OD INTERVENTIONS What is an OD Intervention?
The term Intervention refers to a set of sequenced, planned actions or events intended to help an organization to increase its effectiveness. Interventions purposely disrupt the status quo; they are deliberate attempts to change an organization or sub-unit toward a different and more effective state.
OVERVIEW OF OD INTERVENTIONS The diagram in the following page summarizes the more popular OD interventions classified under different categories. The X mark indicates the target/s at which the interventions are aimed.
ORGANIZATIONAL INTERVENTION
OD intervention at different level of organization: a) Individual b) Group c) Organizational level
ORGANISATION LEVEL
Human process Human Resource Management Strategic Techno-structure
Human Process
the following Intervention deal are: a) Organizational confrontation meetings. b) Intergroup relation c) Large group intervention d) Grid organization development.
Organization confrontation meeting
organization members to identify problems, set action targets, and begin working on problems. It is usually applied when organizations are experiencing stress and when management needs to organize resources for immediate problem solving. The intervention generally includes various groupings of employees in identifying and solving problems.
Inter group relation
These interventions are designed to improve interactions among different groups or departments in organizations. The microcosm group intervention involves a small group of people whose backgrounds closely match the organizational problems being addressed. This group addresses the problem and develops means to solve it. The Intergroup conflict model typically involves a consultant helping two groups understand the causes of their conflict and choose appropriate solutions.
Large group intervention
These interventions involve getting abroad variety of stakeholders into a large meeting to clarify important values, to develop new ways of working, to articulate a new vision for the organization, or to solve pressing organizational problems. Such meetings are powerful tools for creating awareness of organizational problems and opportunities and for specifying valued directions for future action.
Grid organization development
This normative intervention specifies a particular way to manage an organization. It is packaged OD program that includes standardized instruments for measuring organizational practices and specific procedures for helping organizations to achieve the prescribed approach.
Strategic
These interventions link the internal functioning of the organization to the larger environment and transform the organization to keep pace with changing conditions. These interventions are amongst the newest additions to OD interventions. They are implemented organization-wide and bring about a fit between business strategy, structure, culture and the larger environment.
Strategic Intervention
Learning and knowledge management. Self design organization. cultural change. Merge & acquisition integration. Trans-organization development.
Learning and knowledge management
This intervention describes two interrelated change processes: organization learning (OL), which seeks to enhance an organizations capability to acquire and develop new knowledge; and knowledge management (KM), which focuses on how that knowledge can be organized and used to improve organization performance. These interventions move the organization beyond solving existing problems so as to become capable of continuous improvement.
Self design organization
This change program helps organizations gain the capacity to alter themselves fundamentally. It is a highly participative process, involving multiple stakeholders in setting strategic directions and designing and implementing appropriate structures and processes. Organizations learn how to design and implement their own strategic changes.
Cultural change
This intervention helps organizations to develop cultures (behaviors, values, beliefs and norms) appropriate to their strategies and environments. It focuses on developing a strong organization culture to keep organization members pulling in the same direction.
Merger and Acquisition Integration
This intervention describes how OD practitioners can assist two or more organizations to form a new entity. Addressing key strategic leadership and cultural issues prior to the legal and financial transaction helps to smooth operational integration.
Trans organization development
This intervention helps organizations to enter into alliances, partnerships and joint ventures to perform tasks or solve problems that are too complex for single organizations to resolve. It helps organizations recognize the need for partnerships and develop appropriate structures for implementing them.
Techno-Structural Interventions
These interventions deal with an organizations technology (for examples its task methods and job design) and structure (for example, division of labor and hierarchy). These methods are becoming popular in OD because of the growing problems relating to productivity and organizational effectiveness. These interventions are rooted in the disciplines of engineering, sociology, and psychology and in the applied fields of socio-technical systems and organization design. Consultants place emphasis both on productivity and human fulfillment.
Techno-structural intervention
Parallel structure Downsizing Re-engineering Structural design High involvement TQM
Parallel structure
This intervention involves members in resolving ill-defined, complex problems and build adaptability into bureaucratic organizations. Also known as collateral structures, Dualistic structures or shadow structures, parallel structures operate in conjunction with the formal organization. They provide members with an alternative setting in which to address problems and to propose innovative solutions free from the formal organization structure and culture. For example, members may attend periodic off-site meetings to explore ways to improve quality in their work area or they may be temporarily assigned to a special project of facility to devise new products or solutions to organizational problems. Parallel structures facilitate problem solving and change by providing time and resources for members to think, talk, and act in completely new ways. Consequently, norms and procedures for working in parallel structures are entirely different from those of the formal organization.
Downsizing
This intervention reduces costs and bureaucracy by decreasing the size of the organization through personnel layoffs, organization redesign, and outsourcing. Each of these downsizing methods must be planned with a clear understanding of the organizations strategy.
Re-engineering
This recent intervention radically redesigns the organizations core work processes to create tighter linkage and coordination among the different tasks. This workflow integration results in faster, more responsive task performance. Reengineering is often accomplished with a new information technology that permits employees to control and coordinate work processes more effectively. Reengineering often fails if it ignores basic principles and processes of OD.
Structural design
This change process concerns the organizations division of labor how to specialize task performances. Interventions aimed at structural design include moving from more traditional ways of dividing the organizations overall work (such as functional, self-contained-unit, and matrix structures) to more integrative and flexible forms (such as process-based and network-based structures). Diagnostic guidelines exist to determine which structure is appropriate for particular organizational environments, technologies, and conditions.
High involvement
These interventions are aimed at creating organizations with high involvement of employees. They create organizational conditions that support high levels of employee participation. What makes HIOs unique is the comprehensive nature of their design process. Unlike parallel structures that do not alter the formal organization, in HIOs almost all organization features are designed jointly by management and workers to promote high levels of involvement and performance, including structure, work design, information and control systems, physical layout, personnel policies, and reward systems. Some of the features of HIOs are: a. Employees have considerable influence over decisions b. Members receive extensive training in problem-solving techniques, plant operation, and organizational policies. c. Information is shared widely within the organization and employees have easy access to operational and issue-oriented information. d. Rewards are tied closely to unit performance.
TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT
TQM is the most recent and, along with high involvement organizations, the most comprehensive approach to employee involvement. Also known as continuous process improvement and continuous quality, TQM grew out of a manufacturing emphasis on quality control and represents a long-term effort to orient all of an organizations activities around the concept of quality. Quality is achieved when organizational processes reliably produce products and services that meet or exceed customer expectations. Although it is possible to implement TQM without employee involvement, member participation in the change process increases the likelihood that it will become part of the organizations culture. Today, continuous quality improvement is essential for global competitiveness.
Human Resource management
Systems: This intervention involves the design of organizational rewards to improve employee satisfaction and performance. It includes innovative approaches to pay, promotions, and fringe benefits.
