Organization Development

Different people have defined OD differently. According to Koonz et. al, OD is a systematic integrated and planned approach to improve the
effectiveness of the enterprise. It is designed to solve problems that adversely affect the operational efficiency at all levels.
Burke has defined OD as a planned process of change in an organizations culture through the utilization of behavioural science technology,
research and theory.
In the opinion of French and Bell OD is a systematic approach to organisational improvement, that applies behavioural science theory and
research in order to increase individual and organisational well-being and effectiveness.
Now, OD can be defined as a long-term, more encompassing change approach meant to improve individual as well as organisational well-being in
a changed situation.

Nature of organization development

Organization involves people, machineries, methods work, relationships, and coordination so on. These are all every changing. These components
do not remain unchanged for a long time. Human qualities need to be developed, machineries become obsolete, methods of work is changeable,
relationship among the people in either improving or in some cases hampering due to the expiry of time.
To adjust with these changes organization has to undertake some measures. These measures may be termed as organization development.
Organization development is an ongoing, systematic and continuous process.
This process is initiated to implement any sort of change in the organization. If he changes take place with preplanned goal, positive intention and
in a scientific mood it may be hope that organization development will be ensured.
It is interdisciplinary in nature and draws on sociology, psychology and theories of motivation, learning and personality. Organization development
is a growing field that is responsive to many news approaches.

Characteristics of organization development

1.

Focus on culture and process: Organization development on culture and process of proper and organization on following suitable and
positive culture level and process success organization development program depend.
2. Collaboration: Organization development encourages heartfelt collaboration between managers and employees and members managing
culture and processes.
3. Accomplishment of tasks: Various kinds of teams and groups play important roles for accomplishment of organization development
activities. Thus targets can also be achieved.
4. Human and social sides: Organization development focuses on both human and social sides. By doing so, it intervenes in the technological
and structural sides also.
5. Participation: Participation and involvement of managers and players can make the organization development process a success. It helps to
exchange views and ideal related to organization development.
6. System change: Organization development focuses on total system change. Because every change is inevitable for the success of any
development program.
7. Facilitation: There are three parties to organization development process. They are facilitators, collaborators and co-learners in the client
system. Cooperation of all these parties can help the organization to develop.
8. Over-arching goals: An overarching goal of the organization is to make the client system able to solve its problems. It is done by teaching the
skills and knowledge on continuous learning through self-analytical methods.
9. Action research model: Organization development activities are undertaken following the conclusions and recommendations of action
research members related to client system.
10. Developmental view: Organization development takes a developmental view for the betterment of both process and organization. Another
practice in organization development programs is to create win-win solutions.

Organization Development (OD) Interventions

Organization Development (OD) Interventions Techniques Are The Methods Created By OD Professionals And Others. Single Organization Or
Consultant Cannot Use All The Interventions. They Use These Interventions Depending Upon The Need Or Requirement. The Most Important
Interventions Are,
1. Survey Feedback
2. Process Consultation
3. Sensitivity Training
4. The Managerial Grid
5. Goal Setting And Planning
6. Team Building And Management By Objectives
7. Job Enrichment, Changes In Organizational Structure And Participative Management And Quality Circles, ISO, TQM
Survey Feedback: The Intervention Provides Data And Information To The Managers. Information On Attitudes Of Employees About Wage Level,
And Structure, Hours Of Work, Working Conditions And Relations Are Collected And The Results Are Supplied To The Top Executive Teams. They
Analyse The Data, Find Out The Problem, Evaluate The Results And Develop The Means To Correct The Problems Identified. The Team Are Formed
With The Employees At All Levels In The Organization Hierarchy I.E, From The Rank And File To The Top Level.
Process Consultation : The Process Consultant Meets The Members Of The Department And Work Teams Observes Thie Interaction, Problem
Identification Skills, Solving Procedures Et. He Feeds Back The Team Eith The Information Collected Through Observations, Coaches And Counsels
Individuals & Groups In Moulding Their Behavior.
Goal Setting And Planning: Each Division In An Organization Sets The Goals Or Formulates The Plans For Profitability. These Goals Are Sent To The
Top Management Which In Turn Sends Them Back To The Divisions After Modification . A Set Of Organization Goals Thus Emerge There After.

Managerial Grid: This Identifies A Range Of Management Behavior Based On The Different Ways That How Production/Service Oriented And
Employee Oriented States Interact With Each Other. Managerial Grid Is Also Called As Instrumental Laboratory Training As It Is A Structured
Version Of Laboratory Training. It Consists Of Individual And Group Exercises With A View To Developing Awareness Of Individual Managerial Style
Interpersonal Competence And Group Effectiveness. Thus Grid Training Is Related To The Leadership Styles. The Managerial Grid Focuses On The
Observations Of Behaviour In Exercises Specifically Related To Work. Participants In This Training Are Encouraged And Helped To Appraise Their
Own Managerial Style.

Assumptions of organization development

There are some assumptions of organization development (OD). These assumptions have been classified basically into 3 (three) types first as
follows:
1. Individuals assumption: Some assumptions which are related to different individuals are listed below:
People want to grow and nature
Employees have much to offer (e.g.: energy and creativity) that is not how being used at work.
Most employees desire the opportunity to contribute they desire
2. Groups assumption: Every group has many assumptions. In this para three assumptions have been underlined.
Groups and teams are critical to organizational success.
Groups have been powerful influences on individual behavior.
The complex roles to be played in groups require skill development.
3. Organization assumption: A few assumptions are prevailing regarding organization also. These are follows:
Excessive controls, policies and rules and determined.
Conflict can be functional if properly channeled.
Individual and organizational goals can be compatible.

Importance of organization development

1.

Contractual relationship: For the establishment of contractual relationship between the concerned parties in the organization, organization
development can play a significant role. Contractual relationships help to ensure successful implantation of plans.
2. Change agent: Very important aspect of organization development is change. Agents of behavioral scientists encourage people of the
organization to solve problems. His main strength is comprehensive knowledge of human behavior.
3. Sponsoring organization: The imitative for organization development programs come from an organization that has a problem. This means
that to managements aware that problem exists and has decided to seek help in solving it.
4. Applied behavioral science: OD process state its activities by applying behavioral science principles without applying so that people cannot
be made fit for implementing the program.
5. Implement performances: Through the OD process improved relations, effective commutation, and enhanced ability to copy of all kinds,
more effective decisions etc. are possible. It indicates improvement of performance of all sides.
6. Organization self-renewal: OD program helps self-renewals also. People become conscious about their responsibilities in future for the
organization and society. It minimizes suspension and control steps.
7. Increased motivation: OD programs increase motivation of employees. Motivation of employees can ensure high productivity and
sensibility. On the other hand, demotivated employees destroy the good deeds even.
8. High morale and satisfaction: If reasonable OD programs are undertaken, morale and satisfaction of employees may be increased, that can
result good performance.
9. Increased competitive ability: Developed organization cans again competitive ability. This position can be gained by producing high quality
goods. Rendering better services, expanding market, sending goods at the door-steps of customers and so on.
10. Research & development: Research and development is the successful weapon of any organization. It helps innovate, improve quality of
goods and services and increase competitive strengths.
11. Quality goods & services: Whether OD has taken part properly or not, it is proved through quality of goods and services. If quality dies not
improve, OD does not carry and y value.

Problems in Organization development

1.

Employee Issues: Individual employee problems can be personality conflicts, supervisor issues, personal trauma, or company structure
oriented. Management must learn the cause of the problem and who or what keeps "fueling the fire." If there is no clear trigger, the answer
could fall back to insufficient or confusing communications. For example, an employee in a decentralized organization may feel they must
answer to multiple supervisors if the chain of command is not communicated clearly.

2.

Team Problems: To be high performing, teams must be dedicated to working toward an agreed goal. Should they experience personal
disconnect with other team members, the team can become non-functional. These issues often stem from organizational or management
communication breakdowns that confuse team and personal common goals. Team leaders must offer constant feedback and foster
cohesiveness. When facing team issues, managers must diagnose the problem and take immediate corrective action to avoid more serious

3.

performance breakdowns.
Organization-wide Problems: Simple employee or team issues can quickly expand to your total organization if you don't take immediate
corrective action. You must avoid this situation at all costs, as it often results in your staff forming two groups, both at odds with each other.
Should all your avoidance actions fail, be ready to take much more dramatic corrective measures. You must prevent these problems from
negatively changing the corporate culture you have carefully cultivated to make your company and workplace a high performing entity.

Politics in Organizations Reasons and Remedies

Politics in workplace is a tool to attain, retain & display perceived power. These are as follows :
1. Jealousy: This is largely common among peers and colleagues in same departments or different departments of the same
organization. At times, personal concerns may tend to displace substantive material in a decision making process here as people
become increasingly conscious of influence, proximity and other such factors which in their opinion may influence evaluation of
similar output
2. Struggle for Power: Every organisation is an economic body that seeks to thrive in the market and ensure its profitability & solubility.
Every individual who is a part of this organisation is expected to be a responsible contributor to this overall objective of the
organisation. However, the politically charged human structures that they are, organizations tend to transform into ego satisfying and
career progression avenues that employees use as a mode of forwarding their self -worth. At this juncture, the objectives of the
organization and its constituent employees seems to be headed for opposite directions
3. Comparison: As one moves higher up in the organisation, opportunity of wielding formal positions becomes smaller and the amount
of power available seems scarce. Here, individuals struggle to prove themselves superior, either by gaining power at someone elses
expense or by a comparative gain in perceived power e.g. better impression on immediate superior, higher proximity or visibility in the
organization. It is here that the mentality of comparison, as a basis of measuring his self-esteem, takes over an individual.
4. Limited resources: Like pay rise and promotion opportunities being not freely available creates pressures and feeling of competition
among the fellow members of an organization. A marked distinction occurs between those who have and those who dont have power
which in turn spurs undercurrents in day to day affairs and dealings.
Is it essentially Bad?
As defined by Greenberg and Baron in 1997, Organisational Politics comprises actions not officially approved by an organsition taken to
influence others to meet ones personal goals. It is essentially the negative side of the power game that the emphasis is on. Many authors
argue, that politics and its effect can be beneficial to an organisation. In real situations, it might be harmful or even destructive to
continually speak the truth with everyone; people would not be able to work together and will be tough to be allowed to deal with
customers. Here, the role of politics comes in in a big way. Politics is good for the organisation as people who are politically correct come to
the office smartlydressed to deal with customers and have a professional approach to work*. a political colour makes people friendly,
helpful, cheerful and confident & influences people to get work done for themselves little realising who they do it for as the end result is
mutually beneficial to both parties involved. Benefits maybe enlisted as follows:
Exert power and influence in ethical, honorable ways
Increase the chance of getting your way without damaging relationships or being thrown out of the game
Become a more valuable team member
Increase job satisfaction and career options
Politics is inseparable from organizations. This is obviously because of the involvement of people in organizations. And involvement of a
large number of people cannot but lead to politics. Organizations over-run by politics are typically identified by the type of managerial
decisions, which encourage hypocrisy, secrecy, deal-making, rumours, power brokers, self-interests, image building, self-promotion, and
cliques. These organizations lack in effective teamwork.
There are five possible reasons for organizational politics taking place:
1. Organizations are coalitions composed of varied individuals and groups.
2. There are enduring differences among individuals and groups in their values, preferences, beliefs, information, and perceptions of reality.
3. The most important decisions in organizations involve the allocation of scarce resources.
4. Conflict is central to organizational dynamics, and power is the most important resource.
5. Organizational goals and decisions emerge from bargaining, negotiation, and jockeying for position among members of different
coalitions.
Besides causing problems for the individuals who work together, the end result of organizational politics can be far more
devastating. Employees and managers who must concentrate on the political aspects of work may have less time to pay attention to their
jobs. This translates into financial loss, which may in turn translate into job loss.
To reduce organizational politics, managers and leaders make use of several strategies in their people-related decisions. All these
may minimize the levels of politics but cannot guarantee its total elimination, because politics is inherent in any social form of togetherness
of people.
Managers must emphasize on performance, making a culture of employee-rewards being earned and not granted as favours.
Similarly, promotions and pay-rise decisions should be aligned to transparent performance management systems, making people believe
that the system is impersonal and reliable.
A very strong weapon to reduce organizational politics is to nurture transparent communication systems. We have a proverb
secrets keep organizations sick. Everything that affects the workplace should be made transparent to dissuade employees from cooking
stories and spreading rumours and to restrain them from deal-making and favouritism.
Thus, organizational politics can be reduced if organizations follow the principles indicated below:
1. Transparently measure performance of its employees.
2. Make payments strictly on the basis of the performance so measured.
3. Publicize performance data.
4. Reveal the reasons for decisions.

5. Openly consider all good ideas.

6. Shun deal-making.
7. Shun secret deals.
8. Avoid all political behaviour.

Group Dynamics
Group dynamics deals with the attitudes and behavioral patterns of a group. Group dynamics concern how groups are formed,
what is their structure and which processes are followed in their functioning. Thus, it is concerned with the interactions and forces operating
between groups.
Group dynamics is relevant to groups of all kinds both formal and informal. If the UPA government has set up Group of Ministers
for every governance issue, the Supreme Court of India has 27 Group of Judges committees overseeing all manner of non-judicial work in
the apex court. In an organizational setting, the term groups are a very common and the study of groups and group dynamics is an
important area of study.
What is A Group?
Every organization is a group unto itself. A group refers to two or more people who share a common meaning and evaluation of themselves
and come together to achieve common goals. In other words, a group is a collection of people who interact with one another; accept rights
and obligations as members and who share a common identity.
Nature of Group:
Regardless of the size or the purpose, every group has similar characteristics:
(a) 2 or more persons (if it is one person, it is not a group)
(b) Formal social structure (the rules of the game are defined)
(c) Common fate (they will swim together)
(d) Common goals (the destiny is the same and emotionally connected)
(e) Face-to-face interaction (they will talk with each other)
(f) Interdependence (each one is complimentary to the other)
(g) Self-definition as group members (what one is who belongs to the group)
(h) Recognition by others (yes, you belong to the group).
Process/Stages of Group Development/Evolution:
Group Development is a dynamic process. How do groups evolve? There is a process of five stages through which groups pass through. The
process includes the five stages: forming, storming, forming, performing, and adjourning.
1. Forming: The first stage in the life of a group is concerned with forming a group. This stage is characterized by members seeking either a
work assignment (in a formal group) or other benefit, like status, affiliation, power, etc. (in an informal group). Members at this stage
either engage in busy type of activity or show apathy.
2. Storming: The next stage in this group is marked by the formation of dyads and triads. Members seek out familiar or similar individuals
and begin a deeper sharing of self. Continued attention to the subgroup creates a differentiation in the group and tensions across the
dyads / triads may appear. Pairing is a common phenomenon. There will be conflict about controlling the group.
3. Norming: The third stage of group development is marked by a more serious concern about task performance. The dyads/triads begin to
open up and seek out other members in the group. Efforts are made to establish various norms for task performance.
Members begin to take greater responsibility for their own group and relationship while the authority figure becomes relaxed.
Once this stage is complete, a clear picture will emerge about hierarchy of leadership. The norming stage is over with the solidification of
the group structure and a sense of group identity and camaraderie.
4. Performing: This is a stage of a fully functional group where members see themselves as a group and get involved in the task. Each
person makes a contribution and the authority figure is also seen as a part of the group. Group norms are followed and collective
pressure is exerted to ensure the Process of Group effectiveness of the group.
The group may redefine its goals Development in the light of information from the outside environment and show an autonomous
will to pursue those goals. The long-term viability of the group is established and nurtured.
5. Adjourning: In the case of temporary groups, like project team, task force, or any other such group, which have a limited task at hand,
also have a fifth stage, This is known as adjourning. The group decides to disband. Some members may feel happy over the performance,
and some may be unhappy over the stoppage of meeting with group members. Adjourning may also be referred to as mourning, i.e.
mourning the adjournment of the group.
The readers must note that the four stages of group development mentioned above for permanent groups are merely suggestive.
In reality, several stages may go on simultaneously.

Formal Group Vs. Informal Group

Formal Groups
Schools, church, hospitals, government, civic organizations etc are all examples of formal groups. In these groups, there are
clearly defined hierarchical structures and roles and responsibilities of the members. Inside these groups, there are formal groups
that are made by the management and entrusted with tasks that are completed according to set procedure and guidelines by the
members of the group. The members are bound to the group in relationships of boss and subordinates. Formals groupings are mostly

made to achieve organizational goals and better coordination while doing work related activities is the primary motive of formal
groups.
In formal groups, roles and responsibilities are defined, and so are the norms governing the nature of interaction between
the members of the group. The duration of formal groups is predetermined though there are formal groups that continue for very
long. Of all the work inside an organization, majority is completed through formal groups.

Informal Groups
Informal groups are not made by the management but get made on their own inside an organization because of constant
interaction between members. Personal relationships rather than work related requirements dominate the formation and working of
informal groups inside organizations. Personal and psychological needs of the members are satisfied by such formations, but the
overall effectiveness of work inside an organization is greatly affected by informal groups. Let us see this effect through an example.
Though an employee from the sales team and another person working in production may not be members of a formal group,
they may have a great friendship. This relationship enables the sales person to be aware of the delivery schedule greatly enhancing
his sales efforts. On the contrary, because of the friendship, the production employee may prefer items sold by the sales employee
affecting the overall production schedule thus affecting the performance of the production team.

What is the difference between Formal and Informal Groups?

Membership in formal groups is determined by the management of the organization, and the roles and responsibilities of the
members are also predefined.
Membership in informal groups is voluntary and dependent upon the whims and likings of people
Formal groups are made to further the interests of the organization while informal groups are made to satisfy the personal and
psychological needs of the individuals
It is the endeavor of the management to make judicious use of both formal and informal groups to best serve the interests of an
organization
Better coordination of work related activities is the primary concern of any formal group