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).
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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.
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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.
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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)
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
