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Journal Reflections Assignment # 1

Organizational Development’s aim to increasing effectiveness and efficiency stands

in the center of the textbook’s material. It was a great deal of detail-oriented notions and

classifications to read the several chapters pertaining to the course. This is a statement and

not relevant to the paragraph. Sometimes after a certain definitions it became natural to

ask certain questions and find answers in the next chapter. This discipline that is

Organizational Development can seem a bit “necessary” and make sense; however it is one

of the most complex as it relates to maximizing two main components in company’s goals:

effectiveness and efficiency.

The three parts are cohesive in a way that they present interlinked information

relating to what is Organizational Development, how is it necessary and what types and

classifications adhere under its umbrella in any organization. The statement needs to be reworded as it is confusing. I lack any sort of work experience as I am an international student, which handicaps me from relating a real-world representation of the theories represented in the book. However my paper is an attempt to reflect on the notions I read

and understood well from the point of an organization.

Nowadays the biggest fuel and danger at the same time to a company, is competition; it

either makes an organization or breaks it. For that, organizations have to –constantly- juxtapose their actions and decisions to the trends of the market, customer needs and economy. To respond to changes, a company must follow a model that starts by

anticipating their need for change, developing practitioners and client relations, conducting a diagnostic process, Evaluating and self-renewal and finally coming up with strategies and techniques to develop the organization. The book goes smoothly and navigates between theories from one step to the other.

The book introduces us to the concept of future-shock, which is too much change in

too short a time and that is the first problem an organization may encounter. The typical

domains where these changes occur and that a company has to watch closely are

technological changes, environmental and social.

The renewal process of predicting the future economy, market or need of clients, is

forecasted and planned upon in the best way and most distinguished from competitors. Not sure what points you are trying to make – the concepts are not clear and concise – ideas are not organized. And that I believe is the best way to sustain any competitive/comparative advantage an organization has. The one aspect of change that is standard is, to institutionalize change into the company value system, which is known as corporate

culture, this facilitates the process of implementing it instead of forcing it upon the

organization’s members.

The main tools for change within an adaptive organization are information, support

and resources and the interconnectedness of these three elements is crucial to the

effectiveness and efficiency of the organism. Usually when there is a problem within a company or a certain department, it stems from lack of communication between the three elements or a dysfunction in one element that is infectious to the others. It not enough information is gathered, the support systems are not efficient or the resources are lacking, it will certainly form a problem within the organization

The other important aspect of institutionalizing change into the company is

establishing a code of ethics and overcoming resistance to change. When I was reading this

section I automatically thought of an accounting firm. If the GAAP this should be spelled out then you can use initials guidelines and integrity is not emphasized in any accounting department, many little mistakes can turn into huge inconsistencies and possible misrepresentation of financial statement.

Also, if in any assembly line, a certain new policy is forced upon workers, these workers

can decrease their efficiency and resist the change, by developing a US (workers) vs. THEM (management) culture; where interests of top and bottom managements are not aligned and the resistance grows even more.

The solution is to make workers or employees ride along any change implemented in the

organization, is to make them feel they are participating to the change and by

communication their importance as well as the importance of the change in the

o r g ani z ati on. It i s vit al to r em in d th e o r g ani z atio n’s m em ber s o f th e tr u e g o al s o f th e

Organizational Development, and emphasize that it is only intended to improving the firm ’s

dimensions that affect their performance. This way there will be no feeling of interest

collision. The ideas in this paragraph are not organized, are inconsistent with the text.

After getting the tools for change and overcoming the most apparent obstacle to change, a well-planned change has to be developed; here is where practitioners must examine and deliberate attempts to modify the organization and promote improvement, after they detected the anticipated need for change. Using the five Practitioners styles, each organization or each situation may need a different type that relates to the nature of the change. Then an intervention process is followed and the consultants point out the

Assignment Due Date: 3/24/14 11:59pm CST

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“when”,” how”, and with whom to intervene. This step is more transitional in the sense where the ideas and tools of change are transported from paper and theory to the actual department or unit or member that needs intervention.

Then, the most challenging part Organizational Development, being Diagnosis comes in place. It is the step that leads to problem solving actions by data collection and meticulous work of eliminating alternatives to choose the best one. In analyzing a problem the practitioners with the assistance of clients, state the problem and elaborate or speculate on the underlying causes and identify the alternatives they have. This process is all done by sorting out factual and non-factual information. The process of collaborating with clients and from their opinions, sorting their needs is called the Diagnostic process and there are several diagnostic models that are used by consultants to analyze the clients’ system problems easily.

The basic strategies relating to Organizational Development are of three natures,

structural, technological and behavioral. The structural strategy is one that enables the organization with the framework that relates elements of the organization, in a smooth effective and efficient way.

The Technological strategy is basically, implementing a new technology or innovative

change to the company, that makes it more responsive to market changes and competition.. And finally the Behavioral strategy is the use of people as a human resource to improve the organization, which may be characterized by hiring new skilled workers or training

existing ones.

The Process of intervention skills is one of the most used as in Organizational

Development skills, it is a tool to develop and foster effectiveness in teas as well as assisting

Assignment Due Date: 3/24/14 11:59pm CST

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work groups. As it is the case for many people, sometimes a solution is developed by people themselves or clients. Also, group process is used to observe how groups and members

within an organization behave. There are several types of process intervention, clarifying,

questioning synthesizing, listening, etc... Do not end a sentence with etc.

Also, let us not forget an extremely important concept, Employee Empowerment, a

prevailing technique for fostering the potential in the workers and potential of the organization. This later is either done by rewarding members for their work and innovation or by showing appreciation and letting the employees know how they are important to the company.

Other techniques may be used such as Career life planning or even Stress management.

Stress Management and burnout take the form of biofeedback, meditation, career life planning or wellness programs; these are destined to making employees feel empowered and remunerated.

For organizational development professionals, sometimes opportunities and

challenges come in one form. Basic assumptions still seem relevant in the context of recruitment and resource conservation which companies face. When people can choose their work environment, they prefer a setting where they feel valued, respected and where they can develop. The challenge will be to integrate social and behavioral changes in the models and intervention approaches in order to facilitate the emergence of dynamic new work that reflect diversity, distinctiveness and the dispersion which now characterize increasingly exchanges.

MGMT 398 – Organizational Development

Journal Reflections Assignment # 1

Due by Monday, 3/24/14 (11:59pm CST)

The tools and techniques developed by practitioners of organizational development actors

Assignment Due Date: 3/24/14 11:59pm CST

Page 1

are able to intervene effectively in social and human systems. At a time when the contribution of individuals in the organization becomes a critical success factor, the principles and practices specific to organizational development are particularly useful in a context where the voluntary commitment of human resources is necessary to meet an extremely tough competition.

Organizational development and change have always been closely linked. The more we learn about change in organizations and we understand that there is no recipe for success. After years of illusion where very marked and planned change approaches led us to believe that the method for transforming organizations exist, one realizes that the change will take shape if people are able to make sense of it , to through which they can continue to grow and achieve what is expected of them every day. The help of professional organizational development is, in this context, more essential than ever.

It then seems to me personally that although it might not be an exact science, Organization

developments is an ever-changing discipline that unveils more and more about what was

not known 15 fifteen years ago. Problems that were not able to be solved prior to 2014 are

now easier to solve. But again the power of this discipline also lies to the ability of defining

and examining the social and psychological phenomena of people and structures and how everything is interconnected.

Please ensure that you read and review your work for grammatical errors, consistency of ideas, concepts, and experience before submitting. You have very good points and ideas but they could have been presented in a more organized

manner, some of the paragraphs contained statements that were not relevant to

what you were trying to convey.