Page 67 - DMGT520_ORGANIZATION_CHANGE_AND_DEVELOPMENT

Organization Change and Development

Notes data as a breach of ethics in OD also may occur in two other ways. It may occur when data
are distorted, deleted or not reported by either the client system or the change agent, or
when data are used to assess persons or groups, punitively, resulting in personal,
professional, or organisational harm. Data concerning personality traits, career interest
and market information are frequent examples.
3. Withholding of Services: An important practical issue for OD consultants is whether or not
a practitioner is justified in unilaterally withholding services from an organisation or
department in need. Lippitt suggests that the real question is the following: Assuming
that some kind of change is going to occur anyway, doesn’t the consultant have a
responsibility to try to guide the change in the most constructive fashion possible (Lippitt,
1969)? The question may be of greater importance and relevance to an internal consultant
or to a consultant who already has an ongoing relationship with the client.
Argyris takes an even stronger stand, maintaining that responsibilities of professional
OD consultants to clients are comparable to those of lawyers or physicians, who, in
principle are not permitted to refuse their services. He suggests that the very least the
consultant can do is to provide “first aid” to the organisation as long as the assistance does
not compromise the consultants values, (Argyris, 1961).
4. Client Dependency: One of the dilemmas facing the practitioner is caused by the helping
relationship, which creates a condition of dependency. Those who need help are dependent
on the helpers. Thus, the client can either be counterdependent or overdependent, especially
in the early stages of the relationship. There are a number of possible actions a practitioner
can take. One is to openly and explicitly discuss with the client how to handle the
dependency problem, especially what is expected of one another. Another approach is to
focus on problem finding. Usually, the client is looking for a solution to a perceived
problem. The consultant can redirect the energy to improved joint diagnosis and ensure
that both work jointly on problem identification and solving. This action moves the
energy of the client away from dependency.
The practitioner can also openly discuss the tension that will arise between the need for
access by the consultant to a large number of people and groups and the power that such
information and data will engender. Finally, the dependency can be reduced by changing
the client’s expectations from being helped or controlled by the practitioner to a greater
focus on the need to manage the problem.

Notes Client Dependency can help to reinforce that the consultant is working for the
client, and offering assistance that is at the clients’ discretion.
5. Choosing to Participate: People should have the freedom to choose to participate in OD
interventions if they are to gain self-reliance to solve their own problems. In team building,
for example, team members should help decide whether they want to become involved in
the intervention. Management should not unilaterally decide team building is good for
members. However, freedom to make a choice implies knowledge about OD. Many
organisation members have little information about OD interventions, what they involve,
and the nature and consequences of becoming involved with them.

Example: Some people have been coerced to join T – groups and then become victims of
manipulation and other subtle tactics that forced them to speak against their will.

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