CHAPTER THREE

The Organization
Development Practitioner

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 introduction
The change agent may be in the form of a
consultant who helps the client find
solutions to the organizational problems. It
could also be in the form a trainer who
trains the client to achieve a set of skills that
could be used in bringing about the change
for optimum outcomes.
This change agent must have certain
characteristics which would identify it to be
OD more effective
and change management than
by Abdurezak M. others.
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 Learning objectives
 Discuss the roles and characteristics of OD
practitioners.
 Describe the competencies required of effective OD
practitioners.
 Compare the internal versus external OD practitioner.
 Understand the values and ethics guiding the practice
of OD.

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 What is organization development?
Organization development (OD) is a
comprehensive approach to planned
organizational change that involves the
application of behavioral science in a
systematic and long-range effort to improve
organizational effectiveness.

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 The OD Process
Organizational development is the application of
behavioral science principles to the study of what makes
organizations more functional and effective.
The process of organizational development is a
consciously planned, systematic and controlled
attempt to make an organization as a whole more
effective by staging interventions in the systems and
processes of which it is composed.
These interventions are always based on behavioral
science research. For instance, an OD practitioner might
assess how the company rewards performance and
suggest changes based on research into effective
motivation.
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Who is OD practitioner?
A change agent is someone who acts as a

catalyst or an intermediary for speeding up an
organization's change process.
An example of a change agent is an

organization development (OD)
practitioner. This person is involved in
initiating changes quickly in order to take
advantage of shifting circumstances.


OD and change management by Abdurezak M.

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 Cont…
 The term organization development practitioner refers to at least
three sets of people.

An
 OD practitioner may be an internal or external change agent. An internal
change agent is a member of the organization; There are three types of these
agents:
The first types of agents are consultants who are organization members
specializing in OD and are often located in the human resources department.
They may perform the OD role exclusively or in combination with other tasks,
such as staff training or labor relations. They typically have a variety of ‘internal
clients’ within the organization.
The second type of internal change agent works in OD-related disciplines. They
are organization members in OD-related fields who help initiate change within
their
own work areas or as part of an organization-wide change program. OD-related
fields include organization design, total quality, information technology and
reward systems.
The third type relates to a growing number of line managers and top executives
who have gained competence in OD and, depending upon their positions within
the organization, apply it to their own work areas or to their organization as a
whole.

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 The OD practitioners…
In contrast, an external change agent is not an
organisation member. Typically, this type of agent is
self-employed or works for a consulting firm or
university.
There are two types of external change agents:
external consultants who specialise in OD as a
profession and
 external consultants who work in OD-related
disciplines.

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External Practitioner
Not previously associated with client.
Advantages.
Different viewpoint and objectivity.
Not dependent upon the organization.
Disadvantages.
Unfamiliar with organization.
Unfamiliar with culture, communication networks, and
power systems.

OD and change management by Abdurezak M.(PhD.)

Internal Practitioner …
Member of organization who can be:
A top executive.
Employee who initiates change in work group.
From human resources or OD department.
Advantages.
Familiar with culture and norms.
Knows power structure.
Personal interest in organization.
Disadvantages.
May lack specialized skills.
Lack of objectivity.
Likely to accept organizational system.
May lack necessary power and authority.

OD and change management by Abdurezak M.(PhD.)

External-Internal Practitioner Team
Team combines external practitioner working with internal
practitioner. External practitioner brings:
Expertise, objectivity, and new insights.
Internal practitioner brings:
Knowledge of issues and norms, and
Awareness of strengths and weaknesses
• Probably most effective approach.
• Partners bring complementary resources.
• Provides support to one another.
• Achieves greater continuity over OD program.
• Team combines advantages of both while minimizing
disadvantages.

OD and change management by Abdurezak M.(PhD.)

ADVANTAGES OF USING INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL
CONSULTANT

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 OD and change management by Abdurezak M.
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 Main activities of CA
 provide specialized perspectives, skills, and knowledge that the
organisation does not have available or is limited in use as a formal role,
 help the organization with the problem solving procedures: identify, define
and clarify the problem; generate alternatives; anticipate consequences;
and plan evaluation.
 provide training and skill building to people.
 assist groups to build “team learning” skills in order to facilitate team
building and development.
 develop and conduct surveys of other assessments to gather data on
important organizational processes.
 impart skills to the organization so that it can carry on with the task after
the consultant has left.
 they generally do not do, implement plans, take responsibility for decision
mailing (which the organization can and should do for itself), or remain
permanently with the organization.
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 Importance of OD practitioner
Organization development plays a key role in helping organizations
change themselves. It helps organizations assess themselves and their
environments and revitalize and rebuild their strategies, structures, and
processes. OD helps organization members gain the skills and
knowledge needed to continuously improve and change the
organization.
It helps members go beyond surface changes to transform the underlying
assumptions and values governing their behaviors. The different concepts
and methods discussed in this course increasingly are finding their way
into government agencies, manufacturing firms, multinational
corporations, service industries, educational and health care institutions,
and not-for-profit organizations. Perhaps at no other time has OD been
more responsive and practically relevant to organizations’ needs to operate
effectively in a highly complex and changing world.

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 OD importance…
OD
 is obviously important to those who plan a professional career in the
field, either as an internal consultant employed by an organization or as an
external consultant practicing in many organizations.
A career in OD can be highly rewarding, providing challenging and
interesting assignments working with managers and employees to
improve their organizations and their work lives. In today’s environment,
the demand for OD professionals is rising rapidly. For example, large
professional services firms must have effective “change management”
practices to be competitive.
Organization development also is important to those who have no
aspirations to become professional practitioners for offering advice and
counsel to managers and for introducing new methods and practices.
Finally, OD is important to general managers and other senior executives
because OD can help the whole organization be more innovative, adaptable,
and effective.

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 Cont…
The classic view of the OD
practitioner is the human process
consultant or "facilitator."
The facilitator is a neutral third party who,
according to classic OD, should not get involved in
the substantive content or provide specific
recommendations (French & Bell, 1990).

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 Role of OD consultants

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 OD Competencies
The Organization Development Network lists 141
competencies all effective OD practitioners must possess,
divided into categories including data gathering,
assessment, diagnosis, feedback, planning, intervention,
evaluation, follow-up, marketing to and enrolling new
clients, self-awareness and interpersonal skills.
Many of the 141 competencies overlap. For instance, the
competency listed as number 67, "Co-create an
implementation plan that is rooted in the data," states that
an effective OD practitioner must work in a cooperative
process with the client, while number 83, "Initiate ongoing
feedback in client-consultant relationship," states the OD
practitioner should solicit feedback from the client.

OD and change management by Abdurezak M.

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 Core Skills of OD practitioner
The core skills needed in organizational development include
organizational skills, people skills, direction-setting skills, and
process skills.
Organizational skills include the ability to redesign organizational
structures to increase both productivity and accountability.
People skills include the ability to design systems that facilitate trust
and improved performance.
Direction-setting skills include the ability to assess a company's
approach to leadership and overall vision.
 Process skills include the ability to redesign an organization's
processes in ways that contribute to quantifiable improvements.
In addition, OD practitioners must be able to explain the results of
their assessments and recommendations to clients who may be
strongly resistant to perceived criticism, having already hired a
consultant to make changes.

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 Cont…
The OD practitioner plays several roles during the
lifecycle of an OD project.
The role can be viewed from the lens of the position
they held in the client organization- as an internal or
external OD practioner.

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 Competencies of OD practitioner

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 Core competencies of OD

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 Core competence of OD

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OD Practitioner Styles
Practitioners have variety of styles( five styles).
View styles as degree of emphasis placed upon two
dimensions:
degree of emphasis upon goal
Effectiveness -
accomplishment.
Morale - degree of emphasis upon relationships and
satisfaction.

OD and change management by Abdurezak M.

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Five Practitioner Styles …
1. Persuader
4. Stabilizer style.
style.
2. Pathfinder
5. Cheerleaderstyle.
style.
3. Analyzer style.

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Figure :Practitioner Styles

OD and change management by Abdurezak M.(PhD.)

Five Practitioner Styles …
Stabilizer Style.(LOW_LOW)
Maintains low profile.
Tries to survive by following directives.
Cheerleader Style.(H on M & L on E)
Places emphasis on member satisfaction.
Does not emphasize organization effectiveness.
Analyzer Style.(H on E &L on M)
Places emphasis on efficiency.
Little attention to satisfaction of members.
Persuader Style.( average on both)
Seeks compromise between cheerleader and analyzer styles.
Achieves average performance.
Pathfinder Style.( high on both)
Seeks high organization efficiency and high member satisfaction.
Desired style for OD practitioner.

OD and change management by Abdurezak M.(PhD.)

Pathfinder Practitioner Focuses on Six Processes:

1. Communication. 4. Group norms and

2. Member roles in growth.
groups. 5. Leadership and
3. Group problem- authority.
solving. 6. Intergroup
cooperation.

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 OD practitioner professional values

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 OD practitioner professional values

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 OD practitioner professional values

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 Ethics

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 Ethics

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Who Is Client?
Who client is becomes complex as practitioner
intervenes.
Client may be:
Organization.
Certain divisions.
An individual.
 Use of Knowledge and Experience

The professional OD role has been described in terms of a continuum ranging from client-
centered (using the client’s knowledge and experience) to consultant-centered (using the
consultant’s knowledge and experience), as shown in next slide.

Traditionally, OD consultants have worked at the client-centered end of the continuum.
Organization development professionals, relying mainly on process consultation and team
building , have been expected to remain neutral, refusing to offer expert advice on
organizational problems. Rather than contracting to solve specific problems, the consultant
has tended to work with organization members to identify problems and potential solutions,
to help them study what they are doing now and consider alternative behaviors and
solutions, and to help them discover whether, in fact, the consultant and they can learn to do
things better. In doing that, the OD professional has generally listened and reflected upon
members’ perceptions and ideas and helped clarify and interpret their communications and
behaviors

The recent proliferation of OD interventions in the structural, human resource management,
and strategy areas has expanded that limited definition of the professional OD role to
include the consultant-centered end of the continuum. In many of the newer approaches, the
consultant may have to take on a modified role of expert, with the consent and collaboration
of organization members .

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 OD and change management by Abdurezak M.
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 OD and change management by Abdurezak M.
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 Summary
This chapter has examined the role of the organization development practitioner. The term OD
practitioner applies to three sets of people: individuals specializing in OD as a profession, people
from related fields who have gained some competence in OD, and managers having the OD skills
necessary to change and develop their organizations or departments. Comprehensive lists enumerate
core and advanced skills and knowledge that an effective OD professional should possess, but a smaller
set of basic skills and knowledge is applicable for all practitioners at all levels.
These include four kinds of background: intrapersonal skills, interpersonal skills, general consultation
skills, and knowledge of OD theory.
The professional OD role can apply to internal consultants who belong to the organization undergoing
change, to external consultants who are members of universities and consulting firms or are self-
employed, and to members of internal–external consulting teams.
The OD practitioner’s role may be described aptly in terms of marginality and emotional demands. People
with a tolerance for marginal roles seem especially suited for OD practice because they are able to
maintain neutrality and objectivity and to develop integrative solutions that reconcile viewpoints among
opposing organizational departments. Similarly, the OD practitioner’s emotional intelligence and
awareness are keys to implementing the role successfully Whereas in the past the OD practitioner’s role
has been described as standing at the client end of the continuum from client-centered to consultant-
centered functioning, the development of new and varied interventions has shifted the role of the OD
professional to cover the entire range of that continuum.

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 
Summary
Although OD is still an emerging field, most practitioners have specific training that ranges
from short courses and workshops to graduate and doctoral education. No single career path
exists, but internal consulting is often a stepping-stone to becoming an external consultant.
Because of the hectic pace of OD practice, specialists should be prepared to cope with high
levels of stress and the possibility of career burnout.
Values have played a key role in OD, and traditional values promoting trust, collaboration, and
openness have been supplemented recently with concerns for improving organizational
effectiveness and environmental sustainability. OD specialists may face value dilemmas in
trying to optimize human benefits, organization performance, and sound environmental
practices. They also may encounter value conflicts when dealing with powerful external
stakeholders, such as the government, stockholders, and customers.
 Dealing with those outside groups may take political skills, as well as the more traditional social
skills.
Ethical issues in OD involve how practitioners perform their helping role with clients. As a
profession,
OD always has shown a concern for the ethical conduct and several ethical codes for OD
practice have been developed by various professional associations. Ethical dilemmas in OD
arise around misrepresentation, misuse of data, coercion, value and goal conflict, and technical
ineptness.
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Questions

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