ORGANIZATIONAL

DEVELOPMENTPROCESS

TheOrganizationalDevelopment(OD)
processiscomplicatedandittakeslong
timetocompletetheprocess.Ittakes
minimumofoneyearandsometimes
continuesindefinitely.

TheprocessofOrganisationalDevelopment
comprisesoffollowsstepsandtheyare:1.InitialDiagnosis
2.DataCollection
3.DataFeedback
4.SelectionofInterventions
5.Implementationofinterventions
6.Actionplanningandproblemsolving
7.TeamBuilding
8.Inter-GroupDevelopment
9.EvaluationandFollowup

1.Initial

Diagnosis:Theinitialdiagnosisreferstofindingthe
inadequacieswithintheorganisationthatcanbecorrectedby
ODactivitiesthenitisnecessarytofindouttheprofessionally
competentpersonswithinorganisationtoplanandexecuteOD
activities.Theoutsideconsultantscanbealsoemployedtohelp
indiagnosingtheproblemsanddiagnosingODactivities.The
consultantsadoptvariousmethodsandthatprimarilyincludes
interviews,questionnaires,directobservation,analysisof
documentsandreportsfordiagnosingtheproblem.If
executivesrecognizethatthereareinadequacieswithin
organizationwhichcanbecorrectedbyODactivities,itis
necessarytofindouttheprofessionalandcompetentpeople
withintheorganizationtoplanandexecuteODactivities.If
competentpeoplearenotavailablewithintheorganizationthe
servicesactivitiesaretobetaken.

2.Data Collection:Thesurveymethodis
employedtocollectthedatafordetermining
organizationalclimate.Italsohelpsinidentifying
thebehaviouralproblemsthatarerisinginthe
organisation.

3.DataFeedback:Thecollecteddataare
analyzedandreviewedbyvariousworkgroups
thatareformedforthispurpose.Itisdoneinorder
tointerveneintheareasofdisagreementor
confrontationofideasoropinions.

4.Selection of Interventions:Theinterventions
canbedescribedastheplannedactivitiesthatare
introducedintothesystemtoachievedesired
changesandimprovements.Thesuitable
interventionsaretobeselectedanddesignedat
thisstage.
5.Implementation of Interventions:The
selectedinterventionshouldbeimplemented
progressivelyastheprocessisnotaoneshot,
quickcurefororganisationalproblems.
Consequently,itachievesrealandlastingchange
intheattitudesandbehaviourofemployees.

6.Action

Planning and Problem Solving:Tosolvethe

specificandidentifiedproblemsbyusingthecollecteddata,
groupspreparerecommendationsandspecificaction
planning.
7.Team Building:Theconsultantsexplaintheadvantagesof
theteamsinODprocessandencouragetheemployees
throughouttheprocesstoformintogroupsandteams.
8.Inter-group Development:Aftertheformationof
groups/teams,theconsultantsencouragetheinter-group
meetings,interactionetc.
9.Evaluation and follow up:Theorganisationshould
evaluatetheODprogrammesandshouldfindouttheirutility,
anddeveloptheprogrammesfurtherforcorrectingthe
deviations.Theconsultantsmakegreatsignificancetothe
organisationinthisrespect.TheentirestepsintheOD
processesshouldbefollowedbytheorganisationinorderto
derivefullrangeofODbenefits.

Conclusion:
Theorganizationfinallyhastoevaluatethe
ODprograms,findouttheirutility,and
developtheprogramsfurtherforcorrecting
thedeviationsand/orimprovedresults.The
consultantshelptheorganizationinthis
respect.AllthestepsintheODprocesses
shouldbefollowedbytheorganizationin
ordertoderivefullrangeofODbenefits.

Kurt Lewin'sdescription
oftheprocessofchange
involvesthreesteps:
"Unfreezing":Facedwitha
dilemmaor
disconfirmation,the
individualorgroup
becomesawareofaneed
tochange.
"Changing":Thesituationis
diagnosedandnew
modelsofbehaviorare
exploredandtested.
"Refreezing":Applicationof
newbehaviorisevaluated,
andifreinforcing,adopted.

Unfreeze
Abasictendencyofpeopleistoseekacontextinwhich
theyhaverelativesafetyandfeelasenseofcontrol.In
establishingthemselves,theyattachtheirsenseofidentity
totheirenvironment.Thiscreatesacomfortablestatefrom
whichanyalternatives,eventhosewhichmayoffer
significantbenefit,willcausediscomfort.
Talkingaboutthefuturethusisseldomenoughtomove
themfromthis'frozen'stateandsignificanteffortmaybe
requiredto'unfreeze'themandgetthemmoving.This
usuallyrequiresPushmethodstogetthemmoving,after
whichPullmethodscanbeusedtokeepthemgoing.
Theterm'change ready'isoftenusedtodescribepeople
whoareunfrozenandreadytotakethenextstep.Some
peoplecomereadyforchangewhilstotherstakealong
timetoletgooftheircomfortablecurrentrealities.

UnfreezingisthefirstofLewin'schangetransitionstages,
wherepeoplearetakenfromastateofbeingunreadyto
changetobeingreadyandwillingtomakethefirststep.
Herearesomewaystomakeithappen:
BurningPlatform:Exposeorcreateacrisis.
Challenge:Inspirethemtoachieveremarkablethings.
Command:Justtellthemtomove!
Evidence:Cold,harddataisdifficulttoignore.
Destabilizing:Shakingpeopleoftheircomfortzone.
Education:Learnthemtochange.
ManagementbyObjectives(MBO):Tellpeoplewhattodo,but
nothow.
Restructuring:Redesigntheorganizationtoforcebehavior
change.
RitesofPassage:Holdawaketohelpletgoofthepast.
SettingGoals:Givethemaformalobjective.
Visioning:Donewell,visionsworktocreatechange.
Whole-SystemPlanning:Everyoneplanningtogether.

Transition
AkeypartofLewin'smodelisthenotionthatchange,evenat
thepsychologicallevel,isajourneyratherthanasimplestep.
Thisjourneymaynotbethatsimpleandthepersonmayneed
togothroughseveralstagesofmisunderstandingbeforethey
gettotheotherside.
Aclassictrapinchangeisfortheleaderstospendmonthson
theirownpersonaljourneysandthenexpecteveryoneelseto
crossthegapinasinglebound.
Transitioningthusrequirestime.Leadershipisoftenimportant
andwhenwholeorganizationschange,theone-eyedperson
maybeking.Someformofcoaching,counselingorother
psychologicalsupportwilloftenbeveryhelpfulalso.
Althoughtransitionmaybehardfortheindividual,oftenthe
hardestpartistostart.Evenwhenapersonisunfrozenand
readyforchange,thatfirststepcanbeveryscary.
Transitioncanalsobeapleasanttrapand,asRobertLouis
Stephensonsaid,'Itisbettertotravelhopefullythanarrive.'
Peoplebecomecomfortableintemporarysituationswherethey
arenotaccountableforthehazardsofnormalworkandwhere
talkingaboutchangemaybesubstitutedforrealaction.

KurtLewin'sthreephasesgivemainphasesofchange.Onceyouhave
unfrozenthepeople,thenextquestionishowyoukeepthemgoing.

BoilingtheFrog:Incrementalchangesmaywellnotbenoticed.
Challenge:Inspirethemtoachieveremarkablethings.
Coaching:Psychologicalsupportforexecutives.
Command:Tellthemwhattodo.
Education:Teachthem,onestepatatime.
Facilitation:Useafacilitatortoguideteammeetings.
FirstSteps:Makeiteasytogetgoing.
Involvement:Givethemanimportantrole.
ManagementbyObjectives(MBO):Tellpeoplewhattodo,butnothow.
OpenSpace:Peopletalkingaboutwhatconcernsthem.
Re-education:Trainthepeopleyouhaveinnewknowledge/skills.
Restructuring:Redesigntheorganizationtoforcebehaviorchange.
Shift-and-Sync:Changeabitthenpauserestabilize.
SpillandFill:Incrementalmovementtoaneworganization.
StepwiseChange:Breakingthingsdownintosmallerpackages.
Whole-SystemPlanning:Everyoneplanningtogether.

Refreeze
Attheotherendofthejourney,thefinalgoalisto
'refreeze',puttingdownrootsagainandestablishingthe
newplaceofstability.
Inpractice,refreezingmaybeaslowprocessastransitions
seldomstopcleanly,butgomoreinfitsandstartswitha
longtailofbitsandpieces.Therearegoodandbadthings
aboutthis.
Inmodernorganizations,thisstageisoftenrathertentative
asthenextchangemaywellbearoundthenextcorner.
Whatisoftenencouraged,then,ismoreofastateof
'slushiness'wherefreezingisneverreallyachieved
(theoreticallymakingthenextunfreezingeasier).The
dangerwiththisthatmanyorganizationshavefoundisthat
peoplefallintoastateofchangeshock,wheretheyworkat
alowlevelofefficiencyandeffectivenessastheyawaitthe
nextchange.'It'snotworthit'isacommonphrasewhen
askedtoimprovewhattheydo.

RefreezingisthethirdofLewin'schangetransitionstages,
wherepeoplearetakenfromastateofbeingintransition
andmovedtoastableandproductivestate.
Herearesomewaystomakeithappen:
BurningBridges:Ensurethereisnowayback.
EvidenceStream:Showthemtimeandagainthatthe
changeisreal.
GoldenHandcuffs:Putrewardsintheirmiddle-termfuture.
Institutionalization:Buildingchangeintotheformalsystems
andstructures.
NewChallenge:Getthemlookingtothefuture.
RationalizationTrap:Getthemintoactionthenhelpthem
explaintheiractions.
RewardAlignment:Alignrewardswithdesiredbehaviors.
RitesofPassage:Useformalritualstoconfirmchange.
Socializing:Builditintothesocialfabric.

John Kotter's 8 step process - an

overviewStepsTransformation Suggestions
1. Increase urgency
Examinemarketandcompetitiverealities
Identifyanddiscusscrisis,potentialcrisis,ormajor
opportunities
Provideevidencefromoutsidetheorganizationthatchange
isnecessary
2. Build the Guiding Team
Assembleagroupwithenoughpowertoleadthechange
effort
Attractkeychangeleadersbyshowingenthusiasmand
commitment
Encouragethegrouptoworktogetherasateam
3. Get the Vision Right
Createavisiontohelpdirectthechangeeffort
Developstrategiesforachievingthatvision

4. Communicate for Buy-in

Buildalignmentandengagementthroughstories
Useeveryvehiclepossibletocommunicatethenewvision
andstrategies
Keepcommunicationsimpleandheartfelt
Teachnewbehaviorsbytheexampleoftheguiding
coalition
5. Empowering Action
Removeobstaclestothechange
Changesystemsand/orstructuresthatworkagainstthe
vision
6. Create short term wins
Planforandachievevisibleperformanceimprovements
Recognizeandrewardthoseinvolvedinbringingthe
improvementstolife

7. Do Not Let Up
Planforandcreatevisibleperformance
improvements
Recognizeandrewardpersonnelinvolvedinthe
improvements
Reinforcethebehavioursshownthatledtothe
improvements
8. Make Change Stick
Articulatetheconnectionsbetweenthenew
behaviorsandcorporatesuccess

ActionResearchisaprocesswhichserves
asamodelformostODinterventions.
FrenchandBelldescribeActionResearch
asa "process of systematically
collecting research data about an
ongoing system relative to some
objective, goal, or need of that system;
feeding these data back into the system;
taking actions by altering selected
variables within the system based both
on the data and on; and hypothesis
evaluating the results of actions by
collecting more data."

The steps in Action Research are :

1. Entry-Thisphaseconsistsofmarketing,i.e.finding
needsforchangewithinanorganization.Itisalsothe
timetoquicklygraspthenatureoftheorganization,
identifytheappropriatedecisionmaker,andbuilda
trustingrelationship.
2.Start-up and contracting-Inthisstep,weidentify
criticalsuccessfactorsandtherealissues,linkintothe
organization'scultureandprocesses,andclarifyrolesfor
theconsultant(s)andemployees.Thisisalsothetimeto
dealwithresistancewithintheorganization.Aformalor
informalcontractwilldefinethechangeprocess.
3.Assessment and diagnosis-Herewecollectdatain
ordertofindtheopportunitiesandproblemsinthe
organization.Forsuggestionsaboutwhattolookfor,see
thepreviousarticleinthisseries,onneedsassessment.
Thisisalsothetimefortheconsultanttomakea
diagnosis,inordertorecommendappropriate
interventions.

4. Feedback - Thistwo-wayprocessservestotellthosewhat
wefoundout,basedonananalysisofthedata.Everyone
whocontributedinformationshouldhaveanopportunityto
learnaboutthefindingsoftheassessmentprocess.This
providesanopportunityfortheorganization'speopleto
becomeinvolvedinthechangeprocess,tolearnabouthow
differentpartsoftheorganizationaffecteachother,andto
participateinselectingappropriatechangeinterventions.
5. Action planning - Inthisstepwewilldistill
recommendationsfromtheassessmentandfeedback,
consideralternativeactionsandfocusourinterventionson
activitiesthathavethemostleveragetoeffectpositive
changeintheorganization.Animplementationplanwillbe
developedthatisbasedontheassessmentdata,islogically
organized,results-oriented,measurableandrewarded.We
mustplanforaparticipativedecision-makingprocessforthe
intervention.
6. Intervention - Now,andonlynow,doweactuallycarryout
thechangeprocess.Itisimportanttofollowtheactionplan,
yetremainflexibleenoughtomodifytheprocessasthe
organizationchangesandasnewinformationemerges.

7. Evaluation - SuccessfulODmusthavemade
meaningfulchangesintheperformanceandefficiencyof
thepeopleandtheirorganization.Weneedtohavean
evaluationproceduretoverifythissuccess,identify
needsforneworcontinuingODactivities,andimprove
theODprocessitselftohelpmakefutureinterventions
moresuccessful.
8. Adoption - Afterstepshavebeenmadetochangethe
organizationandplanshavebeenformulated,wefollowupbyimplementingprocessestoinsurethatthisremains
anongoingactivitywithintheorganization,that
commitmentsforactionhavebeenobtained,andthat
theywillbecarriedout.
9. Separation - Wemustrecognizewhenitismore
productivefortheclientandconsultanttoundertake
otheractivities,andwhencontinuedconsultationis
counterproductive.Wealsoshouldplanforfuture
contacts,tomonitorthesuccessofthischangeand
possiblytoplanforfuturechangeactivities.

Case Study
Enhancedteameffectivenesstofacilitategrowthinaleadingfamily-owned

healthcaremanagementconsultingfirm
JeremyS.Lurey,Ph.D.,PlusDeltaConsulting,LLC,
LosAngeles,California

Goals
Furtherdevelopseniorleadership
Implementnewmanagementstructures,HRpolicies,and
businesspracticestobettersupportlocalandremotestaff
Critical Actions
Designedandimplementedcustomizedleadership
developmentprogram;Facilitatedseriesofworkshopson
leadershipskills
Providedone-on-onecoachingandadditionalsupportto
presidentandothermanagementteammembers
Designedandfacilitatedcustomized"ConsultingSkills
101"programtosharestrategiesandtechniquesformanaging
clientprojectsandimprovingteamcommunications
Preparedcompetency-basedperformanceassessmenttoolsfor
evaluatingbothmanagementandprofessionalstaff

Results
Implementednewpoliciesandproceduresto
standardizebusinessoperationsandbetteralign
themwithbestpracticesforremotework
Creatednewstrategiesandestablishedspecific
communicationprotocolsformanagementto
supportandfurtherdeveloplocalaswellas
remotestaff
Enabledfirmtocometogetherasamore
cohesiveunit;positionedthemtotakefuture
actionstoensureongoinggrowthandsuccess

Case Study
HelpedthenewCEOturnaroundasoftwarecompanytopositionitforbusiness
success.
MayaTownsend,Founder,PartneringResources,Cambridge,MA

Goals
Pinpointthecorepurpose,values,andstrategiesforthecompany.Thenew
CEOknewthatturningthecompanyaroundwouldtakemorethanjust
restructuring:Iwantedtolookintrospectivelytodeterminefundamentally
whoweare,whatisimportanttous,andwheredowewanttogo.
Critical Actions
Workbeganwithaplantogettheexecutiveteamtothinkcreativelyabout
thecompanyanditsfuture.
Theexecutiveteamidentifiedthecorepurpose,valuesandstrategyforthe
company.
Realizingthattheentirecompanyneededtoaccepttheirworkinorderto
implementitsuccessfully,theleadershipteamengagedmanagersin
definingactionsneededtoachievethestrategy.
Theleadershipteampresentedtheirworktoallemployeesinanenergized,
creativetownhallmeeting.
Theleadershipteamcascadedthestrategiesthroughtheentireorganization
soallemployeessawhowtheirgoalscontributedtothecorepurposeofthe
company.

Results
SaidtheCEO,Thisinitiativehasbeenanunqualified
success.Wehaveaclearlydefinedstrategyandthe
managementofthecompanyismoreenergizedthan
Iveeverseenthem.Wehavebuiltthefoundationtobe
atrulygreatcompany.