Scribd
Upload
1K views7 pages

Understanding Organizational Development

Organizational development (OD) involves diagnosing organizational health and performance, and an organization's ability to adapt to change. It applies organizational behavior principles and recognizes social processes within an organization. Managers must understand organizational culture, climate, employee commitment, and how to manage conflict and change. OD aims to improve individual, group, and overall organizational performance and effectiveness through intervention strategies. It is a long-term, collaborative effort led by top management to enhance vision, empowerment, learning, and problem-solving using applied behavioral science and action research. OD programs seek to improve motivational climates by influencing employee attitudes, morale, and ultimately performance levels.

Uploaded by

Angelo Aniag Unay
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
1K views7 pages

Understanding Organizational Development

Organizational development (OD) involves diagnosing organizational health and performance, and an organization's ability to adapt to change. It applies organizational behavior principles and recognizes social processes within an organization. Managers must understand organizational culture, climate, employee commitment, and how to manage conflict and change. OD aims to improve individual, group, and overall organizational performance and effectiveness through intervention strategies. It is a long-term, collaborative effort led by top management to enhance vision, empowerment, learning, and problem-solving using applied behavioral science and action research. OD programs seek to improve motivational climates by influencing employee attitudes, morale, and ultimately performance levels.

Uploaded by

Angelo Aniag Unay
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
  • Module 1: Organizational Development: Meaning, Nature, Features
  • Module 2: Organizational Culture, Climate, Conflict, Employee Commitment, Management of Change and Organizational Effectiveness

ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

MODULE 1: Organizational Development: Meaning, Nature, Features

Organizational Development (OD) is concerned with the diagnosis of


organizational health and performance, and the ability of the organization to adapt to
change. It involves the applications of organizational behavior and recognition of the
social processes of the organization. The manager needs to understand the nature and
importance of organizational culture and climate, employee commitment and the
management of organizational conflict and change (mullins,1999).

: [Link]
development/

After going through this module, you should be able to:

1. Explain the meaning, nature and features of OD.


2. Analyze your own organization’s nature/mandate.
3. Present personal analysis of organization’s OD.

1
Meaning of OD
Organizational Development (OD) is a generic term embracing a wide range of
intervention strategies into the social processes of an organization. These intervention
strategies are aimed at the development of individuals, groups, and an organization as a
total system.

French and Bell (1995) offered a comprehensive definition of OD from the lens of
behavioral science. According to them…

Organizational development is a long-term effort, led and supported


by top management, to improve an organization’s visioning,
empowerment, learning and problem-solving processes, through
an on-going, collaborative management of organization culture-
with special emphasis on the culture of intact work teams and
other team configurations-utilizing the consultant-facilitator role and
the theory and technology of applied behavioral science, including
action research.

Nature and Features of OD

In a very general sense, OD is concerned with attempts to improve the overall


performance and effectiveness of an organization. Essentially, it is an applied behavioral
science approach to planned change and the development of an organization.

An organization is made up of people. When one talks about organization


development, it is important to emphasize a pluralistic approach and remember that, in
practice, we are referring to the development and performance of those individuals and
group who comprise the organization.

OD programs also aimed to improve on motivational climate, which consist


employee attitude and morale which influence the level of performance.
2
Activity 1
Meet my Organization

Directions: Analyze your own organization/Institution. Prepare a PowerPoint


presentation and describe the following:
1. physical features (physical plant)
2. mission, vision, and goal/s
3. organizational structure
4. number of employees/departments, divisions

MODULE 2: Organizational Culture, Climate, Conflict, Employee Commitment,


Management of Change and Organizational Effectiveness

Organizational Culture

Organizational culture is the collection of values, expectations, and practices that


guide and inform the actions of all team members. Think of it as the collection of traits
that make your company what it is. A great culture exemplifies positive traits that lead
to improved performance, while a dysfunctional company culture brings out qualities
that can hinder even the most successful organizations. Don’t confuse culture with
organizational goals or a mission statement, although both can help define it. Culture is
created through consistent and authentic behaviors, not press releases or policy
documents. You can watch company culture in action when you see how a CEO
responds to a crisis, how a team adapts to new customer demands, or how a manager
corrects an employee who makes a mistake (Wong, 2021)
3
Organizational Climate

Organizational climate is something that is felt. It has something to do with the


management responsibility in creating an environment in which people are motivated to
work willingly and effectively. Applied to organizations, climate can be said to the
prevailing atmosphere surrounding the organization, to the level of morale, and to the
strength of feelings or belonging, care and goodwill among members.

Climate will influence the attitudes which members of the organization bring to
bear on their work performance and personal relationships. The extent to which
employees accept the culture of the organization will have a significant effect on
climate.

Organizational climate is characterized by the nature of the people-organization


relationship and the superior-subordinate relationship. These relationships are
determined by interactions among goals and objectives, formal structure, the process of
management, styles of leadership, and the behavior of the people.

Employee Commitment

Among the factors which contribute to a healthy organizational climate, high


morale and motivation, is the extent to which all members of staff have a sense of
commitment to the organization. The extent of their commitment will have a major
influence on the level of work performance.

Organizational Conflict

Conflict in an organization may be related to power and politics. Conflicts can be

4
seen as a behavior intended to obstruct the achievement of some other person’s goals.
Conflict is based on the incompatibility of goals and arises from opposing behaviors. It
can be viewed from personal, group or institutional/organizational level. The common
sources of conflicts are:

 differences in perception
 limited resources
 departmentalization and specialization
 the nature of work activities
 role conflict
 inequitable treatment
 violation of territory
 environmental change

Management of Organizational Change

The effective management of change must be based on a clear understanding of


human behavior at work. Most people are not detached from their work but experience
a range of emotional involvements through their membership in the organization.

One of the most important factors in the successful implementation of


organizational change is the style of managerial behavior. In most cases, the
introduction of change is more likely to be effective with a participative style of
managerial behavior. If staff are fully informed of proposals, are encouraged to adopt a
positive attitude and have a personal involvement in the implementation of the change,
there is a greater likelihood of their acceptance of the change.
5
Organizational Effectiveness

It is important for management to adopt a clearly defined strategy for the


ionization of the change, including attentions to style of managerial behavior and the
human and social factors of change. The successful management of change is the key
factor of organizational effectiveness and should emanate from the top of the
organization.

6
Activity 2

Insights

Directions: In not more than 500 words, write a reflection on the sharing of your
classmates of their own organizations’ culture, climate, conflict, employee commitment,
management of organizational change, and organizational effectiveness.

Common questions

Powered by AI

Organizational culture and climate are interrelated, with culture being the underlying values, expectations, and practices that define an organization, while climate is the tangible atmosphere that affects how these cultural aspects are experienced by employees. Together, they create a work environment that can either motivate or demotivate employees, depending on the alignment between individual values and organizational practices. A positive culture and climate boost employee morale and performance, while misalignment can hinder productivity .

The management of organizational change significantly impacts an organization's effectiveness by adopting participative managerial behavior and involving staff in change implementation. When employees are well-informed and encouraged to engage positively with change proposals, acceptance and success are more likely. A clear strategy focusing on managerial style and human factors can enhance the organization's ability to adapt efficiently .

Differentiating between organizational culture and mission or goals is essential because culture encompasses the shared values and behaviors that shape day-to-day interactions and decisions, whereas mission and goals define specific business objectives. Culture is observable through consistent and authentic actions and often influences how well an organization can achieve its stated mission and goals .

Organizational development (OD) leverages behavioral science principles to enhance an organization's visioning, empowerment, learning, and problem-solving processes. It focuses on the collaborative management of organizational culture, particularly fostering positive cultures within intact work teams. This approach involves applying action research and intervention strategies in social processes to develop individuals, groups, and the organization as a whole. It is a long-term effort supported by top management .

Team configurations are integral to organizational development by focusing on how intact teams interact and perform to achieve organizational objectives. By emphasizing the development of team mechanisms, roles, and processes, organizations can enhance communication, collaboration, and problem-solving capabilities, leading to improved performance and alignment with strategic goals. These configurations support the broader aim of OD to adapt and grow continuously .

Employee commitment is crucial in shaping a positive organizational climate, as committed employees tend to exhibit higher morale and motivation, contributing to a more engaging and productive atmosphere. Management can foster commitment by recognizing achievements, providing opportunities for growth, ensuring fair treatment, and aligning organizational goals with employees' personal values and aspirations .

Limited resources can act as a source of conflict because they necessitate competition among departments or individuals for allocation. This can lead to disputes over prioritization and fairness. Organizations can manage such conflict by implementing clear policies on resource distribution, fostering transparency, encouraging cooperative behaviors, and using consensus-building approaches to make allocation decisions that align with overall organizational priorities .

Differences in perception lead to organizational conflict when individuals or groups have incompatible interpretations of goals or situations, often due to diverse backgrounds or information asymmetries. These perceptual variances can cause misunderstandings and obstruct collaborative efforts. Conflict mitigation strategies include open dialogue, shared goal-setting, and fostering an inclusive environment where diverse viewpoints are valued and integrated into decision-making processes .

A dysfunctional organizational culture negatively impacts employee performance by fostering a demotivating environment characterized by low morale, misalignment with organizational values, and resistance to collaboration. It can hinder an organization's success by creating barriers to innovation, reducing efficiency, and increasing turnover rates. Addressing cultural dysfunction requires management to instigate systemic changes and reinforce positive behaviors and values .

Effective management of change can enhance organizational effectiveness by ensuring that change initiatives are aligned with strategic goals and involve human and social factors comprehension. Top management plays a critical role by setting a clear vision, communicating openly with stakeholders, and leading by example to gain buy-in from employees. Their support is vital to creating a culture that embraces change and continually seeks improvement .

ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT MODULE 1: Organizational Development: Meaning, Nature, Features Organizational Development (OD)
Meaning of OD Organizational Development (OD) is a generic term embracing a wide range of intervention strategies into the so
Activity 1 Meet my Organization Directions: Analyze your own organization/Institution. Prepare a PowerPoint presentation and
Organizational Climate Organizational climate is something that is felt. It has something to do with the management responsib
seen as a behavior intended to obstruct the achievement of some other person’s goals. Conflict is based on the incompatibilit
Organizational Effectiveness It is important for management to adopt a clearly defined strategy for the ionization of the cha
Activity 2 Insights Directions: In not more than 500 words, write a reflection on the sharing of your classmates of their ow

You might also like