Organization
Development is not, in my opinion, a passing fad. According to Brown (2011),
“OD is a planned strategy to bring about organizational change” (p. 5). Organizations need to adapt and change
according to the market and available technology. Therefore, as long as
companies recognize that change is essential to their livelihood, OD will be
necessary. Most of the time, those within an organization do not understand how
to effect systematic change on their own and will require the help of an OD
practitioner or training in OD techniques.
In
general, I think that once top leaders understand the steps involved in OD,
they see the benefit of aligning their systems, employees, and leaders, as well
as receiving feedback on their processes. One of the key takeaways for me from
these courses has been the fact that leaders need to be involved with any
change effort from the ground up. “In attempting to manage today’s
organizations, many executives find that their past failures to give enough
attention to the changing environment are now creating problems for them”
(Brown, 2011, p. 7). I think with the
right guidance from an OD practitioner, a leader’s past failures will serve as
motivation to make the necessary organizational changes.
Communication
is vital to the health of an organization and both communication and leadership
involvement are necessary whether there is a change effort underway or not. Learning
and understanding how systems interact with and affect each other are also
useful skills for any leader. Identifying values for the organization and
getting buy in from employees helps strengthen the company. In other words, the
techniques and skills that leaders learn while going through the OD process can
carry forward into the future and contribute to upcoming successes long after
the OD practitioner has separated from the business.
Having
said that, there will always be some organizations that are not ready for the
OD process. Many of these companies’ leaders are probably the same people
saying that OD is a fad. When preparing to begin an OD program, there are several
issues to consider including whether the values of the company and practitioner
are in sync, whether achievable goals can be established, and if the employees
are willing to embrace the change movement (Brown, 2011). Change is not a concept that most employees
eagerly embrace even when they see the need. Change can be scary and the future
is undoubtedly uncertain but motivated leadership and knowledgeable OD
practitioners working together with employees can achieve success. There is not
a one-size-fits all approach to OD. If the practitioner recognizes that a
specific approach is not working, he/she needs to be flexible and adapt. He/she
also needs to make sure that throughout the process, he/she is imparting the
skills and knowledge to leaders in order for the organization to remain stable
yet adaptable when necessary without the practitioner. By doing so, this will
ease the practitioner’s transition out of the picture.
While I
do not feel that Organization Development is a passing fad, every good idea has
a period when it is the latest and greatest and another period where interest
in it wanes. I can only hope that the central ideas of OD will continue to be
used to create and sustain dynamic companies.
Reference:
Brown ,
D. (2011). An experiential approach to organizational development.
(8th ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
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