consultant role
Problem-solving vs. social constructionism
General Model of Planned Change
Identifies the steps an organisation moves through when implementing change and specifies the OD activities
needed to effect change.
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