CHAPTER 15
ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT
Introduction:
 Organization development (OD) is a planned
approach to improve employee and organizational
effectiveness by conscious interventions in those
processes and structures that have an immediate
bearing on the human aspect of the organization.
 OD is response to change, a complex educational
strategy intended to change the beliefs, attitudes,
values and structure of organization so that they
can better adapt to new technologies, markets,
challenges and the dizzying rate of change itself.
Characteristics:
 Planned change
 Comprehensive change
 Long range change
 Dynamic process
 Participation of change agent
 Emphasis on intervention & action research.
 Normative educational process
History Of Organization Development
 Laboratory training background
 Action-research/survey-feedback
background
 Participative management background
 Quality of work life (QWL) background
Process Of Organization Development
 Problem identification.
 Data collection.
 Diagnosis.
 Structural analysis.
 Processes analysis.
 Function analysis.
 Domain analysis.
 Evaluation and feedback
OD PROCESS, AHMED 1972
 Motivation for change
 Data collection, problem identification &
diagnosis
 Planned strategy for change
 Intervening in the system
 Reinforcement and follow up
 Monitoring and evaluation
OD Interventions:
 Survey Feedback – Major thrust in the
development of OD has come from survey
research and feedback of data. The Process:
1. Data collection
2. Feedback of information
3. Follow up action
 Sensitivity Training
OD Interventions:
 Grid Training, the process 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Managerial grid
Teamwork development
Inter group development
Developing ideal strategic corporate model
Implementing the ideal strategic model
Systematic critique
Team Building
OD Interventions:
 Process Consultation, the process –
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Initiate contact
Define the relationship
Select the setting and the method
Gather data & make a diagnosis
Intervene
Reduce involvement & terminate
Problems in OD, the criticism:
 There is discrepancy between ideal & real situations, OD




tries to achieve ideal without taking into account real.
OD makes people unfit for the real organizations world
because no organization can fully adopt open system
concept.
Resistance to change is a natural phenomenon & OD puts
undue pressure to change.
OD fails to motivate people with low level of achievement
needs. If an organization is laden with these people, it is
useless to try OD.
OD programs are often quite costly.