Grid OD Designed by Blake and Mouton. It is a 6 phase program lasting about 3-5 years.

rs. In this, an organisation can move systematically from the stage of examining managerial behaviour and style to the development and implementation of an ideal strategic corporate model. The program utilizes a considerable no. of instruments, enabling individuals and groups to assess their own strengths and weakness. It focuses on skills, knowledge and processes necessary for effectiveness at the individual, group, intergroup and total organisation levels. The organisational program is conducted by internal members who have been pretrained in Grid concepts. Basic to Grid OD program are the concepts and methods of Managerial Grid, a 2 D schematic for examining and improving practices of individual managers.

Phases Prephase 1 Phase 1: The Managerial Grid Phase 2: Teamwork Development Phase 3: Intergroup Development Phase 4: Developing as Ideal Strategic Corporate Model Phase 5: Implementing the Ideal Strategic Model Phase 6: Systematic Critique

Prephase 1 Before an org. begins a Grid OD program, selected key managers who will later be instructors in the org. attend Grid seminar. Its a week long experience based laboratory. Managers learn about Grid concepts, assess their own styles using Managerial Grid questionnaire, develop team action skills, learn problem solving and critiquing skills, work at improved communication skills and learn to analyse the culture of a team and of org. Learning takes place through the use of instruments, study team projects, critiquing of individual and team performance and conceptual inputs.

After several managers have gone to a Grid Seminar, some might go on to advanced Grid courses or for further exposure to the Grid OD approach. At a Grid OD Seminar, participants are taught the materials involved in phases 2 to 6. They learn both what the Grid OD program and how to conduct it in their own company. Another advanced course is the Instructor Development Seminar, in which participants actually learn to conduct an in-company phase 1 Grid Seminar. If, at this point, the company decides to implement a Grid OD program, it might conduct a pilot phase 1 program for the volunteer managers. If the result of this pilot is a go, then phase 1 begins

Phase 1: The Managerial Grid A Grid Seminar, conducted by in-company managers, is given to all the managers of the org. The focus of training: attention is given to assessing an individuals managerial style, problem solving, critiquing and communication skills, the skills of synergising teamwork are learned and practiced. Managers learn to become 9,9 managers.

Phase 2: Teamwork Development The goal is: perfecting teamwork in the org. through analysis of team, culture, traditions. Also in developing skills in planning, setting objectives and problem solving. Feedback is given to each managers about his or her individual and team behaviour. His or her strengths and weaknesses in the team working

Phase 3: Intergroup Development The phase includes building operational plans for moving the two groups from their actual state to an ideal state of intergroup relations. Often only selected members of the teams- people who have close working relations with the other team- take part in the exercises and activities.

Phase 4: Developing an Ideal Strategic Corporate Model In this phase, the focus shifts to corporate strategic planning, with the goal being to learn the concepts and the skills of corporate logic necessary to achieve corporate excellence. The top mgt. groups engages in the strategic planning activities of this phase. The charge of top mgt group is to design an ideal strategic corporate model that would define what the corporation would be like if it were truly excellent.

Using the comparisons of ideal corporate versus corporate logic Top mgt. team is better able to recognize what aspects of the culture must be changed to achieve excellence. In a process that may take up to a year, the top executives build the ideal strategic corporate model for their particular organization.

Phase 5: Implementing the Ideal Strategic Model The org. implement the model of corporate excellence developed in Phase 4. Logical components of the corporation are designed (profit centers, geographical locations, product lines etc.). each component appoints a planning team whose job is to examine every phase of the components operation to see how the business may be moved more in line with the ideal model. In addition, a phase 5 coordination is appointed to act as a resource to the planning teams. The planning teams thus conduct conversion studies to see how the components must change to fit the ideal strategic corporate model. An additional planning team is formed and is given the charge of designing a headquarters that would operate effectively and yet keep overhead to a minimum.

Phase 6: Systematic Critique The results of the Grid OD program, from prephase 1 to postphase 5, are measured. Systematic critiquing, measuring and evaluating lead to knowledge of what progress has been made, what barriers still exist and must be overcome and what new opportunities have developed that may be exploited. This phase is begun after phase 5 is going well and is beginning to convert the organisation to ideal model. Taking stock of where the corporation has been, how far it has come, where it currently is thus represents a new beginning from which to continue striving toward corporate excellence.