Page 20 - DMGT520_ORGANIZATION_CHANGE_AND_DEVELOPMENT

Unit 1: Introduction to Organisation Development

Notes
Critics of Mr. Sen’s return to basic argue that the modernization attempts were necessary
to position the company for global competition and faster reaction to competition in
several of its catalog lines. Its return to growth occurred primarily in acquisition and new
specially catalog lines and not in the main catalog for which it was so famous. Mr. Sen has
put further acquisition and global expansion on hold as he concentrates on the core
businesses. Employees say that they have fewer meetings and more time to do their work.
Questions
1. How would you characterize the two sets of changes made at Sea Side? Which set of
change is really modernization?
2. How did the change processes differ?
3. How do you think employees will view future attempts to change Sea Side?

1.7 Summary

 Organisation development is a contractual relationship between a change agent and a
sponsoring organisation entered into for the purpose of using applied behavioral science
in a systems context to improve organisational performance and the capacity of the
organisation to improve itself.

 Organisation Development (OD) is one of the most significant developments in the field
of organisational behavior in recent years. OD began to evolve as a distinct field of study
in the 1940s when behavioral scientists in the US and Britain made efforts to resolve
problems facing modern organisations.
 OD has been defined in different ways by different behavioral scientists and applies the
knowledge and practice of behavioral science to improve the effectiveness of organisations.
 OD has four prominent approaches: laboratory training, survey research and feedback,
action research, and sociological and socio technical approaches.

 The field of OD rests on foundation of values and assumptions about people and
organisations. The beliefs help to define what OD is and guide its implementations.

 The OD values were considered revolutionary and are widely accepted today.
1.8 Keywords

Change Agent: A behavioral scientist who knows how to get people in an organisation involved
in solving their own problems.
Organisation Development (OD): A planned approach to improve employee and organisational
effectiveness.

1.9 Review Questions

1. Describe organisation development in terms of its characteristics as a valid tool for bringing
about change within the organisation.
2. Discuss briefly the history of OD.
3. Discuss the implications of values, assumptions and beliefs in OD.
4. Describe the role of change agent in the process of OD.

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