What's the deal with OD?

We have already discussed the idea and definition of organizational development, but now we are going to take a closer look at what OD actually does and why its considered important within HRD. Outcomes for OD are now clearly linked to performance results. Some researchers have likened OD to a giant Rubik cube (with way too many elements for me to list here) focused on the axis’s of diagnosed problem, focus of attention, and mode of intervention.

The authors of my book note that “OD does not employ a large number of standard practices; rather, practices issues are fairly standard.” After like the fifteenth time of reading that, I think it means that the same problems that OD deals with tend to occur pretty frequently. (But I could be wrong about that, please leave me comments with your ideas.) Anyway, there are three core issues. First is the issue that OD revolves around the change process. It is the primary goal of OD guide the change process and mediates the rate and type of change (see previous blog) for the purpose of helping organizations achieve worthy goals. Second, OD deals with trust and integrity. The core process within OD work is gathering information from key stakeholders, employees, and managers. This information can be disturbing and possible even harmful if made public. It is imperative that OD professionals maintain confidentiality and fairness to all involved. Without trusting the OD workers, all results and future plans will be skewed and worthless. Third, OD is a dynamic enterprise. The changes that occur while working with OD are challenging and happen over time, making the whole process risky at times.

Organizational development can be focused on group or individual work. Cross- cultural team building helps a team become more effective working together while meeting the needs of the differing group members. This is important in today’s business climate as workers come from a variety of backgrounds and cultures. Learning to work together may be more difficult as diversity grows, but ultimately can fuel better ideas and offer exciting new perspectives. Organizational development can also work within group conflict to analyze communication techniques and offer problem resolutions. Sometimes this outside source is the best way to diagnosis problems and offer a balanced understanding of the difficulty.

Individual organizational development may also be utilized. 360 degree feedback enables a person to receive feedback from a large number of people relating to their behavior, skills, and competencies. The individual may even help design the feedback. This multi-layered approach provides a great deal of information which may be sued to improve performance or analyze company procedures. Career development and assessment can also be used with individuals to engage people. Practice in high fidelity simulations and role plays help assess leadership for upper management. Development helps current employees stay active in an organization and make the most of their unique talents and abilities.