Module 5

Strategies for Team building and OD

Notes

Course Outcome (CO) 5

Students should be able to apply various OD Intervention tools under given situation.

MBA Semester 4
Course –
Topics Covered
1. Concept of OD
2. Process of OD
3. OD Interventions
4. Experiential learning methodologies-T-group sensitivity training
5. encounter groups, appreciative enquiry

Concept of OD :
Team Dyanamics (Module 5) – Compiled by Prof. Kanchan Tiwari 1
Concept:

Development is a continuous process and it accommodates in itself many changes that occur in science and
technology, economic, market, political environment, education, knowledge, values, attitude and behaviour of
people, culture etc. Organisation development is a part of overall development in general. It cannot remain
unaffected by the developmental process. The organisation has to change the beliefs, values and its structure
to accommodate the new ideas, beliefs and new technologies for progress.

This is very essential. The organisation must respond to changes. So that it can face the challenges ahead. The
management of human resources depends upon organisational effectiveness. Human resources form the
main plank of any organisation. Humans are affected by change. Organisation development accommodates
and incorporates variety of planned changes based on humanistic democratic values, technology that are
sought to improve the effectiveness of organisation and well being of its employees.

Definition-

Organizational process that helps organizations build

their development is a critical developing, improving, and and
capacity science-based reinforcing
strategies, structures, and to change and achieve
processes. greater effectiveness by

There are a few elements in this definition that stand out.

• Critical and science-based process. OD is an evidence-based and structured process. It is not about trying
something out and seeing what happens. It is about using scientific findings as input and creating a structured
and controlled process in which assumptions are tested. Lastly, it is about testing if the outcomes reflect the
intention of the intervention.
• Build capacity to change and achieve greater effectiveness. Organizational development is aimed at
organizational effectiveness. It, therefore, has a number of (business) outcomes. These can differ between
organizations, but usually, they do include financial performance, customer satisfaction, organizational
member engagement, and an increased capacity to adapt and renew the organization. These are not always
clear-cut. Sometimes it is about building a competitive advantage, in whichever way we define that. We will
explore these outcomes later in this article
• Developing, improving, and reinforcing strategies, structures, and processes. The last part of our definition
states that organizational development applies to changes in strategy, structure, and/or processes. This
implies a system-approach, where we focus on an entire organizational system. This can include the full
organization, one or more locations, or a single department.

According to Dale S. Beach, organisation development (OD) is, “a complex educational strategy designed
to increase organisational effectiveness and wealth through planned intervention by a consultant using
theory and techniques of applied behavioural service.”

According to J I Porras and P J Robertson, Organisational Development, “is a term used to encompass a
collection of planned change interventions, built on humanistic democratic values, that seek to improve
organisational effectiveness and employee well being.”
According to George R. Terry, “Organisational development includes efforts to improve results by getting
the best from employees, individually and as members of working groups.”

Team Dyanamics (Module 5) – Compiled by Prof. Kanchan Tiwari 2

As per Werren G. Bennis, Organisation Development is, “a complex educational strategy intended to
change the beliefs, attitudes, values and structure of organisations so that they can better adapt to new
technologies, markets and challenges and the dizzying rate of change itself.”

Organisation is an open system and therefore must develop itself by adopting various changes to meet
the challenges thrown out by the constantly changing environment.

OD incorporates various changes and accordingly takes up management development and training
programmes to cope up with the situation.

Organisation development takes the help of social sciences such as psychology and sociology and
anthropology. A continuous research and theory building is the crux for OD because it concerns with
people.

Process of OD;
The seven major steps in the organisational development process, i.e,

(1) Initial Diagnosis, (2) Data Collection, (3) Data Feedback, (4) Planning Strategy, (5) Intervention, (6) Team
Building, and (7) Evaluation.

1. Initial Diagnosis of the Problem:

Team Dyanamics (Module 5) – Compiled by Prof. Kanchan Tiwari 3

In the first step, the management should try to find out an overall view of the situation to find the real
problem. Top management should meet the consultants and the experts to determine the type of programme
that is needed. In the first stage only, the consultants will meet various persons in the organisation and
interview them to collect some information.

2. Data Collection:

In this stage, the consultant will make the surveys to determine the climate of the organisation and the
behavioural problems of the employees.

The consultant will meet groups of people away from their work environment to get some answers to
the questions such as:

(i) What specific job conditions contribute most to their job effectiveness?

(ii) What kind of conditions interferes with their job effectiveness?

(iii) What changes would they like to make in the working of the organisation?

3. Data Feedback and Confrontation:

The data which has been collected in the second step will be given to the work groups, who will be
assigned the job of reviewing the data. Any areas of disagreement will be mediated among themselves
only and priorities will be established for change.

3. Planning Strategy for Change:

In this stage, the consultant will suggest the strategy for change. He will attempt to transform diagnosis
of the problem into a proper action plan involving the overall goals for change, determination of basic
approach for attaining these goals and the sequence of detailed scheme for implementing the approach.

4. Intervening in the System:

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

5. Team Building:

During the entire process, the consultant encourages the groups to examine how they work together. The
consultant will educate them about the value of free communication and trust as essentials for group
functioning. The consultant can have team managers and their subordinates to work together as a team
in OD sessions to further encourage team building. Following the development of small groups, there
may be development among larger groups comprising several teams.

6. Evaluation:

OD is a very long process. So there is a great need for careful monitoring to get precise feedback
regarding what is going on after the OD programme starts. This will help in making suitable modifications

Team Dyanamics (Module 5) – Compiled by Prof. Kanchan Tiwari 4

whenever necessary. For evaluation of OD programme, the use of critique sessions, appraisal of change
efforts and comparison of pre and post training behavioural patterns are quite effective.

OD Interventions:
Organizational Development (OD) Interventions are structured program designed to solve a problem,
thus enabling an organization to achieve the goal. These intervention activities are designed to improve
the organization’s functioning and enable managers and leaders to better manage their team and
organization cultures.

These OD interventions are required to address the issues that an organization might be facing ranging
from process, performance, knowledge, skill, will, technology, appraisal, career development, attrition,
top talent retention and the list can actually be pretty exhaustive.

There are 3 types of interventions that an organization should be able to identify and plan to implement.

1. Individual : Interventions pertaining to an individual.

2. Group : Interventions pertaining to a group.

3. Organization : Interventions related to the organization’s strategy and policy.

An organization should be able to identify the kind of OD intervention required. Once the intervention is
identified the organization should then plan to address or eradicate the issue at hand in an effective
manner. Below mentioned are the OD intervention process that an organization should have to address
any intervention.

1. Entering and Contracting: Here we establish the fact that yes we do require OD intervention to
address an issue.

2. Diagnosis : In this process we identify the intervention and establish the root cause of the issue.

3. Designing Intervention : In this process we design the approach to address the issue or intervene to
sort the issue out and bring value to business.

4. Leading and Managing Change : Here we establish a focus group with management buy in and
implement the designed intervention. OD intervention is a structured programme driven from top to
bottom.

5. Evaluating and Institutionalizing Interventions: Here we evaluate the course of actions implemented
and see if we are on track or if we need to re-design the approach so that the objective if met.

There are 4 buckets in which the OD intervention process can be bundled together.

1. Human Process : Human process related activities are tagged under this group viz. a.

Job Analysis.

b. Team Building Activities.

2. Strategic : Activities related to organizational strategies and policies are grouped under this bucket.

3. Human Resource Management : Human resource related activities are grouped under this bucket
viz.

a. Reward and Recognition.

Team Dyanamics (Module 5) – Compiled by Prof. Kanchan Tiwari 5
b. Appraisal.

c. Career Development.

4. Techno-structural : Activities related to technology or where technology is related are tagged under
this bucket.

Conclusion : These are some of the aspects of Organizational Development Interventions and the
effective mechanism to identify and address the issues at hand. These interventions are unavoidable in
totality, however a vigilant and matured organization should be able to apprehend the issue much
before it erupts off on bigger scale and should be able to address at the very initial stage when it can be
done with minimum efforts. The cost of negligence can have adverse impact in terms of cost, wide
spread agitation resulting in to image, reputation, and delivery and branding loss.

Experiential learning methodologies-T-group sensitivity training:

Experiential Learning (learning by doing)

Experiential learning methodology is a well-known model in education, training, facilitation, coaching and
organizational development.

Experiential learning is an immersive, participant focused active approach to learning that engages learners of all
ages, backgrounds and experience levels.

Experiential learning focuses on practical application of knowledge and skills to real-world experiences to
further increase learner's knowledge and develop competence in skills and behaviors.

It is effectively used in schools, higher education, therapy, corporate training and other areas for
educational learning, personal development and skills building.

The basic model of experiential learning cycle is "Do –Reflect- Decide".

Team Dyanamics (Module 5) – Compiled by Prof. Kanchan Tiwari 6

Importance of Experiential Learning
• Makes learning relatable to participants: Participants build on what they already know and are provided
with opportunities to make connections between new concepts and existing ones.

• Increases the effectiveness of learning: Participants engage in critical thinking, acquire problem solving skills
and engage in decision making.

• Links theory to practice: Participants have the chance to engage in the experience and practice what they
have learned, see the application of the theoretical concepts in practice, process that application and make
generalizations.

• Increases Participants’ engagement: by encouraging collaboration and scaffolding between learners.

• Assists in memory retention: by building strong relationships between feelings and thinking processes.
Participants have the capacity to learn successfully when the information is associated with values and
feelings.

• Leads to development of skills for lifelong learning: by assisting in the acquisition of essential skills and
encouraging Participants to reflect, conceptualize, and plan for next steps.

• Types of Experiential Learning:

• 1. T-group sensitivity training: One highly effective experiential training strategy to
enhance employee self-awareness and confidence is sensitivity training. The objective is to design
activities that help learners appreciate how others (peers, managers, customers) see them. As a result,
workers become equipped with the skills and knowledge of how to deal with others more
appropriately.

•
•
•

Team Dyanamics (Module 5) – Compiled by Prof. Kanchan Tiwari 7

 • A T-group or training group (sometimes also referred to as sensitivity-training group, human
relations training group or encounter group) is a form of group training where participants (typically
between eight and fifteen people) learn about themselves (and about small group processes in
general) through their interaction with each other. They use feedback, problem solving, and role play
to gain insights into themselves, others, and groups.
• Sensitivity training is defined as an unorganized meeting that is held between a few members
away from their workplace to gain a better insight into their own as well as the behavior of others.
• It makes people aware of the dynamics of interaction as well as the goals and prejudices of
their own and others.
• Procedure of Sensitivity Training
• Sensitivity Training Program requires three steps:
• 1. Unfreezing the old values -
It requires that the trainees become aware of the inadequacy of the old values. This can be done when the
trainee faces dilemma in which his old values is not able to provide proper guidance. The first step consists of
a small procedure:

 An unstructured group of 10-15 people is formed.

 Unstructured group without any objective looks to the trainer for its guidance
 But the trainer refuses to provide guidance and assume leadership
 Soon, the trainees are motivated to resolve the uncertainty
 Then, they try to form some hierarchy. Some try assume leadership role which may not be liked by
other trainees
 Then, they started realizing that what they desire to do and realize the alternative ways of dealing
with the situation

Development of new values -

With the trainer's support, trainees begin to examine their interpersonal behavior and giving each other
feedback. The reasoning of the feedbacks are discussed which motivates trainees to experiment with
range of new behaviors and values. This process constitutes the second step in the change process of the
development of these values.

3. Refreezing the new ones -

This step depends upon how much opportunity the trainees get to practice their new behaviors and
values at their work place.
In one way Sensitivity training is the process of developing emotional intelligence, which means "the
mental ability an individual possesses enabling him or her to be sensitive and understanding to the
emotions of others as well as being able to manage their own emotions and impulses".

Emotional intelligence, "describes the ability, capacity, skill or, in the case of the trait, to identify, assess,
and manage the emotions of one's self, of others, and of groups."].

Conflicts and misunderstandings are mostly raised because of lack of emotional intelligence possessed by
the person which leads to breakup in perception and relationship they main since long time in
organization and effects the productivity of the organization.

The benefits of sensitivity training is

Team Dyanamics (Module 5) – Compiled by Prof. Kanchan Tiwari 8

 It creates a better interpersonal relationship between a group leads to
a better understanding of the sensitivity training meetings
Diversity • Helps individuals to get an insight into others so that they could observe, learn and rectify
their behavior
• Educates members of the sensitivity group about constructive and correct emotional actions and behavioral
pattern
• Sensitivity training encourages the concept of interaction and sharing between individuals
• Improvement in the ability to analyze and rectify own behaviorIncreased awareness of own feelings, actions,
and its impact on others. He becomes more sensitive to the feelings of others and tries to change his behavior
accordingly so that he does not cause any harm to the well-being of others
A gradual change in attitude and thinking
• In several cases, an individual joins a sensitivity training group following some negative experience
in his life. This method helps to overcome the negative impacts and once again walk towards a positive and
happy environment. AA meetings- Alcoholic Anonymous. To overcome addiction.

Examples of sensitivity training

David is in the habit of cracking jokes at everyone’s . He fails to realize that sometimes he is
crossing the line and expense hurting others, although .
unintentionally
One day he did so with his superior who instead of reprimanding him
for it asked him to attend the sensitivity training meeting on a
compulsory basis for at least three months.

As it was a direct order, David had to attend those meetings on a regular basis and maintain a diary to
evaluate them. After three months, he was surprised to see a positive change in himself and had to
accept that the sensitivity training meetings had been a good influence on him.

2. Encounter groups:

ENCOUNTER GROUPS were nontraditional attempts at psychotherapy that offered short-term treatment
for members without serious psychiatric problems. These groups were also known as sensitivity (or
sensory) awareness groups and training groups (or T-groups). The use of continual feedback,
participation, and observation by the group encouraged the analysis and interpretation of their problems.
Example : An encounter group of Alcohol Addicts can be formed to address their addiction and get
positive results.

3. Appreciative Inquiry:

Appreciative Inquiry is an approach to organizational change which focuses on strengths rather than on
weaknesses - quite different to many approaches to evaluation which focus on deficits and problems.

"Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a group process that inquires into, identifies and further develops the best of
“what is” in organizations in order to create a better future. Often used in the organization development
field as an approach to large-scale change, it is a means for addressing issues, challenges, changes and
concerns of an organization in ways that builds on the successful, effective and energizing experiences of
its members. Underlying AI is a belief that the questions we ask are critical to the world we create."

Team Dyanamics (Module 5) – Compiled by Prof. Kanchan Tiwari 9

Example: A group of employees being trained for a new skill by focusing on their existing strengths.

Team Dyanamics (Module 5) – Compiled by Prof. Kanchan Tiwari 10