Why does OD exist? How did it come to be important to today’s organisations?
Organisations today are increasingly faced with significant, substantial and constant change, which seems to come at them from all directions. In fact, within our lives generally, we cannot escape the pace of change nor the challenges and uncertainties that it inevitably brings.
The trick for us, both as individuals and organisations, is to equip ourselves far enough in advance to not only cope with it, but to ensure that we literally thrive on and from the changes. If we don’t, we are unable to keep up and likely to lose out to those who do, both in business and as individuals.
In the late 1970s and early 80s, and again in the 1990s, particular – and significant – industries and businesses found themselves ill-equipped to keep up with the level of global, economic and technological change and many found themselves in the unenviable position of not being able to survive at all. The words “redundancy”, “downsizing” and “rationalisation”, to name but a few, became dreaded but commonplace words.
The concept of “A job for Life” disappeared alarmingly quickly and many saw and experienced at first hand the devastating impact of seeing people who had trained for and worked in one job and industry alone for 20 to 30 years losing their jobs, their trade, their life as they knew it and their pride and self respect in the toll of increasing redundancies, reorganisations and “re-engineering”. They were totally lost and shattered and found themselves having to undergo signficant re-training and/ or drops in salary and wages.
Organisational leaders had often not seen it coming, or if they had, had found themselves ill –equipped to deal with it and feeling helpless as the tide turned so very quickly and the waves of change from every direction and the invasion of technology overtook them.
“Whole systems thinking”, “transformational leadership” and “transformational change” had not been heard widely throughout the world; but some of the more enlightened organisations and leaders had started to explore different and new ways of leading and of planning, leading and engaging “the whole system” in change. They came to know and understand the importance and value of genuinely involving their people, of doing things differently and of developing their people more broadly, as well as recognising the role that inspirational and motivational leadership plays in the ultimate bottom line of delivering improved performance.
Human Resources, Human Resources Management and Human Resources Development had emerged as a disciplines and specialisms in their own right, but something else was needed that could help pull together the strategic, synchronised and holistic development of the whole organisation, its leaders and people. Something was needed to help organisations to design and deliver transformational change, to develop strategies that would enable the organisation and its people to be flexible enough to face, plan, adapt to, deliver and to positively thrive on change and new ways of working in the future, as well as delivering continually improving, competitive and innovative products, services and performance.
Organisation Development had started to emerge as a discipline and a professional specialism to facilitate the delivery of those things.
So what is it? What’s it all about?
Organisation Development is a long-range, long-term, holistic and multi-faceted approach to achieving transformational change and to developing the potential, capacity and capability of an organisation, its culture, its systems and the people within it. This enables an organisation, most effectively and efficiently, to deliver the organisation’s purpose, vision and goals - in a way that also meets and demonstrates the organisation’s (and its customers’) stated values. It is a means by which organisations can bring about complex, deep, meaningful and lasting change. It is often linked with transformational change, including the development (or review and revision) of the organisation’s purpose and vision and with strategic business planning, which in turn directly links to leadership and people development. This is the logical starting point, as both are long-range in scope.
In these days of globalisation, increasing technology, virtual working, increased competition and an emphasis on more flexible working practices, partnerships and networks, an effective Organisation Development strategy or approach would often necessitate the inclusion, from the beginning, of the organisation’s stakeholders, partners, networks and customers.
The key to the development of an effective Organisation Development Strategy is an excellent organisational diagnosis at the very start of the process, with the diagnosis preferably being conducted in as participative a way as possible, with a wide range of internal leaders and people as well as key stakeholders, partners and customers.
In order to develop an effective OD Strategy, it is wise to employ an OD consultant. Their specialist knowledge will help an organisation develop and improve by applying their knowledge of behavioural and social sciences, such as sociology and psychology. The OD Consultant may be either internal (normally in a role of Head or Director of OD) or external and brought in to help facilitate the transformation and change that the organisation needs to make.
This topic will explore and explain the following areas:
- A brief history of Organisation Development.
- Some definitions offered by those who have been most involved in studying, writing about and developing OD thinking and practice throughout the world.
- Differences between Organisation Development and Human Resources practice and scope.
- Development of an OD Strategy in your organisation. Where do we start? Key elements of the strategy.
- Some different approaches to OD and change in Organisations. Large Group Interventions and Appreciative Inquiry.
- Employing and getting the best out of OD Consultants.