Organization Development

OD Process - Interventions

Former president John F. Kennedy said “Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” More than 50 years later, change is clearly a constant in our lives. Theresa Welbourne (2014) suggests that historical change-management models, which were effective when change was considered an event, may not be appropriate today.

Last week, we discussed organizational diagnosis. Several of our articles for this week highlight the importance of developing a change management plan after conducting an organizational diagnosis. Understanding and mitigating resistance to change is essential in successful change efforts. Denison (2014) discusses a link between organizational culture and change acceptance or resistance. A key concept discussed by Denison is that many behavioral drivers are hidden beneath the surface.

Organizational development interventions are activities or events that are designed to help organizations improve effectiveness. This week, our focus will be on designing organizational interventions. This Ted Talk by Jim Himerling introduces the concept of organizational transformation.

There is no single best model for implementing organizational change. Nielsen and Abildgaard (2013) discuss intervention design and evaluation. Organizational leaders are challenged with keeping abreast of concepts and tools to understand and manage organizational change. The Society for Human Resource Managers (SHRM) offers a guide for leading effective change. This document, available to you for free download, provides a discussion of several different change models and offers guidelines for facilitating change in organizations.

Implementing a successful change plan requires that the organization address issues or disruptions that will arise. Organizational development practitioners must be prepared to address these disruptions, which can surface at the individual, group, and organizational levels. Anderson (2012) offers insight into possible interventions to help organizations meet their integration goals at each of these levels. This article discusses these interventions in the context of a merger; however, these interventions could be effective in other organizational situations.

As organizations contemplate what kind of interventions might be needed, they must consider the level of change (e.g., organizational, group or team, or individual). In addition, consideration must be given to type of intervention – Human Process, Technostructural, HR Management, or Strategic. McNamara offers insights into each of these intervention types here.

References:

Anderson, D. (2012). Organization development interventions and four targets of post- acquisition integration. OD Practitioner, 44(3), 19-24.

Denison, D. & Nieminen, L. (2014). Habits as change levers. People & Strategy, 37(1), 23-27.

McNamara, C. (n.d.). Possible organizational development activities ("interventions") to use in change management processes. Retrieved from http://managementhelp.org/organizationalchange/index.htm#anchor317286

Nielsen, K., & Abildgaard, J.S. (2013). Organizational interventions: A research-based framework for the evaluation of both process and effects. Work & Stress 27(3), 278-297.

SHRM Foundation (2015). Leading effective change: A primer for the HR professional. Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/foundation/ourwork/initiatives/building-an-inclusive- culture/pages/default.aspx

TEDx Talks (2016, May). 5 ways to lead in an era of constant change |Jim Hemerling| TEDxBCGParis [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/jim_hemerling_5_ways_to_lead_in_an_era_of_constant_ch ange

Welbourne, T.M. (2014). Change management needs a change. Employment Relations Today (Wiley), 41(2), 17-23.