Lecture-1 WHAT IS ORGANISATION DEVELOPMENT? We are often asked this question as to what is consulting in Organization Development?

Often asked this question because currently theres no agreement on the meaning of the term organization development, and it is still less clear what a consultant in organization development is. That is why I am going to explain what we mean by that. We firmly believe that only companies having an internal structure corresponding to their goals are able to develop successfully. That is why our main goal is to help our clients to organize their internal resources in the most efficient way for their development. For instance, to distribute functions and authority, to create transparent system of interaction and control, to develop a common set of values, to unite various divisions into an efficient team for the purpose of performing clearly defined tasks... For us the key term is development. And development is a process, and this implies the fact that besides analysis and advice, helping to carry out organizational changes is also a significant part of our work. My approach from the very beginning would be from simple to complex issues for better comprehension of all the concepts both in particular and in general. Therefore before discussing the intervention techniques I would like you to be acquainted with the basic concepts like: What is OD? What is the Historical background of OD? Foundations of OD Change and OD Organization Culture and OD What is Organization Development? An organization is a system consisting of four interacting subsystems: structure, technology, people and task. Structure refers to the formal interactions within the organization as evidenced in the organizational chart or organ gram. Task refers to the set of activities to be performed. In other words, the behavioral specification associated with a job. Technology relates to the level of sophistication determining the workflow and performance of jobs in an organization. Higher technology, most often, means higher job knowledge and skills of employees. Organizations may be classified as to their level of technology: high, medium, low or obsolete. People variable refers to the human input in the organization i.e., individuals (in terms of their physical and mental skills, personality etc.) working in the organization. Organization as a system can be changed and developed to achieve its goals in the best possible way. The goals of an organization generally are: survival, stability, profitability, growth and service to society. From one organization to another, the goal or goals may differ depending upon at what stage of development the organization is. Organization can achieve its goal if it is able to respond to changes within the external and internal environment. The external environment is in terms of forces in the social, political, economic and cultural factors. Competition from similar organizations, changing needs of the public, knowledge explosion, and rapid growth of technology All constitute threat to organizational effectiveness. Organization has also to take into cognizance its internal environment, which includes existing structure, technology, needs and expectations of its people and the changing scenario of labor force.

Organization development (OD) is planned approach to respond effectively to changes in its external and internal environment. Lecture 2

Essentially there are two schools of thought in OD: Programmed Procedure School System Process School The Programmed Procedure school: It is an older approach. According to it, OD is the effective implementation of the organizations policies, procedures and programmers. It is concerned with personnel activities that contribute to the overall growth and development of the organization, such as: recruitment, training, career development, Compensation, welfare and benefits, labor relations etc. Personnel development is primarily concerned with OD activities. At present, it is being widely recognized that personnel functions contribute only partly to OD. They at best serve the organizational control or maintenance function. The system process school: This school considers organization development in the context of both its internal and external environment. Proponents of this approach view organization as a system, which can be changed and developed to best, achieve its goals and objectives. Insights drawn from recent developments in behavioral sciences have contributed to the system-process school. An emerging role for OD is system based and focuses on total organization effectiveness and hence goes beyond the traditional personnel programmers. The emphasis is much more on work groups within and across departments rather than individuals as such. While personnel programmers Demand conformity for prescribed policies and procedures, the system process school encourages openness, and collaborative ways of solving problems so that the outcomes are advantageous to both the individual and the organization. It is likely that the objectives of both the schools and contradictory to certain extent. Programmed Procedure School System Process School Internal Internal & External Personnel oriented Department oriented Individual Group Sectional Holistic Prescriptive Open System internal Interdisciplinary