An Old Standard Definition of OD

The nature and needs of organizations are changing dramatically.

Correspondingly, the profession of organization development (OD) has
been changing to meet the changing needs of organizations. Therefore, it
may be most useful to consider several definitions of organization
development. Here's a standard definition. The next section gives some
contrasting definitions.
For many years, the following definition was perhaps the standard
definition for OD. The following definition was developed in 1969 at a
time when an organization was considered to be much like a stable
machine comprised of interlocking parts.
“Organization Development is an effort planned, organization-wide, and
managed from the top, to increase organization effectiveness and health
through planned interventions in the organization's 'processes,' using
behavioral-science knowledge.”
OD Practitioners: "Organizational Physicians"?
The system of organizations is very similar, if not the same as, the
system of human beings -- after all, organizations are made up of
humans! Therefore, when trying to understand the field of organization
development, it might be useful to compare aspects of the field of
organization development to aspects of the field of medicine.
For example, the study of the theories and structures of organizations
(often in courses called "organizational theory") is similar to the study of
anatomy and physiology of human systems. Similarly, the study of
organizational behavior is similar to the study of psychology and
sociology in human systems. Finally, the study and field of organization
development compares to the study and field of medicine regarding
human systems.
That is, in OD, practitioners might work in a manner similar to
"organizational physicians" intending to improve the effectiveness of
people and organizations by:
1) Establishing relationships with key personnel in the organization (often
called "entering" and "contracting" with the organization);
2) Researching and evaluating systems in the organization to understand
dysfunctions and/or goals of the systems in the organization
("diagnosing" the systems in the organization);
3) Identifying approaches (or "interventions") to improve effectiveness of
the organization and its people;
4) Applying approaches to improve effectiveness (methods of "planned
change" in the organization),

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5) Evaluating the ongoing effectiveness of the approaches and their
results.

WHAT IS OD?

Beckhard (1) defines Organization Development (OD) as "an effort,

planned, organization-wide, and managed from the top, to increase
organization effectiveness and health through planned interventions in
the organization's processes, using behavioral-science knowledge." In
essence, OD is a planned system of change.

• Planned. OD takes a long-range approach to improving

organizational performance and efficiency. It avoids the (usual)
"quick-fix".

• Organization-wide. OD focuses on the total system.

• Managed from the top. To be effective, OD must have the support

of top-management. They have to model it, not just espouse it. The
OD process also needs the buy-in and ownership of workers
throughout the organization.

• Increase organization effectiveness and health. OD is tied to the

bottom-line. Its goal is to improve the organization, to make it more
efficient and more competitive by aligning the organization's
systems with its people.

• Planned interventions. After proper preparation, OD uses activities

called interventions to make systemwide, permanent changes in
the organization.

• Using behavioral-science knowledge. OD is a discipline that

combines research and experience to understanding people,
business systems, and their interactions.

We usually think of OD only in terms of the interventions themselves. This

article seeks to emphasize that these activities are only the most visible
part of a complex process, and to put some perspective and unity into the
myriad of OD tools that are used in business today. These activities
include Total Quality Management (an evolutionary approach to
improving an organization) and Reengineering (a more revolutionary

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approach). And there are dozens of other interventions, such as strategic
planning and team building. It is critical to select the correct
intervention(s), and this can only be done with proper preparation.

Organization Development: Collaborating with organizational leaders and

their groups to create systemic change on behalf of root-cause problem-
solving toward improving productivity and employee satisfaction through
strengthening the human processes through which they get their work
done.

Organization development (OD) is often defined as a planned, top-down,

organization-wide effort to increase the organization's effectiveness and
health. According to Warren Bennis, OD is a complex strategy intended to
change the beliefs, attitudes, values, and structure of organizations so
that they can better adapt to new technologies, markets, and challenges.
OD is neither "anything done to better an organization" nor is it "the
training function of the organization"; it is a particular kind of change
process designed to bring about a particular kind of end result. OD can
involve interventions in the organization's "processes," using behavioural
science knowledge[1] as well as organizational reflection, system
improvement, planning, and self-analysis.[citation needed].

Kurt Lewin (1898 - 1947) is widely recognized as the founding father of

OD, although he died before the concept became current in the mid-
1950s. From Lewin came the ideas of group dynamics, and action
researchwhich underpin the basic OD process as well as providing its
collaborative consultant/client ethos. Institutionally, Lewin founded the
"Research Center for Group Dynamics" at MIT, which moved to Michigan
after his death. RCGD colleagues were among those who founded
the National Training Laboratories (NTL), from which the T-group and
group-based OD emerged. In the UK, working as close as was possible
with Lewin and his colleagues, the Tavistock Institute of Human
Relations was important in developing systems theories. Important too
was the joint TIHR journal Human Relations, although nowadays the
Journal of Applied Behavioral Sciences is seen as the leading OD journal.

The term "Organization Development" is often used interchangeably

with Organizational effectiveness, especially when used as the name of a
department within an organization. Organization Development is a

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growing field that is responsive to many new approaches
including Positive Adult Development.

At the core of OD is the concept of organization, defined as two or more

people working together toward one or more shared goal(s).
Development in this context is the notion that an organization may
become more effective over time at achieving its goals.

OD is a long range effort to improve organization's problem solving and

renewal processes, particularly through more effective and collaborative
management of organizational culture, often with the assistance of a
change agent or catalyst and the use of the theory and technology of
applied behavioral science.

Organization development is a "contractual relationship between

a change agent and a sponsoring organization entered into for the
purpose of using applied behavioral science in a systems
context to improve organizational performance and the capacity of the
organization to improve itself".[citation needed]

Organization development is an ongoing, systematic process to

implement effective change in an organization. Organization
development is known as both a field of applied behavioral science
focused on understanding and managing organizational change and as a
field of scientific study and inquiry. It is interdisciplinary in nature and
draws on sociology, psychology, and theories of motivation, learning, and
personality.

WHY DO OD?

• Human resources -- our people -- may be a large fraction of our

costs of doing business. They certainly can make the difference
between organizational success and failure. We better know how to
manage them.

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 • Changing nature of the workplace. Our workers today want
feedback on their performance, a sense of accomplishment,
feelings of value and worth, and commitment to social
responsibility. They need to be more efficient, to improve their time
management. And, of course, if we are to continue doing more work
with less people, we need to make our processes more efficient.

• Global markets. Our environments are changing, and our

organizations must also change to survive and prosper. We need to
be more responsible to and develop closer partnerships with our
customers. We must change to survive, and we argue that we
should attack the problems, not the symptoms, in a systematic,
planned, humane manner.

• Accelerated rate of change. Taking an open-systems approach, we

can easily identify the competitions on an international scale for
people, capital, physical resources, and information.

WHO DOES OD?

To be successful, OD must have the buy-in, ownership, and involvement

of all stakeholders, not just of the employees throughout the
organization. OD is usually facilitated by change agents -- people or
teams that have the responsibility for initiating and managing the change
effort. These change agents may be either employees of the organization
(internal consultants) or people from outside the organization (external
consultants.)

Effective change requires leadership with knowledge, and experience in

change management. We strongly recommend that external or internal
consultants be used, preferably a combination of both. ("These people
are professionals; don't try this at home.")

Bennis (2) notes that "external consultants can manage to affect ... the
power structure in a way that most internal change agents cannot." Since
experts from outside are less subject to the politics and motivations
found within the organization, they can be more effective in facilitating
significant and meaningful changes.

WHEN IS AN ORGANIZATION READY FOR OD?

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There is a formula, attributed to David Gleicher (3, 4), which we can use
to decide if an organization is ready for change:

Dissatisfaction x Vision x First Steps > Resistance to Change

This means that three components must all be present to overcome the
resistance to change in an organization: Dissatisfaction with the present
situation, a vision of what is possible in the future, and achievablefirst
steps towards reaching this vision. If any of the three is zero or near zero,
the product will also be zero or near zero and the resistance to change
will dominate.

We use this model as an easy, quick diagnostic aid to decide if change is

possible. OD can bring approaches to the organization that will enable
these three components to surface, so we can begin the process of
change.

OD IS A PROCESS

Action Research is a process which serves as a model for most OD

interventions. French and Bell (5) describe Action Research as a "process
of systematically collecting research data about an ongoing system
relative to some objective, goal, or need of that system; feeding these
data back into the system; taking actions by altering selected variables
within the system based both on the data and on hypotheses; and
evaluating the results of actions by collecting more data." The steps in
Action Research are (6, 7):

1. Entry. This phase consists of marketing, i.e. finding needs for

change within an organization. It is also the time to quickly grasp
the nature of the organization, identify the appropriate decision
maker, and build a trusting relationship.

2. Start-up and contracting. In this step, we identify critical success

factors and the real issues, link into the organization's culture and
processes, and clarify roles for the consultant(s) and employees.
This is also the time to deal with resistance within the organization.
A formal or informal contract will define the change process.

3. Assessment and diagnosis. Here we collect data in order to find the

opportunities and problems in the organization (refer to DxVxF>R

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 above.) For suggestions about what to look for, see the previous
article in this series, on needs assessment (8). This is also the time
for the consultant to make a diagnosis, in order to recommend
appropriate interventions.

4. Feedback. This two-way process serves to tell those what we found

out, based on an analysis of the data. Everyone who contributed
information should have an opportunity to learn about the findings
of the assessment process (provided there is no apparent breach of
anyone's confidentiality.) This provides an opportunity for the
organization's people to become involved in the change process, to
learn about how different parts of the organization affect each
other, and to participate in selecting appropriate change
interventions.

5. Action planning. In this step we will distill recommendations from

the assessment and feedback, consider alternative actions and
focus our intervention(s) on activities that have the most leverage
to effect positive change in the organization. An implementation
plan will be developed that is based on the assessment data, is
logically organized, results- oriented, measurable and rewarded.
We must plan for a participative decision-making process for the
intervention.

6. Intervention. Now, and only now, do we actually carry out the

change process. It is important to follow the action plan, yet remain
flexible enough to modify the process as the organization changes
and as new information emerges.

7. Evaluation. Successful OD must have made meaningful changes in

the performance and efficiency of the people and their
organization. We need to have an evaluation procedure to verify
this success, identify needs for new or continuing OD activities, and
improve the OD process itself to help make future interventions
more successful.

8. Adoption. After steps have been made to change the organization

and plans have been formulated, we follow-up by implementing
processes to insure that this remains an ongoing activity within the

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 organization, that commitments for action have been obtained, and
that they will be carried out.

9. Separation. We must recognize when it is more productive for the

client and consultant to undertake other activities, and when
continued consultation is counterproductive. We also should plan
for future contacts, to monitor the success of this change and
possibly to plan for future change activities.

It would be nice if real OD followed these steps sequentially. This rarely

happens. Instead, the consultants must be flexible and be ready to
change their strategy when necessary. Often they will have to move back
and repeat previous steps in light of new information, new influences, or
because of the changes that have already been made.

But for successful OD to take place, all of these steps must be followed. It
works best if they are taken in the order described. And, since learning is
really an iterative, not a sequential process, we must be prepared to re-
enter this process when and where appropriate.

Evolution of OD

Traditional Definition of Organization Development (OD)

Social scientists have learned that our paradigms have a powerful effect
on how we interpret the world around us. The following definition of
organization development is rather standard.

“Organization Development is an effort (1) planned, (2) organization-

wide, and (3) managed from the top, to (4) increase organization
effectiveness and health through (5) planned interventions in the
organization's "processes," using behavioral-science knowledge”
(Beckhard, “Organization development: Strategies and Models”, Reading,
MA: Addison-Wesley, 1969, p. 9).

The definition was developed in 1969 at a time when an organization was

considered to be much like a stable machine comprised of interlocking
parts. OD diagnoses an organizational problem and then prescribes an
intervention to fix it, much like a traditional medical doctor treats a body
today. The above definition is often cited when describing the field of OD.

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OD courses explain methods in terms of diagnosis, interventions and
evaluations.

Traditional View of OD Must Change

Today’s organizations are experiencing change like never before. Many of

us practitioners now find that after we’ve “treated” one organizational
problem, another soon surfaces. This cycle occurs despite our efforts to
diagnose the client’s problem. Some of us view our recurring
interventions as if we’re peeling off layers of an onion to get to the real
cause of the client’s problem. Others view recurring problems as inherent
in the turbulent environments of today’s organizations.

This ongoing dilemma in OD is similar to that in medicine. Physicians rely

on empirical forms of research based heavily on the scientific method.
They work from a linear model in which the practitioner analyzes a
symptom, makes a diagnosis, treats the apparent problem with an
intervention of some sort and then waits to see what difference the
intervention made. When the symptom goes away, the practitioner
concludes that the problem is “fixed”. Particularly in today’s high-stress
environment, the patient soon experiences other problems with other
symptoms. Too often, the patient tragically assumes that discomfort is
what life is all about and resigns to a lower quality of life than could
otherwise be had.

Features of Holistic Medicine

Many people now seek remedies in alternative, holistic forms of medicine.

Fortunately, a new paradigm seems to be developing in medicine that
accommodates and integrate new forms of treatments. Medical schools
recognize this new paradigm. We in OD must now do the same.

Holistic medicine works from a systems perspective rather than the linear
model of traditional medicine. Service providers in holistic medicine
consider the patient to be so dynamic that cause-and-effect perspectives
can’t grasp the true nature of the patient “system”. Providers consider all
aspects of the patient, including physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
Providers harbor no illusions of “fixing” anything. Instead, they work
toward wellness, toward improving the overall quality of life for the
patient. Providers believe that the patient’s system knows how to take

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care of itself. That is, the wisdom is there, but the provider and patient
must work together to let this wisdom come out.

Holistic services include varied forms of treatment, for example, training

about stress management, exercise, adjustments to diet, counseling,
massage, acupuncture, herbal medicine, etc. Often these treatments are
highly integrated into comprehensive treatment programs, including
ongoing support to patients as they accomplish necessary life changes.
There’s concerted effort on the part of service providers to train about
methods of holistic treatments. Courses are held in homes and
communities.

Beginnings: Holistic OD

Actually, developers have been adopting various forms of holistic

development for several years. Many practitioners now take a systems
view of organizations. They focus as much on the processes between the
parts of an organization as on the parts themselves. They talk of patterns
in organizations rather than events. They talk of paradoxes and polarities,
rather than fixing. They count on guiding principles as much as verified
facts from social sciences.

Self-organizing systems and self-managed teams are now mainstream in

the literature. Spirituality in the workplace has become a common topic.
Many management books reference principles from Eastern philosophies.
Management development programs now include forms of self
development as well. Dialogue groups enhance meaning for members.
Interventions, such as coaching and peer-coaching seem to be on the
rise. Consultants specialize in facilitating the rituals inherent in managing
change. Consultants promise “learning relationships” with clients.

Yet to Be Done

However, much remains to be done. We recognize that leaders are faced

with many anxieties while facing constant change. Yet we provide few
avenues for leaders to get ongoing support to deal with these anxieties.
Research indicates that adult learning is very organic in nature and
occurs from ongoing actions, reflection and feedback. Yet too many of us
resort only to traditional classroom techniques for leadership
development. We recognize that change takes time. Yet we cave in to
client demands to shorten the length of projects. Too many of us see only

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those symptoms that match the treatments only we can provide. Many
continue to question why MBA programs include few, if any, courses in
OD.

In addition, we need a new definition of OD -- a definition that integrates

and accommodates new methods to enhance the effectiveness of our
organizations. It may not be a definition at all. It may be a set of guiding
principles around which the field of OD self-organizes for now.

One New Definition of OD

Today, OD is counted on to improve organizations that are operating in a

quite different environment than that of the 1960s. The nature and forms
of organizations are changing dramatically. The field of organization
development requires its own evolution to accommodate the evolution of
organizations. Consider the following rather novel definition of
organization development.

“Organization Development is the attempt to influence the members of

an organization to expand their candidness with each other about their
views of the organization and their experience in it, and to take greater
responsibility for their own actions as organization members. The
assumption behind OD is that when people pursue both of these
objectives simultaneously, they are likely to discover new ways of
working together that they experience as more effective for achieving
their own and their shared (organizational) goals. And that when this
does not happen, such activity helps them to understand why and to
make meaningful choices about what to do in light of this understanding”
(Neilsen, “Becoming an OD Practitioner”, Englewood Cliffs, CA: Prentice-
Hall, 1984, pp. 2-3).

This definition places priority on "candidness" of organization members

and their taking "greater responsibility for their own actions.” This
definition places priority on nurturing the authenticity needed for
members to continuously learn from themselves and each other. As Terry
asserts: “authenticity self-corrects” (from “Authentic Leadership: Courage
in Action”, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1993). This definition is
probably one of several that could serve as basis to define or suggest
what OD is today.

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A recent discussion in the online ODNET discussion group discussed
whether OD has a credibility problem or not. One of the major outcomes
from the discussion was that the profession of OD means many things to
many people. As with most things in life, this ambiguity has its
advantages and disadvantages. As with most things in life, the benefit
from this struggle comes not from the solution itself, but from the
struggle.

Process of Organizational Development

The process of Organisational Development comprises of follows steps

and they are:-

1. Initial Diagnosis
2. Data Collection
3. Data Feedback
4. Selection of Interventions
5. Implementation of interventions
6. Action planning and problem solving
7. Team Building
8. Inter-Group Development
9. Evaluation and Follow up

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1. Initial Diagnosis: The initial diagnosis refers to finding the inadequacies
within the organisation that can be corrected by OD activities then it is
necessary to find out the professionally competent persons within
organisation to plan and execute OD activities. The outside consultants
can be also employed to help in diagnosing the problems and diagnosing
OD activities. The consultants adopt various methods and that primarily
includes interviews, questionnaires, direct observation, analysis of
documents and reports for diagnosing the problem.

2. Data Collection: The survey method is employed to collect the data for
determining organizational climate. It also helps in identifying the
behavioural problems that are rising in the organisation.

3. Data Feedback: The collected data are analyzed and reviewed by

various work groups that are formed for this purpose. It is done in order
to intervene in the areas of disagreement or confrontation of ideas or
opinions.

4) Selection of Interventions: The interventions can be described as the

planned activities that are introduced into the system to achieve desired
changes and improvements. The suitable interventions are to be selected
and designed at this stage.

5) Implementation of Interventions: The selected intervention should be

implemented progressively as the process is not a one shot, quick cure
for organisational problems. Consequently, it achieves real and lasting
change in the attitudes and behaviour of employees.

6) Action Planning and Problem Solving: To solve the specific and

identified problems by using the collected data, groups prepare
recommendations and specific action planning.

7) Team Building: The consultants explain the advantages of the teams in

OD process and encourage the employees throughout the process to
form into groups and teams.

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8) Inter-group Development: After the formation of groups/teams, the
consultants encourage the inter-group meetings, interaction etc.

9) Evaluation and follow up: The organisation should evaluate the OD

programmes and should find out their utility, and develop the
programmes further for correcting the deviations. The consultants make
great significance to the organisation in this respect. The entire steps in
the OD processes should be followed by the organisation in order to
derive full range of OD benefits.

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