Running head: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Organizational Development Executive Summary

Dion Meneley
LEAD 570/ Southwestern College
Dr. Kristy Smith
March 29, 2016

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Organizational Development Executive Summary

Skilled organizational development practitioners understand the dynamics of human
systems and can intervene to encourage a healthy, engaging, and productive environment
(Anderson, 2015, p. xi). Organizations are living, breathing organisms and must be treated as
such. There are many moving parts that are affected by internal and external forces, and an
effective leader must be able to successfully navigate through all potential obstacles that may
present themselves. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how an organizational leader can
develop people, systems, processes, teamwork, and institutional foresight and knowledge within
an organization.
Developing People
Developing people within an organization requires authentic leadership. A leaders
behavior must be perceived as authentic, genuine, and sincere so it can inspire trust and
confidence from others in their organization (Bolander, Satornino, Hughes, & Ferris, 2015, p. 6).
When a leader is sincere about the well-being of their employees, they can expect better
productivity, higher employee retention, and a more positive culture within the organization.
Companies that engage their staff through freedom, inclusion, and shared responsibility are more
apt to have happy, motivated employees (Sawa & Swift, 2013, p. 97). When employees are
motivated and generally happier with their work experience, positive leaders begin to emerge.
This positive leadership coming from within the workforce can encourage others to become
more involved employees; and as a result, lessen the amount of leadership needed from those
further up in the hierarchy. In order for this to occur, the effective leader must be a great
communicator. Clear, honest, and direct verbal interactions with employees set the tone for what
is expected within the organization and creates a culture of workers that are able to effectively

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

execute their work responsibilities. As employees become more invested in the organization, it
is important to help them further their careers as well. With the speed of change sweeping
through business environments, organizations increasingly need to adopt a more flexible mindset
that empowers employees for career self-management (Siew Inn & Crowell, 2015, p. 42). It is
difficult to hire and keep good employees; and therefore, it is important to promote from within
when possible to create a culture of motivated employees that feel like a vital part of the
organization. Encouraging and supporting employee efforts to better themselves by seeking out
additional training and educational opportunities will not only improve the level of productivity
within the organization, but improve the overall culture as well.
Developing Systems
When thinking of an organization as a system, it is important to consider how people,
processes, structures, and policies all exist in an interconnected web of relationships (Anderson,
2015, p. 71). Organizational systems have inputs, processes, outputs, and benefits for
consumers. Inputs are resources such as raw materials, money, technologies, and people. It is
important in todays global economy to ensure that the organization is being run in a sustainable
manner, and that the processes are set up to achieve the short and long term goals set forth by the
organization.
Our systems thinking skills are going to be sorely needed. Our planning, conflict,
creativity, large group intervention, and many other capabilities are all needed in
many quarters already. Resource depletion and economic limits may call us to
work towards greater self-sufficiency (Adams, Royal, & Church, 2011, p. 1).

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Outputs and benefits for the consumer are the products or services that the organization
ultimately presents to the public as a result of the organizational systems in place. In
organizations, events occur at every hierarchical level, from the most molar environmental level
to the most molecular individual level, and their effects can travel up, down, or within
hierarchical levels (Morgeson, Mitchell, & Dong, 2015, p. 515). In addition to hierarchical
levels, systems can be organized where individuals are responsible for certain aspects of the
organizations daily functions. Depending on the size of the organization, a departmental
organizational structure might be preferable, or breaking the business down by divisions could be
the best option for the organization. Utilizing metaphors is a very good way to communicate to
the members of the organization what the organizational structure is going to look like.
Regardless of how the organizational system is organized, it is imperative that the vision and
mission of the organization is communicated clearly and is able to change as the global economy
dictates.
Developing Processes
Dr. McConkey (2012) stated that we should decide what the future should look like and
devise a plan to get there. If you want a different behavior from the one you are getting, you
must figure out a way to change the structures that are producing the behavior rather than trying
to change the behavior directly (Kim, 2002, p. 8). Organizational processes begin by
identifying a problem that impacts the mission of the organization. Identifying a problem does
not necessarily mean that the organization is in trouble. It can simply be a situation when
leadership decides that there is a better way of doing something to help improve the organization.
Once the decision has been made to make a change, a full assessment of the situation is
necessary. At this point, gathering data through commonly used assessment tools and getting

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first hand information through interviews and focus group is necessary to fully understand how
change will affect the organization as a whole. It is only after the data are collected, discussed,
interpreted, and internalized that the client and change agent can be confident that they are
choosing the right intervention for the circumstance Anderson, 2015, p. 189). Choosing the
correct intervention is vital to the success of the proposed change. Once the appropriate
intervention has been planned, it is time to implement the change. During and after the
implementation of the intervention, it is important to continue gathering data so that leadership
can make appropriate changes and adjustments as situations arise. When considering
organizational processes, it is important to focus on employee motivation, conflict resolution,
decision making, group trust, and participation (Anderson, 2015, p. 352). All of these
components allow leadership to determine if the intervention is achieving the desired goals and
outcomes. If the intervention is not producing the intended results, leadership must decide if it is
appropriate to make the needed adjustments to the existing plan or start the process over. A
commitment to the success of the implemented change is required if lasting change is to occur.
Developing Teamwork
Motivated teams are more likely to engage in behaviors that contribute to collective
benefits, including team effectiveness (Jia & Liden, 2015, p. 1104). High functioning teams are
valuable resources for an organization. The implementation of team development interventions
should be tailored to the needs of the teams, and further evaluation of these interventions will
ensure that the desired outcomes are being realized (Korner, Wirtz, Bengel, & Goritz, 2015, p. 9).
Team development is a process that can bring about many different levels of resistance from
members of an organization. Some employees are content being left alone to do their jobs, while
others crave the sense of belonging that team building can generate. If members of the

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

organization do not have a desire to participate in team building activities, it is important to

evaluate whether or not the activities will benefit these employees. Some members of
organizations, such as IT professional, may work better in an isolated environment. Others
within the same department may have a lot to offer others within the organization and need to be
given the opportunity to share the assets they possess. As with other interventions, team building
activities need to be carefully planned out with desired outcomes clearly defined. If the goal of
the team building activities is to build a more of a family atmosphere within the organization, the
process will look much different than if the goal is to build high functioning teams within the
organization in an effort to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of organizational processes.
Typically, teams are likely to be called together for a single purpose and a short period, and
typically without a single manager (Anderson, 2015, p. 235); and as a result, must be able to
function at a high level without a pre-set hierarchical structure. Although employees will need to
ultimately take control of their individual teams, leadership must give them direction and
purpose as they continue setting the direction of the group. Clear expectations need to be
communicated to organizational teams. In addition; it is important to let employees know why
the teams are being formed and how their work will help accomplish organizational goals. It is
vital that leadership identifies whether team members are committed to the mission they have
been assigned. If they are not committed to the mission, leaders must first find out if it is
because they cannot see a benefit for themselves, or if they are simply not feeling challenged by
the task presented to them. Organizational leaders need to be willing to break up ineffective
teams and restructure them to get the most out of the individuals involved. Belonging to a
team, in the broadest sense, is a result of feeling part of something larger than yourself. It has a

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lot to do with your understanding of the mission or objectives of your organization (Heathfield,
2015, p. 1).
Institutional Foresight and Knowledge
Exercising foresight is about creating compelling visions of the future that will tap into
the latent aspirations of our people so that they can rise to the greatness within them (Kim,
2002, p. 12). Institutional foresight and knowledge are instrumental for the long term success of
an organization. Failure to see what the future holds for an organization is not only a
characteristic of an incompetent leader; it demonstrates a lack of vision and ensures that an
organization will eventually fail when change presents itself. Foresight knowledge consists of
various sources such as different scientific disciplines, normative visions on the future, planning
and scenarios. It also receives input from different sectors of society, such as industry,
academia, and civil society (Pereira, Von Schomberg, & Funtowicz, 2007, p. 53). Staying up to
date on relevant information within a particular industry, and being willing to brainstorm about
potential scenarios that may present themselves in the future can help prepare an organization for
the inevitable challenges that they will encounter in the future. Some would say that it is a waste
of time and energy thinking about what might happen when there are legitimate problems facing
the organization in the present; however, the time spent looking towards the future can help the
organization manage crises they did not consider during the brainstorming process. An effective
leader has an ethical responsibility to know the underlying structures within his/ her domain of
responsibility and be able to make predictions that can guide his/her people to a better future
(Kim, 2002, p. 3). Understanding that internal crises are just as impactful as external crises is
knowledge that effective leaders possess. Leadership can provide continuity and stability in the
midst of organizational changes such as the loss of talented personnel (Sudana, Patterson, &

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Lister p. 265). Being prepared for everything, in the hopes that nothing happens, will help
organizational leaders navigate through the many uncertain changes that are bound to occur.
Conclusion
Effective leaders face an incredibly challenging environment where they must be able to
successfully navigate through day to day problems within an organization and foresee potential
challenges in the future. In order to do so effectively, they must be able to develop the people
within their organization and be authentic while doing so. They must understand that the
organization works as a system and consider how the people, processes, structures and policies
can be utilized to maximize the assets at their disposal. Being able to identify problems, choose
the appropriate intervention, and implement the best possible change to help the organization
continue to grow is imperative for effective leaders. Developing teamwork will ensure that the
organization gets the most out of its employees as it accesses all of the assets within the
organization in an effort to maximize profits and remain sustainable for the future.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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