Running Head: CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
Corporate Technical Training
Crystal Gully
Jodaisha Palmer
Rachna Gaur
Kate Craig
Jessica Saenz
Texas A&M University
EHRD 625
5/2/2014
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
Context: About the Organization
The Texas A&M University project team was to conduct an Organizational Development
or OD assessment in an organization of our choice. One of the team members is a current
employee at a large oil and gas company in Houston, TX and the team was granted permission to
conduct the assessment in its technical training organization. This introductory section describes
general characteristics of the client organization.
Description of Oil & Gas Corporation
Our project team was granted permission to conduct an OD assessment in the world’s
largest publicly traded international oil and gas corporation. According to the 2013 Annual
Report Summary, the corporation has approximately seventy-five thousand employees worldwide. Our project was conducted in one of their technical training organizations. In today’s
competitive business environment companies acknowledge that people are their biggest asset and
that highly capable people contribute the most to competitive advantage in today’s marketplace.
The corporate client is committed to maximizing the talent of a high-performing workforce
through multiple technical training programs. In 2012, major business units of the corporation
spent more than $88 million on training, reaching more than 76,000 participants. In addition to
formal training, a variety of job experiences and development tools tailored to individual needs
throughout an employee’s career.
Upstream Division & Upstream Technical Training
Our team’s Organizational Development project took place in two overlapping training
organizations. The newly formed Corporate Learning Organization (CLO) and the Upstream
Technical Training Organization (UTT). The corporation is divided into four major divisions:
Upstream, Downstream, Chemicals and Natural Gas and Power Marketing. The Upstream
1
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
division is comprised of five different functional companies that all work on the capture and
production of hydrocarbon resources. The Upstream division is made up of the Exploration,
Development, Production, Ventures, Research and Gas and Power Marketing companies and
they are all headquartered in Houston, TX. The Upstream Technical Training (UTT)
organization is a part of the Research Company, but supports the training programs of all of the
Upstream technical curriculum committees. Also in Houston, TX is the Upstream Technical
Training Center (UTTC), a building dedicated to the purpose of training the industry’s most
capable technical workforce. Over 80% of the UTT classes are delivered at UTTC and the other
20% are delivered on-site around the world or in the case of geology field schools, on location in
the field. The Upstream curriculum committees are matrix organizations that provide training
and career development opportunities for Upstream technical and commercial employees. The
training curriculum is not owned by UTT; but is owned by curriculum families that manage the
career and learning development activities for the Upstream technical and commercial
professionals.
Upstream Technical Training & Corporate Learning Organization
Historically, UTT was made up of three teams, Course Delivery, Course Development
and Curriculum Management. With the creation of the CLO in 2013 all training delivery
activities are now centrally managed by the CLO. When the UTT Course Delivery team
transitioned to the CLO, their titles were changed from Training Administrator (TA) to Learning
Delivery Coordinator (LDC). The Course Delivery team is responsible for coordinating the
course delivery logistics of all the Upstream technical training classes including catering, room
arrangements, computing support and course materials. Even though the Upstream Course
Delivery team is managed centrally by the CLO, the team physically still works in the same
2
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
location (UTTC in Houston) and does the same job for the Upstream technical training classes.
The UTT Course Development team is responsible for instructional design and adult learning
expertise. Because the entire UTT curriculum is owned and developed by the functional
curriculum committees and their technical subject matter experts (SME’s), the instructional
designers at UTT provide internal consulting on course development best practices and
instructional effectiveness. The UTT course development team also manages the learning
analytics and curriculum measurement activities for the UTT curriculum committees. The
curriculum management team liaisons between UTT and the functional curriculum committees.
The Upstream curriculum managers are experienced technical employees, who support the
stewardship of the technical curriculum programs including, forecasting and demand planning,
budgeting, instructor succession planning, technical competency management and curriculum
effectiveness. All three teams work together to support the overall quality, efficiency and
effectiveness of the Upstream technical training programs.
Organizational Issues
The following section addresses the early phase of the project including initial contact
with the client and scoping the project’s purpose.
Initial Contact with UTT
Our team first approached, Mark Bush, the manager of the Upstream Technical Training
organization to gauge his interest in participating in the Organizational Development (OD) class
project. After clarifying that OD pertained more to overall organizational effectiveness rather
than organizational design – as it is referred to in the company, he was supportive and gave the
team permission to conduct the project. Originally, Mark suggested that we work with Frank
Blackmer, the supervisor of the UTT course development and course management teams. The
3
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
University OD team conducted an initial meeting with Frank and his team lead, Ralph Pauls.
Frank and Ralph were enthusiastic about the OD project and suggested a potential area for
improvement and study was the Request to Attend process (RTA). The Request to Attend
process is a legal process that must be completed for any non-employee students (third party
students) to attend the company’s internal training classes. Because the company operates worldwide and competes for business internationally, training opportunities and technical curriculum
programs are often offered to National Oil Company’s (NOC’s) employees as a way to gain
access to their resources and ultimately partner in business ventures. When the company partners
with NOC’s their employees attend our technical training classes. However, the company has to
be careful of not breaking any export control laws in the process of sharing training curriculum.
To document this process, UTT created the RTA documentation process which track and record
management approvals for third party students, which attend UTT courses. The RTA process is a
complicated legal process that not many people in the company understand, the CLO owns the
process but UTT stewards the process and has a full-time RTA administrator to manage the
process for each class affected by third party students. Frank and Ralph both suggested that there
were opportunities to improve the execution of the RTA process. As mentioned previously, the
RTA process is owned by the CLO but stewarded by UTT, so Frank and Ralph both suggested
that we involve Trent Bailly, the supervisor of the CLO Upstream course delivery team.
Corporate Learning Organization – Learning Delivery Team
Our project team immediately scheduled a second meeting with Trent Bailly and his team
leads, Gail Kuzan and Tammy Hayes. During that meeting Trent confirmed that the RTA process
has much opportunity for improvement and in addition, and OD project would be helpful for his
team since they had recently undergone personnel changes when transitioning from UTT to the
4
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
CLO. Trent’s team had increased in size when LDC’s were moved into the CLO from the
business training functions. Trent did not go into any detail about issues his team was having
with the organizational transition, but it was implied that the study would be helpful in
identifying critical issues and that he would appreciate the interventions suggested by the
University project team.
Project Scope
After the two meetings with UTT and the CLO course delivery team, our University team
realized that our project was not going to be simple and straightforward. We were basically
conducting an OD assessment of two related internal organizations and a legal process that
impacted all of the Upstream division and NOC business affiliates. In an effort to simplify our
approach, our team identified Trent Bailly and the CLO LDC team as our primary client and
Frank Blackmer and the UTT team as a secondary support organization. Our project goals were
to represent Texas A&M University with scholarship and professionalism while providing our
clients with value from meaningful interactions and experiences.
Organization Assessment Methods
The following section addresses the methods used by the Texas A&M University team to
conduct the organizational assessment.
Approach and Rationale
The Texas A&M University graduate student consulting group aimed to offer the UTT
organization development (OD) interventions that could be applied any time the organization
desires to make a planned improvement towards the RTA process using OD values. Prescribed
interventions could be especially useful in the following situations for UTT:
5
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING

To help align functional structures involved in the RTA process so they are working
together effectively for its common purpose

To create a strategic plan for how those involved with the RTA process are going to make
decisions about the future of the process and achieving that future

To manage conflict that may exist among individuals, groups, functions, and sites of the
RTA process when such conflicts disrupts the ability of the organization to function in a
healthy way

To put in place sub-processes that can help improve the ongoing operations of the RTA
process

To create a collaborative environment that helps the RTA process be more effective and
efficient

To assess working environment, to identify strengths on which to build and areas in
which change and improvement are needed

To provide help and support for employees who need an opportunity to be coached in
how to their jobs better

To assist in creating systems for providing feedback on individual performance and
periodically conducting studies to give feedback and coaching to help them in the their
individual development
Our hope is that the values-driven ideology of OD aligns with those values of UTT and together
will encourage efforts that develop, create, and spread knowledge or increase the practice of
change management and organization development that is constructive.
Description of diagnostic methods and processes
6
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
After completing the Entry and Set-up phase as per the organizational development process
the team progressed into the phase of Assessment and Feedback. This phase helped us to pinpoint the existing strengths and opportunities for improvement in the UTT and CLO teams. For
that purpose, we used two methods to collect data, first is an individual interview and second is
through survey.
Methods used to collect data
Our A&M university team conducted interview both telephonic and face to face. We had
interviewed ten people of ExxonMobil in total. Five were from CLO team and rest of the five
from UTT team. The following were many reasons for conducting individual interview: it gives
our team a chance to develop trust with the interviewer that helps us collect much useful data;
interviews were conducted in private, therefore it gave the feeling to interviewee that all
information provided by him or her will be kept confidential; and this approach gave us
flexibility to ask the questions again in different words until the desired results are not achieved
or it can clarify the meaning of what interviewee said.
The second method we used to collect the data was a survey. We prepared a survey that
contains questions with a range of responses from quantitative and qualitative. The quantitative
questions used a scale of one to five in which a selection of a one meant “Strongly Disagree” and
a selection of a five meant “Strongly Agree”. The participants were also given a choice to
respond with “N/A”. The survey was designed in two different ways; one is only for RTA
involved parties that only asked questions about the RTA process. The other survey was for the
LDC team and contained the RTA questions and additionally, questions about their work
environment. The qualitative questions were in the form of open ended comments that the
7
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
participants could write-in narrative comments. The surveys were specifically designed on
findings of the interview.
Sampling Techniques
Our team used purposive sampling techniques. Managers of both UTT and CLO team
sent a list of their employees with contact details that we needed to include in our assessment.
Texas A&M University team was restricted to only those employees for conducting interviews
and for participation in the survey process.
Rationale for collecting data
The interview questions were designed in the mode of appreciative inquiry. Only the positive
perspectives of the related job of an individual were focused. The questions were related to core
values of the company, or their best experiences while working in RTA process. The interview
protocol can be found in Appendix A of this document. This approach allowed the Texas A&M
University team to collect more in-depth information about the company and RTA process.
On the basis of interview questions, our team designed a likert scale survey to determine
the respondent’s attitudes and feelings towards RTA process. The survey was designed in two
formats, one is specifically for the RTA team and other one is for the LDC’s. A copy of the
survey questions can be found in the Quick Question reports that comprise Appendix B of this
document.
Findings Analysis
The Appreciative Inquiry Interview and Survey provided us with five major themes from
the participants’ responses: communication, core values, interpersonal skills, leadership, and
accountability. These five themes are essential for the RTA process to flow as smoothly as
possible and for the CLO team to function effectively. Communication, being the first theme that
8
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
was found is probably one of the most important ones. Results indicated that there is a lack of
communication between employees, managers, and on-site personnel at affiliate locations. This
lack of communication and understanding creates tension in the RTA process and in the CLO
group as a whole. Communication is a key element of the RTA process. There has to be fluid
communication between employees and leadership in order for employees to understand the
process and perform to the best of their ability. Employees do understand the benefits and value
of executing the RTA process correctly. This item was scored very high in the Likert survey.
Findings Analysis: Theme 1
It seems as if employees do not understand the overall structure and organization of this
process. The likert survey does support that management in the RTA process clearly understands
the requirement of this process. This goes to show that the lack of communication is a huge issue
in the actual implementation and flow of this process. For instance, communication channels at
the on-site locations need to receive top-down support from leadership. If not, ExxonMobil can
run the risk of an external employee that has not been cleared in the system to attend a training
without approval. Communication at the on-site locations is crucial due to the high-risk liability
on the company’s behalf. According to the likert survey and the RTA measurement and
engagement survey, the RTA process is not clear to employees. In this organization. It is also not
being communicated effectively to all the parties involved. Employees do understand how
important this process is to the company. The American Management Association states how,
“Effective communication is an important element of success for every organization, leader,
manager, supervisor, and employee. An organization whose people communicate effectively
experiences fewer misunderstandings that create friction between people, waste time, and cause
mistakes.” ("The importance of,”) Communication is a huge factor in this process and it should
9
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
not be taken lightly due to the importance of RTA process. The CLO group needs to create the
least friction possible, because effective communication in this group is key to produce this task.
It has been understood that this group deals with very stressful tasks according to the survey
delivered. So, it is understandable how this can affect the overall communication in this
department.
Findings Analysis: Theme 2
The second theme that was presented in this assessment process was an inconsistency in
regards to work-values. Employees in this organization are knowledgeable on the core values
that represent ExxonMobil as a whole. The inconsistency relates to how employees apply the
corporate values to their daily jobs. Throughout the interview process, it was difficult for some
employees to link the organizations core values to their own actions. By providing trainings,
discussions, and workshops for employees it would give them a better opportunity to learn how
to apply these work-values in their daily jobs. Srivastava mentions how, “The role of personal
values or work value influencing the work attitude and job outcome is enormous. The outcome
which may be positive or negative seems to be getting influenced by changing values in society.”
(Srivastava, 2011) Work-values do have a significant impact on the employee’s job outcome.
The relationship between job outcome, work attitude, and work-values has a great influence on
the employee and on the organization. Srivastava’s statement does support the idea of how workvalues should be applied in the employee’s daily job. It has an impact on work attitude and job
outcome.
Findings Analysis: Theme 3
The third theme discussed in the assessment was the discrepancy that was found in
interpersonal skills. It is crucial for the CLO group to work as team in order to drive this process
10
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
in the direction of success. A team is a working group that commits to each other’s promotions
and successes. Teamwork is an overall commitment. Teamwork is a “tool for increasing working
creativity, which is implicitly leads to job satisfaction. Employees also have more commitment
to their organization when team work is present” (Ghorbanhosseini, 2013). Due to the lack of
communication and team effort present in the RTA process, employees in this department have
not been successful in running this process effectively. The CLO group is recommended to
develop team building and communication skills in order to boost productivity in this
department. Communication and teamwork go hand in hand.
Leadership is the fourth theme discussed in our key findings. It is the leaders’
responsibility in this organization to “encourage intrinsic motivation, facilitate problem solving,
foster a positive team climate, and establish and maintain high quality work relationships with
team members (Denti & Hemlin, 2012). This is needed in order for employees of the CLO group
to acknowledge leadership in their department. In addition to the lack of communication and
team effort, leadership is also a missing piece in this puzzle. Employees in this department would
like to have an individual whom they can consult with when faced with issues regarding the RTA
process. Management needs to fulfill this role as leaders for the CLO group. Leadership assists
employees in leading them in the same direction and harnessing efforts jointly (Mills, 2005). The
absence of leadership is equally dramatic. Without leadership, organizations move too slowly,
stagnate, and lose their way. The CLO group is faced with this issue, because the department as a
whole is not knowledgeable about the RTA process, nor do they want to take responsibility for
the process. There has to be a leader in place in order to drive these employees to success. This
leader needs to serve as a point of contact for employees in this department. The communication
theme also goes hand in hand with the leadership theme.
11
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
The fifth theme relates to the RTA process directly. Issues such as accountability, role
clarity, organization of the RTA process, on-site training communication, and legalities were
found. Role clarity in this process refers to the inadequate organization of roles and
responsibilities employees hold in the RTA process. There are too many leaders, approvers, and
sponsors that are involved. This makes the process even more confusing for employees that work
directly with the RTA process. In order to manage these relationships or positions it is first best
to provide all workers with a corporate induction and ensure they are aware of their role within
their immediate work team. The Likert survey also supported the fact that all involved parties are
not clear on their role and responsibilities of the RTA process. The scores received in this area
were low. This goes to show how strongly the employees in this organization feel about this
issue. Secondly, it is essential to ensure all workers receive suitable training for their jobs and
tasks, help develop and maintain a working environment where workers are consulted and can
provide feedback on changes impacting their jobs tasks. The CLO group can create an
organizational chart that gives a clear view of the organizational structure and communication
channels ("Role clarity and role conflict," 2012). Also mentioned in the Workplace Health and
Safety Queensland article, “poorly defined or conflicted roles in organizations can be a stressor
for workers.” Poor role definition arises from a lack of clarity in workers objectives and key
accountabilities” ("Role clarity and," 2012). Another important aspect of the RTA process that
was discussed in the key findings was the issue of accountability. The RTA process is known as
a very thorough process. This process needs to be held accountable by someone who has
experience and knowledge of the RTA process. With this being said, the Likert survey supports
how involved parties are not being held accountable or responsible for executing the RTA
process incorrectly.
12
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
Analysis of the Current OD Practice (We used this language in the paper because it was written
specifically this way in the syllabus.- we were also confused about it.)
After careful analysis of the organization, we used the six boxes analysis tool to classify the
concerns expressed in the interviews and surveys (Binder, 1998). The results of the six boxes
analysis can be found in Appendix C of this document. Overall, our team concludes that the
current state of the OD practice in the client’s organization is not at all perfect, but has many
opportunities for improvement. Our team used the analysis results to identify which OD
interventions would be most useful for the client’s organization.
Intervention Proposals
The following interventions are recommended for the client’s organization as a result of
the assessment and analysis conducted by our team.
Accountability Interventions
Accountability is part of the larger system of performance management. We find it
beneficial to note the major impact performance management has on the culture of an
organization. Our recommended interventions believed as most appropriate in addressing
accountability of those involved in the RTA process are 1) Ensuring that performance system
supports goals and company culture 2) Strategic Planning: Scenario Planning 3) Open Systems
Mapping 4) Future Search and 5) Open Space Technology Meetings.
Performance management system. We suggest that a leadership coalition should work
with HR personnel to create or enhance a performance management system by asking questions
that will support goals of UTT and helps maintain the desired culture. These questions may be
versed as:
13
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING

How do we determine an individual’s contribution to the RTA process when everyone
works within a system that can either support or inhibit outcomes?

Should we be concerned about rewards system at the individual, team, business unit, or
organization level?

What is the relationship between intrinsic (from within) and extrinsic (from the outside)
motivation?

How should employees learn how well they are performing?

What role should employees have in creating their performance management systems?

How should the performance management system be communicated to employees?
Scenario planning. The strategic planning approach of Scenario Planning is another
suggestion that is commonly used and receives renewed emphasis. With this approach, UTT will
need to consider all possible change in the RTA process environment then take into account all
the potential changes in the environment. Strategic responses are formulated before there is any
way to absolutely know how the environment will actually change, if at all, in the future.
Open systems mapping. Open Systems Mapping is purposed to identify the changes that
are required within a system. The systems theory is used in this approach with the understanding
that RTA serves as the organizational system that interacts with its environment and, therefore,
can be considered as an open system that always endures change. For UTT, change may be
visible in the rotation of students and employees involved in the RTA process year after year. By
mapping out where that state of the system currently and where UTT desires the system to be in
the future will assist in determining the steps needed to be taken to close the gap between what is
desired of the process. Closing the identified gaps may be accomplished with the exploration of
14
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
those factors that impact the system, the nature of the relationship, and the feelings about the
relationship.
The concept of Future Search would require a cross section of members involved in the
RTA process to come together in a group planning meeting to examine the past, present, and
future related to specific aspects of the process such as focused tasks, time constraints, and
accessibility. The desired outcome is the commitment to the proposed action plan that is based
on values of those involved in the RTA process.
The Open Space Technology Meeting concept is based heavily on dialogue. After the
issues to be considered have been identified, participants should post each issue that was
determined on a wall, with a proposed agenda and time scheduled to meet to address the issue.
Participants are to determine which issues meeting(s) they will be attending, and dialogue
technology is used. We recommend that ideas are captured on flipcharts and are posted on a
results wall. Allow participants to have the freedom to address any issue they desire, as well as
express any opinion they wish regarding the issue.
Quality Circles for Core Values
Core Values are the core beliefs and commitments that matter most to a company and the
foundation of the way it conducts business. A set of core values is the bedrock of a company’s
culture. They establish standards for ethical decision making that contribute to a company’s code
of ethics. Grounding policies and training programs in core values helps employees understand
why certain rules are in place, so they can internalize those expectations. It is difficult to turn
something conceptual into something concrete. There was some inconsistency in the findings
that were analyzed from the interviews conducted. Our team found an inconsistency in the
answers provided by the interviewees in regards to putting their work values into practice. Due to
15
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
these inconsistencies, our team has recommended this exercise to help the organization. This
exercise will help the organization assess and understand their values in order to apply them as
efficiently as possible. Our team is not only seeking the promotion of these values, we are also
focusing on how employees are putting these values into practice.
Linking Actions to Values
Citing specific examples of how the company upholds its values is one way to make the
concept of a core set of beliefs more concrete. So for every value defined, provide a sentence or
two describing what that value looks like in action or identify specific actions that demonstrate
the employee and company’s commitment to it. This exercise will provide the employees an
opportunity to brainstorm how to apply core values in different scenarios. Through discussion
employees can learn how other employees practice these values. Employees may discover ways
that they can practice them as well. This exercise could take place once a month in a very
informal setting in order for employees to discuss their views. This exercise could also be
applied using the concept of Quality Circles.
Quality Circles
The concept of Quality Circles can be applied to the linking actions to value exercise or it
can be conducted as its own intervention. Another option is to apply this exercise in a workshop
setting. Quality circles are essentially composed of a small group of voluntary employees that
meet periodically to pinpoint, examine, and analyze problems that the organization is facing. A
facilitator and a coordinator lead the Quality Circle, which are chosen from top management. An
organization can apply this concept by adapting it to meet their individual needs. For instance,
the facilitator and coordinator may organize a discussion for the group of employees or the
department members that are asked to participate. It would be ideal for most of the department
16
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
members to participate in this exercise. The following are the two anticipated limitations for this
exercise: time to conduct this exercise may be limited and employees may not contribute as
anticipated. Applying the Quality Circle concept for this exercise is an option. The goal of this
exercise is to link or align the values of your organization to the actions of your employees.
Interpersonal Skills Intervention
After conducting the assessment, the team identified a main issue which is “lack of
interpersonal skills” with both the UTT and CLO team. It affects smooth working of the RTA
process. Strong interpersonal skills create more satisfying interactions in all environments.
Interpersonal skills are the employee’s ability to get along with others while getting the job done.
Good interpersonal skills are the prerequisite for many positions in such a big organization like
our client’s company. Developing people skills involves building strong relationships,
demonstrating ethical behavior, communicating clearly and working effectively in teams. We
recommend this intervention to help in following ways: enhancing group cooperation and
support, making and keeping commitment to others, interacting effectively with peers, superiors
and clients.
We suggest that employees must be given training on following interpersonal skills so
that the desired objectives of RTA process can be achieved.
Active listening. Employees must be given training so that they can improve their active
listening. This will help them to understand the perspectives of others in processing of RTA.
Collaboration. RTA process is only completed by working of both UTT and CLO team
together. All members who are part of RTA processing must understand each other’s
perspectives and co-operate each other in completing the process.
17
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
Conflict management. Managers should take the responsibilities if there are any disputes
between team members or between team members of UTT and CLO. They should resolve them.
Personal responsibility. Team members need to be aware of their responsibilities both with
customers and within their own teams. They have to take responsibility for their own work.
Effective communication. Members who are specifically part of the RTA process must be
given training on communication. It is very important at the time of approvals that proper
communication should take place to make sure the person who is going to attend training can get
the access of approved material only.
Formal training could benefit UTT since their work environment frequently changes and
training could assist in solving their relationship problems and motivate positive teamwork. The
importance of this approach is mainly seen in group projects like RTA. Group projects can only
be completed if all team members value other people’s contribution. RTA process falls in both
the UTT and CLO team domains. Formal training could help to bring both teams together in
completing RTA process.
Leadership/Authority Intervention
The initial interview data indicated that the LDC’s were having trouble exercising
authority over the internal service centers they are required to work with. However, after analysis
of the surveys, the LDC’s seemed to indicate that the issue was not actually lack of leadership
skill, but rather inability to hold the internal service centers accountable for delivery of services.
Since LDC’s are still responsible for the final product, this puts quite a strain on them as
employees.
The LDC’s are responsible for getting internal service centers to actually do what they
say they are going to do. But there is no contract and there is no negotiation with those people to
18
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
set those standards, so the LDC’s feel powerless to make sure the work gets done correctly. We
suggest the organization try to implement an internal review system wherein the LDC writes up a
standardized review of the internal service providers they work with after the completion of each
project. The review will be sent to the supervisory team of each vendor and the supervisor of the
LDC should be responsible for making sure this process is being completed.
Weaknesses of the suggestion: obviously the supervisory staff of the internal vendors will
have to CARE about this feedback, so that might be an issue. That seems counter-intuitive since
we are looking to make the system as efficient as possible.
Evaluation Plan
We propose a longitudinal evaluation plan be conducted to help indicate if the initial
proposal is working effectively. The assessment will allow UTT to better understand its ability
to maintain the change efforts generated from the organization development interventions as well
as lessen the likeliness of the organization to revert back to the state it was in prior to the
intervention. Please keep in mind this type of evaluation requires the ongoing commitment of the
organization to continue to collect data to determine whether the effects or the change is
sustained. An additional benefit of this approach is that parts of the organization that were not
necessarily the target of the intervention are more easily identified, this ideal is consistent with
our understanding of systems theory.
Longitudinal evaluation should commence on a regular basis in doing assessments for
action planning and interventions to be implemented in the future. We recommend that the
organization distribute a follow-up climate survey and conduct interviews with continual use of
the Appreciate Inquiry methods to analyze and compare the initial perspectives to post
intervention. For any training interventions that may be employed, we suggest that a post-test
19
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
questionnaire be completed by the trainee bi-yearly on their reaction to the training, learning
effectiveness of the training and predicted application to the job. In addition, it is recommended
that observation of the LDC’s and internal service providers performance be administered. This
will allow the organization to measure the learning as a result of the course experience. Transfer
of training from the classroom to the workplace should be closely assessed. We would like the
organization to be mindful that many organizations do not take full advantage of using the
longitudinal evaluation method due to its costs and the lack of having a full comprehension of
the benefits that an organization can understand from the process.
Some cautions are necessary for organizations considering the use of a longitudinal
evaluation approach. First, organizational units or employees participating in the assessment may
become fatigued during the process if repeated too frequently with little time between stages.
This is especially so when active responses are required as seen when utilizing surveys and
interviews. However, a continual collection of information and data, through statistical process
control, could help mitigate or avoid this potential issue with your organization.
Conclusion
The purpose of our project was to conduct an OD assessment in a large oil and gas
company, of two related internal organizations and a legal process that impacted all of the
Upstream division and NOC business affiliates. Our project goals were to represent Texas A&M
University with scholarship and professionalism while providing our clients with value from
meaningful interactions and experiences. Our project limitations included a small sample size
and the involvement of the client is selecting which employees were interviewed and surveyed,
this limiting the variety of perspectives we could capture. However, based on the interviews and
20
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
surveys we found four key areas for improvement: inconsistency in work values; lack of
interpersonal skills; leadership; and accountability and role clarity in the RTA process.
We have suggested our client use OD based interventions that help them to remove the
above mentioned obstacles from the smooth functioning of RTA process. The use of strategic
planning, open systems mapping and future search will help to overcome the problem of
accountability. RTA is a team process that depends upon the interpersonal skills of team
members to execute effectively. To enhance the interpersonal skills, we suggested training that
helps to increase group cooperation and support. Also, we suggest providing employees training
regarding good communication skills. Alignment of work values is always important. Therefore
our client must consider the concept of Quality Circles and linking action intervention to value in
their work area. Finally, we also suggested that LDC supervisor reviews the internal vendor
feedback collected for the internal service providers.
In conclusion, our team has learned much regarding OD practices, consulting,
communication, collaboration and time-management during this project. After the final review of
the project findings with the client, it was our interpretation that the client also benefitted from
participating in this project. The knowledge and skills acquired throughout the process will
benefit the future work of both the Texas A&M University project team and the client
organization.
21
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
References
Binder, C. (1998). The six boxes™: A descendent of gilbert's behavior engineering model. Performance
Improvement, 37(6), 48-52.
Denti, L., & Hemlin, S. (2012). Leadership and innovation in organizations: A systematic review of
factors that mediate or moderate the relationship. International Journal of Innovation
Management.
ExxonMobil Corporation (2013). Annual Report 2013 Summary. Retrieved from:
http://cdn.exxonmobil.com/en/shareholderarchive/~/media/Reports/Summary%20Annual%20Re
port/2013_ExxonMobil_Summary_Annual_Report.pdf
Ghorbanhosseini, M. (2013). The effects of organizational culture, teamwork, and organizational
development on organizational commitment: the medicating role of human capital. Tehnicki
Vjesnik / Technical Gazette, 20(6), 1019-1025.
Hall , A., Bowen, M., Ferris, G., Royle, T., & Fitzgibbons, D. (2007). The accountability lens: A new
way to view management issues. Science Direct, 50(5), 405-413. Retrieved from
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007681307000560
McLean, G. N. (2006). Organization development: Principles, processes, performance. San Francisco,
CA: Berrett-Koehler.
Mills, Q. (2005). The importance of leadership. (pp. 10-22). Retrieved from
http://www.cafanet.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=qwswE8roe74=&tabid=96
(n.d.). The importance of effective communication. American Management Association, Retrieved
from http://www.flexstudy.com/catalog/schpdf.cfm?coursenum=97003
Role clarity and role conflict. (2012). Retrieved from
http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/resources/pdfs/role-clarifty.pdf
22
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
Srivastava, M. (2011). Anxiety, stress, and satisfaction among professional in manufacturing and service
organizations: Fallout of personal values, work values, and extreme job
conditions. SAGE,
15(3), 219-229.
Wheeler,P. (2005, January 1) Retrieved from
http://www.alexcelgroup.com/articles/The%20Importance%20of%20Interpersonal%20Skills.pdf
23
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
Appendix A
Interview Questions 1-7
1. When you feel best about work at your organization, what do you value about it?
2. What do you most hope to contribute to your organization?
3. What do you believe to be the core value(s) of this organization? What is it that, if it does not exit,
would make your organization completely different than it currently is?
4. Tell me about the best experience(s), if any, that you have had using the RTA (Request to Attend)
process?
5. If success in conducting the RTA process was completely guaranteed, what steps do you believe need
to be taken to achieve this?
6. How can employees support one another towards taking those steps? (What unique contribution do
you believe each individual would need to make?)
7. What else would you like to tell me about your organization or the RTA process that I haven’t asked
you about?
24
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
Appendix C
1) Expectations and Feedback:
a. The LDC’s expressed their frustration with the expectation that they lead a team of
internal vendors and providers without any authority to make sure those vendors
actually deliver on their promises. The issue with this being that the LDC’s are still
held responsible for the quality of the final product (the training), but they have no
control over the major elements that ensure that success.
2) Tools & Resources:
a. There is no supporting documentation for the RTA process which can be referenced
to ensure quality control.
b. The RTA process is entirely on paper, which the feedback respondents find
inefficient.
3) Consequences & Incentives:
a. There is no accountability for following the RTA process through including checking
each student in each classroom to make sure they have the approval to be there. This
is a legal issue that the respondents are held accountable for, but have little control
over, especially when the classroom they are planning for is overseas, which is when
following the RTA process is the most important.
4) Skills and Knowledge:
a. Many of the respondents expressed frustration over the lack of training specifically on
the RTA process.
5) Selection & Assignment:
25
CORPORATE TECHNICAL TRAINING
a. Respondents indicated their happiness/satisfaction at the RTA process being moved
to the responsibility of a single person rather than spread out.
6) Motives & Preferences:
a. The respondents of the interviews indicated a feeling of distance from the espoused
values of the organization. The organization puts a heavy focus on safety in the
workplace, but the employees in this department don’t seem to know how that applies
to them.
b. The respondents have strained or distant interpersonal relationships with other
members of the team and other members of the organization and have the need to
build strong relationships to ensure product quality.
26