JANE MAPFUNDE MABENA B1128696

TONDERAI CHIROKOTO B1953063

FAITH MAKOMBE

PROGRAMME : MBL 2.1

COURSE : MBL 507

GROUP TWO ASSIGNMENT: 02/02/20

ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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Organization Development (OD) is a process by which behavioural science knowledge and
practices are used to help organizations achieve greater effectiveness, including improved
quality of work life and increased productivity (Cummings, & Huse, 1989). It is the
systematic application of behavioural science knowledge at various levels (group, intergroup,
and total organization) to bring about planned change (Newstrom & Davis, 1993).
Organisation Development is an objectives based approach to systems change within an
organisation. Organisation Development enables organisations to build and sustain a new
desired state for the entire organisation. Organisation development can be achieved through
either a change communication process or supported by software applications.

Employee behavioural patterns will allow organisational development professionals to

observe and examine situations and contemplate modifications, which may then be put into
place to achieve effective organisational change. It’s difficult to overestimate the importance
of organizational development as it relates to the success of your business because it affects
every aspect of decision-making. Organizational development is defined as the use of
organizational resources to improve efficiency and productivity in the workplace. An
effective organization can also boost employee morale because workers can feel more
empowered and valued when your company is well structured.

The importance of organizational development also extends to how you solve problems
within your company as well as the ways in which you analyze a process to find a more
efficient way of doing it. Implementing organizational development requires an investment of
time and money. But as you begin to understand the importance of organizational
development as well as the role of organizational development in helping you chart a strong
course for your business, it will more than justify the costs.

Organizational development deals with improving a company’s performance and individual

development of its employees. Each organization should be viewed as a coherent system
composed of separate parts. Organizational development as a process includes methodologies
and achievements in strategic planning, organizational design, leadership development,
coaching, diversity and balance between work and life. Business enters a new era, we need
other personal qualities such as emotional intelligence, ability to manage, to set goals and

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follow them, to be confident assertive, creative, to self-improve continuously. Only strong
and complete individuals can make a profitable and stable business.

The term organizational development identifies the stages through which organizations go in
the process of their development. You could say that organizational development is the way
organizations change or evolve. This understanding is based on the assumption that
organizations, just like human beings, have cycles of development, each characterized by its
specific problems, crises and ways to overcome them. When we say organizational
development we mean the various techniques and interventions that are planned and
implemented in order to assist or facilitate the implementation of certain planned and
consequential changes in the structure, processes and human resources within the
organization.

Organizational development process is planned, as it requires systematic diagnosis, program

development and mobilization of resources (financial, technical, human) in a separate
structural unit or entire organization. It is described as a process that includes efforts to
improve various activities in the organization. Organizational development involves the
analysis of strategy, structure and culture of the organization. Organizational development
analyzes formal and informal parts of the organization.

The formal parts of the company that it analyzes include objectives, structure, policy, human
resources, and compensation. The informal ones include values, attitudes, social relationships
and many others. Organizational development focuses on performance and health of the
entire organization, not on an individual. It is designed to achieve organizational goals that
will lead to the satisfaction of people working in the organization. The main objectives of the
organizational development as a form of consultation are to solve problems and to help
people acquire knowledge and skills. Organizational development consultants act as a
catalyst that helps an organization to solve its own problems by improving its capabilities.
The consultation process is defined as a set of activities by the consultant who helps the client
to perceive and understand the problems in the organization and to learn to act and solve
them.

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While there are variations on any model, it represents the major components of a planned
organisational development effort. These include recognition of need for change, diagnosis of
causes, development of change alternative, implementation of change, reinforcement of
change, evaluation of change, further change action taken, if required and feedback. The first
step of the model is critical. Often, educators and managers will recognize the need for
change before others who have decision-making power do. In such instances, these decision-
makers, or change sponsors, will need to be convinced of the need for change.

Ongoing diagnosis and systematic examination of the environment can provide a rationale for
planned organisational developments efforts. An environmental scanning program, strategic
planning, employee or “customer” feedback survey, or similar methods can detect changes in
the internal or external environment that will have impact on the organization. Organizations
can also examine the quality of their products and or processes to determine whether
organisational development efforts need to be directed toward specific areas within the
organization or work team. Various strategies are available for use within organizations.
Some can be used in an ongoing fashion, while others are “one shot” efforts. Two major
types of strategies that can be used are process strategies which include team-building,
quality circles, sensitivity training, survey feedback, career planning and structural strategies
which include job redesign, job enrichment, management by objectives, organizational
restructuring, flexitime options.

The change strategy chosen should relate appropriately to the organizational or team need.
Political, technological, or legal factors may cause an organization to move in directions that
require organisational development efforts. All too frequently, however, interpersonal change
efforts are chosen as the appropriate strategy. For instance, a simple problem such as the
overuse of a particular piece of office equipment may result in disgruntled employees. This
problem may be solved by purchasing more equipment or restructuring the use of the
equipment, rather than developing a team-building program. Interpersonal or even process
strategies cannot adequately equip an organization to deal with these types of external
pressures.

Organizational development is the use of organizational resources to improve efficiency and

expand productivity. It can be used to solve problems within the organization or as a way to
analyze a process and find a more efficient way of doing it. Implementing organizational

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development requires an investment of time and money. But when you understand its
importance, you can justify the costs. Many businesses need outside help to continue or
improve their operations.

One of the first roles of organizational development is to identify, quantify, and accurately
describe problems within the company. This is not as easy as it sounds. The issues often are
complex, multifaceted, and intertwined with one another. Observation and employee
questionnaires are two tools often used to determine areas of trouble. Solving a company’s
problems is at the heart of organizational development. After changes are recommended,
employers are advised on the best way to implement them while causing the least amount of
disruption to the business’s day-to-day operations. One of the greatest challenges faced in
organizational development is helping employees accept any changes that are recommended.
Employees must be part of the change process whenever possible, valuing the input they
provide. Employees are less likely to resist changes that they helped implement.

The process of organizational development identifies areas of company operations where

change is needed. Each need is analyzed, and the potential effects are projected into a change
management plan. The plan outlines the specific ways in which the change will improve
company operations, which will be affected by the change and how it can be rolled out
efficiently to employees. Without organizational development as part of change management,
a company would have a difficult time developing effective change management programs.
Organizational development is an important tool in managing and planning corporate growth.
An organizational development analysis brings together sales projections and consumer
demand to help determine the rate of company growth. This information is used to alter the
company business plan and plan the expansion and use of company resources such as
personnel and the distribution network to accommodate future growth.

When a company is involved in organizational development, it analyzes work processes for

efficiency and accuracy. Any quality control measures required to attain company standards
are put in place. Evaluators analyze duplicate process, or processes that can be combined for
greater efficiency, and develop and implement detailed plans on how to improve company
methods. Product innovation requires the analysis of several kinds of information to be
successful. Organizational development is critical to product innovation because it can help
analyze each element of product development and create a method for using it effectively.

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Some of the processes that come together in organizational development to assist in product
innovation are competitive analysis, technology development, consumer preferences, target
market research, manufacturing capabilities analysis and patents and trademarks.

Change is clearly inevitable, and mastering change is, therefore, fundamental to the success
of any organization. Organizations which can cope with change and harness its energy will be
vital and effective. Large scale organizations are no exception. In fact, large organizations not
only reflects many of the changes occurring in our society today, but it is an institution that
also creates and “enforces” change. If the large organizations can become even more
effective in managing change, it can create a powerful impact on society as a whole. The
challenge for all organizations is to continue their efforts, often accomplished behind the
scenes, to encourage their organizations to anticipate change, to understand the nature of
change, and to manage change. The development of your organization and, particularly, how
you manage change impacts the success of your business. Organization development
activities intervene in the interactions of your people systems such as formal and informal
groups, work culture and climate, and organization design to increase their effectiveness
using a variety of applied behavioural sciences.

Organizational development is a field of study that addresses change and how it affects
organizations and the individuals within those organizations. Effective organizational
development can assist organizations and individuals to cope with change. Strategies can be
developed to introduce planned change, such as team-building efforts, to improve
organizational functioning. While change is a “given,” there are a number of ways to deal
with change, some useful, some not. Organizational development assists organizations in
coping with the turbulent environment, both internally and externally, frequently doing so by
introducing planned change efforts. Organizational development is a relatively new area of
interest for business and the professions.

While the professional development of individuals has been accepted and fostered by a
number of organizations for some time, there is still ambiguity surrounding the term
organizational development. The basic concept of both professional development and
organizational development is the same, however, with an essential difference in focus.
Professional development attempts to improve an individual’s effectiveness in practice, while
organizational development focuses on ways to improve an organization’s overall

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productivity, human fulfilment, and responsiveness to the environment (Cummings & Huse,
1988). These goals are accomplished through a variety of interventions aimed at dealing with
specific issues, as well as through ongoing processes.

Organizational development efforts, whether facilitated by an outside expert or

institutionalized and conducted on an ongoing basis, bring about planned change within
organizations and teams. However, they are but one type of change that occurs in
organizations, for change can be both planned and unplanned and can occur in every
dimension of the universe. Change will not occur unless the need for change is critical.
Because individuals and organizations usually resist change, they typically do not embrace
change unless they must. Conner 1990 described how “pain” drives change. Pain occurs
when people pay the price for being in a dangerous situation or for missing a key opportunity.
As such, change is needed to relieve the pain. According to this perspective, change will not
occur just because “it’s a good idea.” It will only occur when the pain of an individual or an
organization is sufficiently high to justify the difficulties of assimilating change.

Therefore, a change master must focus on the absolute need of the organization to change,
rather than simply on the benefits of the anticipated change. Effective change masters
understand this, and they then assist others in recognizing that the organization has no choice
but to change. The organization cannot afford to maintain the status quo; change is simply
that critical thus organisational development is necessary.

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REFERENCES

Cummings, T., & Huse, E. (1989). Organization Development and Change. St Paul,

MN: West Publishing Company.

Cummings, T.G., & Worley, C.G. (2005). Organization Development and Change. 8th ed.
Mason, OH: Thomson/South-Western.

https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/strategy/organizational-
development/ Retrieved 02/02/20

https://bohatala.com/organizational-development-and-its-role-in-change-management/
Retrieved 02/02/20

https://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-organizational-development-11904.html
Retrieved 02/02/20

Newstrom, J. W., & Davis, K. (1997). Organizational behavior: human behavior at work.

Boston, Mass, McGraw-Hill Companies.