Importance of Organizational Development

Amanda Jamison Bridgmon

1. Importance of Organizational Development

2. What is organizational Development? Organizational Development (OD) is a field of research, theory, and practice dedicated to expanding the knowledge and effectiveness of people to accomplish more successful organizational change and performance.

3. Key Concepts of Organizational Development Theory The three main concepts are: Organizational Climate Organizational Culture Organizational Strategy

4. Organizational Climate Is d efined as the mood or unique “personality” of an organization. Some of the climate features and characteristics may be associated with; employee satisfaction, stress, service quality and outcomes and successful application of new processes.

5. Organizational Culture is a system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs, which governs how people behave in organizations. These shared values have a strong influence on the people in the organization and dictate how they dress, act, and perform their jobs.

6. Organizational Culture Cont. The five basic elements of culture include: Assumptions Values Behavioral Norms Behavioral Patterns Artifacts

7. Organizational Strategies is the sum of the actions a company intends to take to achieve long-term goals. Together, these actions make up a company's strategic plan. Strategic plans take at least a year to complete, requiring involvement from all company levels. Improvement consists of four steps: Diagnosis Action Planning Intervention Evaluation

8. Diagnosis Will help the organization identify any underlying issues that may be present by examining its mission, goals, policies, structures and technologies; climate and culture; environmental factors; desired outcomes and readiness to take action . This is usually done through key informant interviews or formal surveys of all members.

9. Action planning Is the strategic interventions for addressing diagnosed problems are developed . The organization is engaged in an action planning process to assess the feasibility of applying different change strategies that lead to a solution to the problems.

10. Intervention “Interventions " are principal learning processes in the "action" stage of organization development . Some of the structured activities used individually or in combination to improve their social or task performance. For example: experiential exercises, questionnaires, attitude surveys, interviews, relevant group discussions, and even lunchtime meetings between the change agent and a member of the client organization.

11. Evaluation Access the planned change efforts by tracking the organization's progress in applying the change and by documenting its impact on the organization.

12. Why is OD Important? Organizations are increasingly challenged by change. The world is moving faster and faster . Competitive pressures are becoming more and more demanding. Rapid technological change and the globalizing economy both confuse us and open new doors . In the midst of this , employees seek more satisfaction and meaning from their work lives, and more balance in their lives as a whole.

13. In conclusion Whether the organizations are private, public or non-profit, they must adapt to this new world if they are to survive and thrive . They need to become more nimble, more customer-driven , more innovative, more effective. They need to attract and retain competent and committed employees . This will require more flexible organizational structures, new types of leadership , and new ways of managing . OD can help organizations navigate this difficult terrain.