What are the pros and cons of external and internal practitioners? Why is the team approach a viable approach? Discuss.
An internal practitioner has the advantage of being conversant with the structure and culture of an organisation, which gives him a significant edge when undertaking various duties. However, the practitioner faces challenges relating to limited autonomy and authority in the workplace due to the lack of a clearly defined scope of practice and hurdles relating to diverse duties within an organisation. On the other hand, an external practitioner has the advantage of practising with objectivity and autonomy because of limitations by the organisational culture and structure. However, due to lack of sufficient knowledge concerning an organisation’s systems, technologies and culture, an external practitioner has limited effectiveness in promoting organisational goals. A team approach is essential to create synergy between the duties of an external and internal practitioner so that an organisation can complement the benefits relating to the two occupations and enhance its operations.
Of the four practitioner-client relationship models, which one do you think is preferred for effective OD programs? Support your position with examples from your organization or other organization you are familiar with.
The working alliance model is the most effective approach for OD programmes because it provides a platform for interaction and collaboration between the practitioner and the client to enhance efficiency. Blue Shield Insurance Company has a structure that ensures an employee routinely serves certain customers and seeks their opinions on various aspects of service delivery and operations. In this regard, the organisation has succeeded in creating mutual relationships between its employees and customers who have become a major source of information on key areas of organisational change and development.
List the problem areas in the diagnostic phase and explain each.
- Nature of the problem. The identification of the nature of the problem requires the evaluation of an association between diverse conditions and factors that contribute to a scenario.
- Ethical issues relating to the problem. The ethical responsibility of an organisation requires the identification of undertakings that might violate an organisation’s obligations.
- Learning issues. The identification of problems in an organisation highlights issues relating to management processes that the management should modify.
- Power issues. The power structure in an organisation may introduce hurdles in the transparency of a problem and influence resistance to identified solutions.
Explain the force-field analysis model with examples from your current or previous work organizations.
The force-field analysis model allows managers to analyse inappropriate behaviour by employees and devise corrective measures with the aim of improving organisational efficiency. The model describes behaviours as subject to driving and restraining forces that work in opposition to each other and have a positive or negative net effect. While driving forces increase the tendency of certain behaviours, restraining forces inhibit the probability of behaviours, whether positive or negative. At Blue Shield Insurance Company, the management realised that the punctuality of employees was mainly a factor of heavy traffic and family responsibilities with early arrivals being due to limited family responsibilities and the need to avoid traffic jams.
Trace the life cycle of change relating to a certain major change that your organization has introduced over the past decade. Indicate and describe the change event that you use as an example to apply the life cycle of change concept.
The expansion and strategic positioning of Blue Shield Insurance Company to become an entity with countrywide coverage was a critical undertaking in enhancing profitability and realisation of organisational goals. The identification of the need for expansion began with suggestions by some departmental supervisors who observed the increasing presence of customers from diverse and distant regions. Afterwards, the management communicated to all members about the proposed change and established teams within departments to discuss and present opinions on the appropriate approach. Consensus on the importance of expansion created a way for the implementation of change, which involved the opening up of new branches in various regions and the transfer of some managers to nurture operation in the new branches.
Compare and contrast the basic OD strategies. How these strategies might be integrated.
Structural OD strategies entail changes in the relationship between various elements of an organisation through aspects such as hierarchical adjustments, centralisation and decentralisation. On the other hand, technical OD strategies entail changes in systems, tools, technologies and job design in accordance with new organisational goals. Behavioural OD strategies focus on the enhancement of the productivity of human resources through improved motivation, commitment and morale. Considering the interdependence of various departments, an organisation can integrate OD strategies by combining overt and covert elements and using stream analysis to identify the effects of a certain OD strategy on other areas.
Identify and give examples of OD interventions for various target systems.
Strategic interventions, which include mergers and acquisitions and alliances, focus on organisational needs that describe an organisation’s products and services and adaptation to a changing market environment and new conditions. Techno-structural interventions, which include work design and employee involvement, focus on the creation and coordination of departments to initiate effective strategic operations and link personnel to tasks. Human resource management interventions, which include education, training and career mentorship, focus on the enhancement of skills, competency, appraisal and rewarding of employees.
Identify some of the key conditions for the success of the OD program.
The success of an OD programme depends on the level of commitment and involvement by the top management on various aspects of change and the creation and sustenance of appropriate connections between departments in an organisation. The existence of willingness and resources to support an OD programme facilitates a stable and continuous change. Furthermore, an organisation needs to involve an external consultant because of his capacity to take risks and confront issues that internal personnel may be unable to handle due to the influence of organisational culture and structures.