ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES

Introduction This theme is related to NGO Management, the focus here is to facilitate organisational development processes within an organisation. In our understanding, the distinction between NGO Management and OD is very important in the Indian NGO conte t. In NGO Management, one can deal with management principles, systems, processes and procedures and as a result ac!uire a certain level of understanding and s"ills to deal with management issues. #owever, the OD process is very comple since NGOs are intrinsically organised around their leadership. The leader brings to the NGO not only his$her vision, commitment of leadership, ideals and aspirations, but also his%her security needs, idiosyncrasies and preferences. Therefore, every organisation evolves its own ethos and sub&culture, its priorities and strategies, its systems and practices, based on the implicit and e plicit choices and preferences of its leadership. 's a result, every organisation ac!uires a uni!ue organisational frame. (econdly, the relationship between members in an organisation can only be dealt with by wor"ing with the staff of an organisation. )e therefore consider the OD process to be significant in the NGO sector. CONCEPT OD is an ongoing process in any organisation for thee ma*or reasons. +irstly, an organisation essentially comprises a group of people who relate with each other around certain e plicit goals. This relationship is dynamic and changing. ,very person brings to the relationship his$her perceptions, aspirations, values and motivations. 's a result, the interpersonal relationships affect the group process. -ositive relationship between members in a group is the cardinal element in realising organisational goals. (econdly, evolving the tas" or goal or mission of the group is itself a dynamic process. In the voluntary sector, several factors influence this process. +or e ample, ideology is the filter one uses to perceive and interpret a given reality. (imilarly, the perception of solutions also has an ideological orientation. (ince in any given situation, neither the reality nor the ideology remains fi ed, one needs to constantly reappraise the given reality. The framewor" and instruments used for such appraisal therefore also need to be evaluated and modified. Most importantly, the relevance of the MISSION and the .(T/'T,G01 needs to be validated. Thirdly, it is the structure and systems that are set in motion to accomplish any given mission by a group of people that become the instrumentality of organisations. #ow the group structures itself and how it sets its goals, influence both the group process and individual behaviour. Moreover, structures and

systems need to be in tune with the mission. (ince they are only a means and not an end in themselves, they re!uire content reviewing, assessment and improvisation. It is the interplay between these three elements that ma"e an organisation what it is and the "ey actor who influences and attempts to regulate these elements is the leadership of the organisation. (ince leadership can compromise either an individual or a small group of people, it should recognise the need for reflection among the members of the organisation on the following aspects2 & /elationship between members Organisational mission and strategy (tructures and systems The impact of organisation on the larger environment

This would help the organisation to assess whether the human potential of its members as individuals and as a collective is fully realised and, if not, how best to ma imise the realisation of its full capacities The second dimension of OD is the e ternal or social conte t. The socio& political and economic factors undergo rapid change, particularly in a unipolar global conte t. Development paradigms undergo sea&saw changes. Macro policy shifts and the role&played by mar"et forces and international financial institutions need to be interpreted in terms of their impact on micro conte ts, particularly on livelihood issues of the marginalised people and on the fragile eco systems of developing countries. NGOs wor" with a social mission and there are several actors engaged in .(ocial mission1, it is absolutely essential for them to be s"illful in .3oundary management1 and perceive the relatedness of an organisation1s mission to the larger .social mission1 and loo" for .alliance1 and .synergy1 levels with other ."ey actors1 in the larger environment. To sum up, the processes described above do not ta"e place in a .linear framewor"1. In fact, they overlap so much that it is difficult to even isolate them as separate elements. Therefore, we suggest that OD should be an ongoing process spread over a period of two to three years. Organisations should ta"e it in phases of one wee" each, in four to si stages with a gap of si months between phases. It is the initial process that may build the .culture1 and .systems1 in an organisation to continue the process on a regular basis with e pertise with in the organisation itself to facilitate it.

OBECTIVES The OD process would create space for members in an organisation to spend time together, build trust and affirm fellowship as a group, celebrate their achievements and strengthen their interpersonal relationships, resolve conflicts among themselves, e amine their systems, procedures and structures in the organisation, match their programme thrust with the ever&changing socio&political and economic environment and effect strategic planning processes to achieve mission clarity.