IOP3705 EXAM PREPARATION SUMMARY FOR 2022

IOP3705 EXAM PREPARATION SUMMARY FOR 2022. “OD is a planned process of change in an organization’s culture through the utilization of behavioural science technology, research, and theory.” French: “OD refers to a long-range effort to improve an organization’s problem-solving capabilities and its ability to cope with changes in its external environment with the help of external or internal behavioural-scientist consultants.” Beckhard: OD 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 behavioural science knowledge Beer OD is a system-wide process aimed at: (1) enhancing congruence between organizational structure, process, strategy, people, and culture; (2) developing new and creative organizational solutions; and (3) Developing the organization’s self-renewing capacity. It occurs through collaboration of organizational members working with a change agent using behavioural science theory, research, and technology Cummings & Worley OD is a system wide application and transfer of behavioural science knowledge to the planned development, improvement and reinforcement of the strategies, structures and processes that lead to organisation effectiveness. 5 characteristics/features covered by Cummings & Worley OD definition: 1. OD applies to changes in the strategy, structure & processes of an entire system, like an organisation 2. OD is based on the application and transfer of behavioural science knowledge and practice 3. OD is concerned with managing planned change 4. OD involves both the creation and the reinforcement of change 5. OD is oriented to improving organisational effectiveness Difference between OD and Change Management (CM) OD Change Management OD supports values of human potential, participation, development, performance and competitive advantage CM focuses more narrowly on cost, quality and schedule OD is concerned with the transfer of knowledge and skills so that the system is more able to manage change in the future CM does not necessarily require the transfer of these skills OD involves change management, but change management may not involve OD Unfreezing Movement Refreezing A Brief History of OD Evolution of OD has emergence in applied Behavioural sciences with 5 stems: Laboratory Training: growth of “T-groups”- Small group learn from their own interaction; Workshop developed for people react to data About their own behaviour. 2 conclusions: (1) Feedback about group interaction was rich learning Experience; (2) process of ‘group building’ had potential for Learning transferred to “back-home” situations. 3 trends emerged: 1) emergence of regional laboratories 2) Expansion of summer program to year round 3) Expansion of T-group into business and industry w/ National Training labs increasing involved with industry program Action research/survey feedback: AR contributions of Collier, Lewin and Whyte – discovered that research needed to be closely linked to action if organisation members were to use it to manage change. Results of AR 2 fold: 1) members of org able to use research on themselves to guide action & change 2) Social scientists able to study that process to derive new knowledge that could be used elsewhere. John French study on overcoming change led to development of participative management as means of getting employees involved in planning and managing change. *key component of most AR studies: systematic collection of survey data that were fed back to client org. Common pattern in AR/SF = data collection, data feedback, action planning, implementation & follow-up Normative Approach: the belief that a human relations approach represented “one best way” to manage orgs. Examples- Likert’s Participative Management Program characterised orgs as having a type of management system including: exploitive authoritative; benevolent authorative; consultative and participative group & Blake and Moutons Grid Organisation Development approach with 2 objective: 1) to improve planning by developing a strategy for organisational excellence based on clear logic and 2) to help managers gain the necessary knowledge and skills to supervise effectively. It consists of 6 phases designed to analyse business & to overcome the planning & communication barriers. Productivity/ Quality-of-Work life: two phases: 1) Trist et al @ Travistock developed work designs aimed at better integrating technology and people referred to as “ Sociotechnical systems”. Led to the discovery of selfmanaging work groups as a form of work design. QWL focused primarily on the personal consequences of the work experience and how to improve work to satisfy personal needs 2) Expanded beyond work design to include features of the workplace that can affect employee productivity and satisfaction like, reward systems, management styles and physical work environment. Strategic Change: involves improving the alignment among an organisations design, strategy, and environment. Interventions seek to improve both the org relationship to its environment and the fit among its technical, structural, informational, HR and cultural components. Triggered by major disruptions like technological breakthroughs or new CEO. Has influenced OD practice in that it requires OD practitioners to be familiar with competitive strategy, finance and marketing and team building, action research and survey feedback. Skills improve OD’s relevance. Theories of Planned Change problem identification consultation with behavioural scientist data gathering & prelim diagnosis feedback to client Joint diagnosis joint action planning Action data gathering after action  Lewin’s Change Model Change is conceived as a modification of those forces keeping a systems behaviour Stable specifically referring to 2 forces- 1) those striving to maintain the status quo And those pushing for change. When both forces are equal and current behaviours Maintained referred to “quasi-stationary equilibrium”. To change- increase force pushing change or decrease those maintaining current State or combo of both. Change process 3 steps: 1. Unfreezing: This step involves reducing those forces maintaining the Organisation’s behaviour at its present level. 2. Movement: This step shifts the behaviour of the organisation to a new level. 3. Refreezing: This step stabilizes the organisation at a new state of equilibrium. Lewin’s model provides a general framework for understanding organisation change  Action Research Model Sees planned change as cyclic process in which initial research about org Provides info to guide subsequent action, results of actions are assessed To provide further info to guide further info Is aimed at both helping specific organisations implement planned change And developing more general knowledge that can be applied to other Settings. The model consists of 8 main steps: 1) Problem Identification: Key executive senses that org has 1/more problems 2) Consultation with a behavioural science expert: OD practitioner & client Carefully assess each other 3) Data gathering and preliminary diagnosis: Gather & analyse info to Determine underlying problems. • Methods of gathering data include interviews, observations, Questionnaires and organisational performance data 4) Feedback to a client or group: • The consultant provides the client with all relevant data. This will Help determine the strengths and weaknesses of the organisation. 5) Joint diagnosis of the problem: • Members discuss the feedback & explore whether they want to work on identified problems. 6) Joint action planning: • Here the OD practitioner and client Jointly agree on further actions to be taken. 7) Action: involves actual change from one org state to another. May include installing new methods/procedures, reorganising Structures and work design and reinforcing new behaviours. 8) Data gathering after action: Gather data after action to measure and determine the effects of the action • Feed results back to the organisation. Trends of AR include- movement from smaller sub units of organisation to total systems and communities. -is being applied increasingly in international settings, particularly in developing nations -Applied increasingly to promote social change and innovation- most clearly in community development and global social change projects. The role of OD consultant has shifted from carrying out most activities with agreement & collaboration of management to a modification of working with members to facilitate the learning process.  Positive Model • Here members examine the identified themes, challenge the status quo and describe a compelling future. • Members collectively visualise the organisation’s future and develop “possibility propositions” envision a Preferred future • final phase involves the design and delivery of ways to create the future • It describes the activities &creates plans necessary to bring about vision. • Members make changes, assess the results and make necessary adjustments as they move the organisation toward the vision and sustain “what will be” design & deliver ways to create the future Unlike Lewin model- that focuses on org problems & how to solve to function better- the positive model focuses on what the org is doing right, helping members understand when org work at best & build off those capabilities to achieve better results. Model has been applied to planned change through process called Appreciative Inquiry (AI). It encourages a positive orientation to how change is conceived and managed. Comparison of Planned Change Models • Similarities: Change preceded by diagnosis or preparation Apply behavioural science knowledge Stress involvement of organization members Recognize the role of a consultant • Differences General vs. specific activities Centrality of consultant role Problem-solving vs. social constructionism General Model of Planned Change Identifies the steps an organisation moves through when implementing change and specifies the OD activities needed to effect change. • The first phase determines the subject of change • It emphasises member involvement to identify the organisational issue they have the most energy to address initiate the Inquiry • phase involves gathering info about “best of what is” in the org • Org members conduct interviews &tell stories regarding certain topic • These stories are pulled together to create a pool of information describing the organisation inquire into best practices • In this phase, members examine the stories to identify a set of themes representing the common dimensions of people’s experiences • The themes represent the basis for moving from “what is” to “what could be” discover themes Most OD efforts do not proceed according to neat timetable/ pre-set sequence of events. 3 dimensions that can impact the process of planned change should be noted - Magnitude of change (Incremental/ Quantum) - Degree of organisation (over/under) - Domestic vs. international settings 1) Entering & Contracting: • These events help managers decide whether they want to engage further in a planned change programme and commit resources to the process • Entering involves gathering initial data to understand the problems facing the organisation • Problems or opportunities are discussed to develop a contract to engage in planned change • The contract spells out future change activities, the resources and how members will be involved 2) Diagnosing: • Here the client system is carefully studied • Diagnosis can focus on understanding org problems/ on stories about orgs’ positive attributes • Process includes choosing appropriate model for gathering, analysing & feeding back info to managers about the problems/opportunities that exist • Diagnostic models can be used to explore org issues; group-level issues and individual- level issues. 3) Planning & Implementing Change: • members & practitioners jointly plan & implement OD interventions. -There are 4 major types of OD Interventions: • Human process interventions at the individual, group and organisational level • Techno-structural interventions that modify an organisation's structure and technology • Human resource management interventions that seek to improve member performance and wellness • Strategic change interventions that involve managing org’s relationship to its external environment 4) Evaluating and Institutionalizing Change: • This stage involves evaluating the effects of the intervention • Managing the institutionalization of successful change programs so they persist • Feedback to members provides info about whether changes should be continued, modified/suspended. • Institutionalizing successful changes involves reinforcing them through feedback, rewards and training. Critique of Planned Change  Conceptualization of Planned Change • Information about the causal mechanisms that produce individual change is lacking • Knowledge about how the stages of planned change differ across situations is deficient • Planned change has a more chaotic quality, often involving shifting goals, discontinuous activities, surprising events and unexpected combinations of changes • The relationship between planned change and organisational performance and effectiveness is not well understood.  Practice of Planned Change • There is great concern about the qualifications and activities of OD practitioners • Planned change is a long-term process involving considerable innovation and learning on-site • Quick fixes from experts have trouble gaining organisational support and commitment and seldom produce positive results • Organisations have not recognised the systemic nature of change..................