A Blueprint for Optimal OD
An
Organization Development Model for Good Form and Function
By
Brenda Barker
Queen’s University Industrial Relations Centre
It
is a simple truth that people have an organic connection to
the space in which they live and work. No matter how hard a
host may try to steer his or her guests to the formal living
room, everyone eventually ends up in the kitchen, and as they
do, the real party begins. The kitchen is where the action is,
and whether we are at a house party or our workplace, we all
need to be within our own centre of action. Because people
live and work in what is created, we at the Queen’s
Industrial Relations Centre have adopted the concept of
organizational architecture to define the art and practice of
“organization development.” Architecture encourages us to
think about how form follows function, and how function
follows form.
Organization
development is the art and practice of designing organizations
that give people the edge in creating and implementing winning
strategies; through relationships, structures and process,
leadership, and learning.
With
continuous change in our external environment driving
continuous change within, organizations built on the
principles of scientific management — with steep
hierarchies, centralized authority, transactional leadership,
and narrowly defined jobs — are hopelessly outdated. Their
rigid structures and boundaries act as barriers that limit the
types of interaction and learning that need to occur to create
and implement great strategy. People cannot find the kitchen,
so to speak; the master chef is disconnected from his or her
guests, and they from each other.
Does
your organization’s architecture enhance the way people work
together, or does it create barriers that block people from
communicating, partnering, learning, leading, or following?
The role of the OD professional is to help clients ask and
answer these important questions. Just like the architect
begins with a clear understanding of the client’s functional
requirements, the OD practitioner begins with the
organization’s North Star, its strategy. Next, architects
provide a high-level blueprint to define how each room will
interact with the whole. Similarly, the OD practitioner works
with the client group to identify the key strategic
capabilities required and then to design useful structures,
systems, roles, and relationships. Each element impacts the
whole. When the elements are aligned, great spaces are born.
What
are the tools of the OD trade? The OD practitioner’s work is
guided by a set of powerful questions designed to discover the
needs of the users. The toolkit includes a theory map or
diagnostic lens that guides the practitioner’s questions, an
action research consulting process for partnering with the
client group, and a battery of powerful techniques to create
suitable interventions. Depending on the type of intervention
planned, outcomes could include increased productivity,
improved communications, redefined internal partnerships,
realigned systems to support strategy, or enhanced leadership
effectiveness.
This
work is accomplished with the following principles:
Collaboration:
OD practitioners partner with the client to generate data,
analyse the data, and develop workable solutions.
Group
as the main unit of change:
Activities focus on group development and function rather than
on individual development.
Systems
thinking: Much attention is
paid to how stakeholders of the planned change are involved
and consulted. Both horizontal and vertical collaboration for
exploring possibilities and creating preferred futures are
emphasized.
Multiple
paths: OD uses a variety of
methodologies designed to help the organization develop. The
emphasis is on variety; there is no one best way to intervene.
Action
research methodology:
Practitioners partner with clients to collect and analyse data
and create interventions to accomplish the client’s goals.
Data are collected through interviews, focus groups, surveys,
observations, review of historical material, and other
methods. The data are then analyzed and presented to the
client group so that a shared diagnosis can be generated.
Interventions are developed in cooperation with the client.
Intervention
expertise: The practitioner as
facilitator designs activities in collaboration with the
client to improve organizational functioning, such as team
building, partnering, conflict handling, and coaching.
Diagnostic
framework: The practitioner is
aided by a theory map of how effective organizations work.
This map provides a starting place for diagnosis and helps the
practitioner be mindful of the entire system.
What
does this mean for HR professionals? To continue to add real
value, HR practitioners must sharpen their pencils and become
architects. We do this by understanding the concepts and
learning the skills involved in designing organizations to
leverage inherent strengths, not stifle them. Focus on the
organization’s people and processes. View it as a series of
interrelated systems (or rooms). Develop consulting guidelines
using the action learning process. And employ change processes
that involve all stakeholders to build real commitment.
Build
an inviting home away from home, and see innovation flourish.
Copyright
2003 Industrial Relations Centre, Queen’s University,
Canada.
