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What is Organisation Development?
Recently, someone asked fellow members of a group of Organisation
Development (OD) practitioners: “What are the Fundamentals of OD?”
Almost immediately, group members began naming OD approaches that they
found important and elaborated on methodologies that they were passionate
about. Several things mentioned were: improving employees’ working conditions, appropriate
selection and application of IT, organisation member engagement and, of course,
the currently almost obligatory business related topic: organisation culture.
Witnessing such passion and enthusiasm is heart-warming, and many aspects
were mentioned that can make valuable contributions to OD, if they
are applied appropriately.
With regard to the question posed, I noticed that most topics mentioned
were organisational intervention methods, which many group members evidently had
elevated to actual goals. Stated differently: they mistook paths for destinations.
As such, most methods mentioned, however valuable they may be, were not fundamental
to OD.
Apart from the questioner, none of the group members referred to the organisational
purpose of OD. All others seemed absorbed in operational approaches, without
regard for organisational goals, strategy or for organisational coherence. They
seemed fixed on applying their methodologies, just for the sake of
applying those methodologies. Apparently, they regarded neither organisation,
nor the purpose of an organisation, fundamental to OD.
Making methods into individual goals
causes one to focus blindly on the path one travels on,
disregarding to where that path might lead.
This is a common mistake in business and organisation matters, such as
leadership approaches, OD, change management, and so on. Due to blind focus on
methodologies (often driven by latest trends) and insufficient regard for actual
issues, challenges and goals, many such efforts fail to yield intended organisational
results.
Such blind focus leads to excrescences, for instance to organisations
aimed primarily at pleasing and pleasuring its employees and to which
delivering what the organisation was created for is, at best, a side effect.
[Not only organisations suffer under the law of the instrument
and other cognitive or motivational biases. Societies also pay, literally and
figuratively, a high price for various far-reaching measures taken, which actually
do little to bring about intended effects.]
OD Fundamentals
Returning to the initial question: “What are the Fundamentals of OD?”
This question can be broken up into two sub questions, namely:
1. What does OD mean?
2. What is the purpose of OD?
1. The meaning of OD
OD stands for Organisation Development
2. The purpose of OD
The purpose of OD is effective organisations.
Concluding:
Putting 1. and 2. together, we find that:
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Organisation Development is to create, progress, or cause to progress
an ensemble of human beings, procedures and tools,
directed towards delivering the results that
match the purpose of the organisation's existence.
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These OD fundamentals fully correspond with the traditional humanistic origins and emphasis of OD. Humans are regarded central to achieving the intended organisational goals.
However, as the discipline is called Organisation Development, organisation members should not be regarded separate from
other organisational aspects and the intended organisational goals must, at all times, be leading.
From this, we can deduce what is fundamental to practicing OD, namely:
1. Work towards achieving organisations’ effectiveness.
a. All efforts must evidently contribute to the organisation delivering the results that match the purpose of its existence.
b. This contribution must be verifiable and preferably measurable by independent observers.
c. However tempting it may be to exploit the latest trends (bandwagon), merely
apply methodologies that are suitable to the issues at hand, in a measure that is appropriate to that situation, and only to the extent of you truly mastering those methodologies.
2. Create or maintain an ensemble of human beings, procedures and tools, directed towards delivering the results that match the purpose of the organisation’s existence.
a. Change in any of these aspects will affect the ensemble. Therefore, all those aspects (humans, procedures and tools) must be appropriately addressed.
b. From a. follows that a methodology addressing merely one of those aspects (such as culture change, addressing only human beings), cannot possibly lead to a fully functional, effective organisation.
c. From b. follows that OD usually requires multiple disciplines, which may not be united in one individual OD practitioner.
d. From c. follows that you should know and acknowledge your own limitations and actively seek cooperation with those who complement your expertise.
3. Truly develop.
a. Real development is sustainable. The progression must be noticeable and demonstrable. For example, giving a workshop or course aimed at organisation members acquiring additional knowledge or skills does not constitute development when those knowledge and skills are lost to the participants and the organisation soon after.
Hiring a competent OD practitioner is not an alternative to good
organisation management: it is good management practice. No OD practitioner can
single-handedly bring about OD results. It is important for organisations,
hiring OD practitioners, to know, acknowledge and fulfil their own role in OD
practices. All should work closely and in concert with OD practitioners to
identify goals and issues; collect relevant data; diagnose defects; plan,
execute and evaluate actions.
Following these guidelines may contribute to Organisation Development being less experienced as an adventure with uncertain outcomes, and more as a professional practice.
Content of this posting is taken from:
Van Someren, R., 2014, Aptitude and Attitude as Constraints and Enablers in Organisation Development: An Elementary Model of Organisational Processes, The Hague, Van Someren, ISBN/EAN: 9789079641086
Van Someren, R., 2016, Fundamentals of Organisations, The Hague, Van Someren, ISBN/EAN: 789079641109
René Van Someren’s personal website is: www.rene.vansomeren.org
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