Managing the OD Process

Three basic components of OD programs:

Diagnosis Continuous collection of data about total
system, its subunits, its processes, and its
culture
Action All activities and interventions designed to
improve the organizations functioning
Program
management
All activities designed to ensure success
of the program
SYSTEM
DIAGNOSIS


Strengths
1,2,3,4

Opportunities
1,2,3,4

Problems
1,2,3,4


Intervention
For P/O3
Intervention
For P/O2
Intervention
For P/O4
Interventions
For P/O 1
Evaluation
Of
actions
Problem
Solved
Problem not
Solved
Problem not
Solved
Problem
Solved
Evaluation
Of
actions
Evaluation
Of
actions
Evaluation
Of
actions
Diagnosing Organizational Subsystems

Diagnostic targets Information sought Methods of Diagnosis
The total organization Q) What is organizations culture?
Q) Are organizational goals and strategy
understood and accepted?
Q) What is organizations performance?
Examination of organizational records
rules, regulations, policies
Questionnaire survey
Interviews (both group & individual)
Large and complex
subsystems
Q) What are the unique demands on this
subsystem?
Q) Are organization structures and processes
related to unique demands?
Q) What are the major problems confronting this
subsystem?
Questionnaire survey
Interviews
Observations
Organization records
Small and simple
subsystem
Q) What are major problems of the team?
Q) How can team effectiveness be improved?
Q) Do individuals know how their jobs relate to
organizational goals?
Individual interviews
group meeting to review the interview data
Questionnaires
Observation of staff meetings and other day-
to-day operations
Intergroup subsystems Q) How does each subsystem see the other?
Q) What problems do the two groups have in
working together?
Q) How can they collaborate to improve
performance of both groups?
Interviews of each subsystem followed by
sharing the data meeting
Flowcharting critical processes
Meetings between both groups
Individuals Q) Do people perform according to organizations
expectations?
Q) Do they need particular knowledge or skills?
Q) What career development opportunities do
they have/ want/ need?
Interviews
Information from diagnostic meetings
Data available with HR department
Roles Q) Is the role defines adequately?
Q) What is the fit between person and role?
Q) Is this the right person for this role?
Role analysis
Observations
Interviews
Diagnosing Organizational Processes

Organizational
Processes
Information sought Methods of Diagnosis
Communication
patterns, styles &
flows
Q) Is communication open or closed?
Q) Is communication directed upward, downward,
laterally?
Q) Are communications filtered? .. Why? How?
Observations in meetings
Questionnaires
Interviews and discussion with group
members
Goal setting Q) Do people set goals?
Q) Who participates?
Q) Do they possess necessary skills for effective
goal setting?
Questionnaires
Interviews
Observations
Decision making,
problem solving &
action planning
Q) Who makes decisions?
Q) Are they effective?
Q) Are additional decision making skills needed?
Observations of problem-solving meetings
Analysis of videotaped sessions
Organizational records
Conflict resolution and
management
Q) Where does conflict exist?
Q) Who are involved parties?
Q) How is it being managed?
Interviews
Flowcharting critical processes
Meetings between both groups
Superior-subordinate
relations
Q) What are the prevailing leadership styles?
Q) What problems arise between superiors and
subordinates?
Questionnaires
Interviews
Strategic management
& long range planning
Q) Who is responsible for looking ahead and
making long term decisions?
Q) Do they have adequate tools and support?
Q) Have the recent long range decisions been
effective?
Interviews of key policy makers
Group discussions
Examination of historical records
Diagnosis The Six-Box Model

Leadership
Purposes
Relationships
Helpful
Mechanisms
Rewards
Structure
Weisbord identifies
six critical areas
where things must go
right if organisation is
to be successful.
According to him, the
consultant must
attend to both formal
and informal aspects
of each box.
This model is still widely
used by OD practitioners
Marvin Weisbord
Third-Wave Consulting
Weisbord wrote an article in which he
mentioned the third wave.
1
st
wave= agricultural revolution
2
nd
wave= industrial revolution
3
rd
wave= technological revolution
He no longer looks at the sickness model
of OD but concentrates on the wellness
model which talks about creating
workplace that have meaning.
4 Useful practices
1. Assess the potential for action
2. Get the whole system in the room
3. Focus on the future
4. Structure tasks that people can do for
themselves.
Action Component

Interventions are the actions taken to produce desired changes.
Four conditions that give rise to the need for OD interventions:
1. The organisation has a problem
(corrective action to fix it)
2. Organization sees an unrealized opportunity
(enabling action to seize the opportunity)
3. Features of organization are out of alignment
(alignment action to get things back in sync)
4. Yesterdays vision is no longer good enough
(action for new vision actions to build necessary
structures, processes and culture to make new vision a
reality)
Nature of OD Interventions
All the OD interventions have a dual
purpose i.e. educational and
accomplishing-a-task.
They focus on real problems central to
each organizations needs rather than
hypothetical.
They use several learning models e.g.
learning how to do may precedes the
doing part and it also be the other way
round.
Analyzing Discrepancies
It is examining the discrepancies or gaps
between what is happening and what
should be happening, and the
discrepancies between where one is and
where one wants to be.
Problem=gap
Problem solving=discovering the cause of
the gap
Decision making= discovering a solution-a
set of actions- to close the gap.


Program Management Component

All OD programs follow a logical
progression of events:
Warner Burke describes the following
phases of OD:-
1. Entry
2. Contracting
3. Diagnosis
4. Planning change
5. Intervention
6. Evaluation
Entry
It represents the initial contact between
consultant and client.
Determine whether the problem or
opportunity, the client and consultant
constitute a good match.

Contacting
It involves establishing mutual
expectations, reaching agreement on
expenditures of time, money, resources,
and energy.
Generally clarifying what each party
expects to get from the other and give to
the other.
Diagnosis
It is a fact-finding phase.
It has two steps:
1. Gathering information
2. Analyzing it.

Feedback
It represents returning the analyzed
information to the client system.
The client explores the information for
understanding, clarification, and accuracy.
Planning change
It involves the clients deciding what
actions steps to take based on the
information they have just learned.
Alternative possibilities are explored and
plans for action are selected and
developed.
Intervention
It calls for implementing sets of actions
designed to correct the problems or seize
the opportunities.
Evaluation
It represents assessing the effects of the
program:
What is successful?
What changes occurred?
What were the causal mechanisms?
Are we satisfied with the results?
A model for Managing Change
Creating a vision
Valued outcomes
Valued conditions
Managing the Transition
Activity planning
Commitment planning
Managing structures
Developing Political Support
Assessing change agent power
Identifying key stakeholders
Influencing stakeholders

Sustaining Momentum
Providing resources for change
Building support system
Reinforcing new behaviors

Motivating change
Creating readiness for change
Overcoming resistance to change
Effective Change
Management
Creating Parallel Learning Structures
Establishing a sense of urgency
Examining market and competitive realities
Identifying and discussing crises, potential crises,
or major opportunities
Forming a powerful guiding coalition
Assembling a group with enough power to lead the change effort
Encouraging the group to work together as a team.

Creating a vision
Creating a vision to help direct the change effort
Developing strategies for achieving that vision
Communicating the vision
Using every vehicle possible to communicate the new vision and strategies
Teaching new behaviors by the example of the guiding coalition
Empowering others to act on the vision
Getting rid of obstacles to change
Changing structures and systems
Encouraging risk taking
Planning for and creating short-term wins
Planning for visible performance improvements
Creating those improvements
Recognizing and rewarding employees involved in the improvements

Consolidating improvements and producing still more change
Hiring promoting and developing employees who can implement the vision
Reinvigorating the process with new projects, themes, and change agents.


Institutionalizing new approaches
Articulating the connections between the new behaviors and corporate success
Developing the means to ensure leadership development and succession.

Phases 1 and 2 focus on establishing the
need for change, building readiness and
commitment, and creating infrastructure
that has sufficient political support.
Phase 3 communicates openly what is
happening and why.
Phase 4 solicits widespread involvement
from organization members.
Phase 5, 6 & 7 represent extensive study,
data collection, targeting high-priority
problems and experimenting tom find
solutions to problems
Thank you