Page 7 - DMGT520_ORGANIZATION_CHANGE_AND_DEVELOPMENT

Organization Change and Development

Notes Organisational Development (OD) comprises of a special set of organisational change methods.
It is a planned, systematic process of organisational change based on behavioral science research
and theory. The goal of OD is to create adaptive organisations capable of transforming and
reinvesting themselves so as to remain effective. OD draws from psychology, sociology and
anthropology. It is based on many well established principles regarding the behavior of
individuals and groups in the organisations.
What was earlier popularly known as Organisation Development (OD) is currently christened
as Organisational Change and Development (OCD), though such label is widely used in the
academic institutions, primarily to focus on the changes the organisations are expected to embrace
and their role as “drivers of change.”
The field of OCD emerged as an independent discipline in the late 1950s. Taking “insights from
group dynamics and the theory and practice of planned change,” it has grown as an applied
behavioral science used effectively to solve the critical problems confronting the various facets
and dynamics which are both internal and external to organisations today.

Notes OD involves organisational reflection, system improvement, planning, and self-
analysis.

In other words, it is the planned change to a company to enable growth (or change) in an
effective way Relative to consulting.

At the core of OD is the concept of an organisation, defined as two or more people working
together toward one or more shared goals. Development in this context is the notion that an
organisation may become more effective over time at achieving its goals. OD is a long range
effort to improve organisation’s problem solving and renewal processes, particularly through
more effective and collaborative management of organisational culture, often with the assistance
of a change agent or catalyst and the use of the theory and technology of applied behavioral
science.

1.1 Definition of Organization Development

Organisation development is a system-wide application of behavioral science knowledge to the
planned development and reinforcement of organisational strategies, structures, and processes
for improving an organisation’s effectiveness. (Cummings and Worley, Organisation Development
and Change, Sixth Edition, South-Western Publishing, 1997, p.2.)

 Organisation development, according to Richard Beckhard, is defined as:
 A planned effort
 Organisation-wide

 Managed from the top
 To increase organisation effectiveness and health
 Through planned interventions in the organisation’s ‘processes’, using behavioral
science knowledge.
 According to Warren Bennis, Organisation Development (OD) is a complex strategy
intended to change the beliefs, attitudes, values, and structure of organisations so that
they can better adapt to new technologies, markets, and challenges.

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