Introduction
Organization Development (OD) is a set of methods and systems aimed at improving collective behavior, and therefore the culture and performance of the organization. This complex helps to better understand the organization, identify its goals, and develop certain values within the team. The methods used in the organization’s development should lead not only to group effectiveness but also to building trust within the team. Implementing such methods lies far beyond the boundaries of business processes and includes the psychological, sociological, and even political aspects of employee behavior.
Career Path
The OD field can be viewed as a career path itself, but as a part of it, that can be followed and guided. Organizational development is a set of values and cultural dimensions that dictate the behavior of employees in order to achieve corporate goals. The very work activity in organizations where there are collectives of employees is subject to the influence of the complex, but in its, essence it is an act of any profession. In other words, when choosing a profession, OD plays an important role, but the most important points in choosing a career path are the education received, interest in professional activity, the location of the office relative to home, the amount of salary, the availability of benefits, and much more.
Nevertheless, OD is quite an attractive reference point when choosing your career path. Companies using OD approaches pay more attention to the climate within the workforce, try to create an environment for increasing interest in work, and create the opportunity for each employee to influence the working environment. This experience allows not only to increase interest in the activities of the company but also to improve qualifications in organizing their own communication skills. Many modern studies highlight the relationship between effective communication skills, resulting in leadership qualities, and implementing the theory of organizational development (Ballaro et al., 2020). Such a specific influence will be useful not only for the team of employees but also for the leaders. The trusting relationship of the team very often develops according to the example of communication with the management – the manager handles their words, trusts, and believes in each employee, comes to the rescue as their own, and clearly defines the goals of the company, communicates them in simple language to the employees.
However, it should also be considered several nuances of this complex. First, an organizational development plan in a company’s strategy does not always mean its successful implementation. In the absence of positive results and negative moods within the team, additional activities that promote agreement and shared values will only exacerbate the situation in the company. Somewhere you will have to look for a balance between employee productivity and organizational development activities because the latter can take time away from the main professional activity. Second, there are a lot of determinants of the character and mood of each employee outside of work activities. Even the best OD strategy will not improve pay conditions, distance from home, or personal problems.
Conclusion
Thus, organizational development can be a career guide, a source of leadership and effective communication skills, and provide an irreplaceable experience of integrating culture and values into the collective behavior of employees and the development of productivity because of this application. It always required deeper analysis to understand – this or that company needs this approach. Finally, the presence or absence of an OD strategy is not a fundamental factor in choosing a career path.
Reference
Ballaro, J. M., Mazzi, M. A., & Holland, K. (2020). Organization development through effective communication, implementation, and change process. Organization Development Journal, 38(1).