Page 75 - DMGT520_ORGANIZATION_CHANGE_AND_DEVELOPMENT

Organization Change and Development

Notes 5.1.2 Planning Strategy for Change

When the problems are diagnosed the OD practitioner-either consultant or management but
preferably consultant-plans the various courses of action in OD. Attempts are made to transform
diagnosis of the problem into a proper action plan involving the overall goals for change,
determination of the basic approach for attaining these goals, and the sequence of detailed
scheme for implementing the approach. Although it is a relatively simple matter to identify
changes after they have occurred. It is considerably more difficult to influence the direction
thrust of changes while they are under way. Thus planning and implementation of change are
interdependent; the way in which change is planned has an impact on the way in which it is
carried out and conversely the problems of implementing change have an impact on the way in
which it is planned.

5.1.3 Intervening in the System

Intervening in the system refers to implementation of the planned activities during the course
of an OD programme. These planned activities bring certain changes in the system which is the
basic objective of OD. There may be various methods through which external consultant
intervenes in the system such as education and laboratory training, process consultation, team
development, etc. which will be discussed later.

5.1.4 Evaluation and Making Modifications

This step relates to evaluate the results of OD programme so that suitable actions may be
followed up. Since OD is a long process. There is an urgent need for careful monitoring to get
precise feedback regarding what is going on as soon as an OD programme starts. In this respect
the use of critique sessions. Systematic appraisal of change efforts and pre- and post-training
behavioral pattern are quite effective. This step again involves data gathering because such data
will provide the basis for OD efforts evaluation and suggest suitable modification or continuation
of OD efforts in similar direction. All parties concerned in OD programme need to realise that if
major organisational improvements are to be made and sustained, managerial practices with
respect to many subsystems will need to be modified if these practices are not congruent with
the OD efforts because there exists the possibility of slip back and regression to old behavioral
pattern if adequate changes in other parts integrating behavioral change are not made. In the
event of achievement complete success, it has to be ensured that client team is competent enough
to maintain the changed system without the support of the consultant, as there is tendency
among organisation to revert to their original states. Consultant can withdraw in this stage.
OD, practitioners, both internal and external consultants may counsel decision makers on an
individual basis, work to improve working relationships among the members of working
relationships among the members of the working group or team, work to improve relationship
among interacting an interdependent organisational groups; and gather attitudinal data
throughout the organisation and feed this data back to selected individuals and groups who use
this information as a basis for planning and making desired improvements.

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:
1. Blake and Mouton provide ……………............ steps in OD programmes.
2. In ……………………. various steps may be problem identification and diagnosis, planning
change strategy intervening in the system and evaluation.

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