Assignment - MU0011 Management and Organizational Development

Master of Business Administration- MBA Semester 3 MU0011 – Management and Organizational Development Assignment Set -1 Ans – 1 Characteristics and goals of organizational development There are seven characteristics of organization development: Humanistic Values: Positive beliefs about the potential of employees Systems Orientation: All parts of the organization i.e., the organization structure, technology deployed, and people employed must be able to work together as a system to create a valuable organization. Experiential Learning: Learning best happens when the learner experiences. In the training environment focus should be on simulating the human problems encountered in real life work scenarios. Training should NOT be all theory and lecture. Problem Solving: Problems are identified, data is gathered, corrective action is taken, progress is assessed, and adjustments in the problem solving process are made as needed. This process is known as Action Research. Contingency Orientation: Actions are selected and adapted to fit the need. Always have a few more back up plans because if something may go wrong. Change Agent: Stimulate facilitate, and coordinate change. OD motivates everyone to see the benefits of change. Levels of Interventions: Problems can occur at one or more level in the organization so the strategy will require one or more interventions. Goals of Organization Development The purpose of organization development is to introduce an overall strategy for success and change, the very nature by which an organization operates. This is done by introducing mechanisms and practices at various stages during the change process. Management and leadership play a very active role in underlining the organization development principles and strategies; set the goals and plan OD interventions as per the needs of the organization. Once the organizational development plan is introduced and executed; the organization evolves through various life cycles during the development process in order to bring significant improvement and results at various points. Ans. 2 Values, Beliefs and Assumptions in OD OD values tend to be humanistic, optimistic and democratic. Humanistic values give importance to the individual, ensure respect and dignity; assumes that everyone has intrinsic worth and view all people as capable of growing and developing. Optimistic values requires that one sees all people as good, that progress is possible in human affairs, and that rationality, reason, and goodwill are the tools for making progress. Democratic values assert the sanctity of the individual, the right of people to be free from arbitrary misuse of power, the importance of fair and equitable treatment for all, and the need for justice through the rule of law and due process. Evidence for the validity of these values and their supporting assumptions comes from many sources – the Hawthorne studies, the human relations movement, the laboratory training movement, increasing awareness of the dysfunction of bureaucracies, research on the effects of different leadership styles, greater understanding of individual motivation and group dynamics, and the like. Values and beliefs are not 100% grown from individuals and societies but also impacted by the issues of the era. Example: During the British rule in India, the values and beliefs of individuals and societies were also based on the issue of India being under foreign rule. The supreme belief was freedom is more important than life. For Nike, in the recession of 1990 of USA, the belief was no one is advertising, if we advertise now, we can grow our market share and sales. Nike increased its advertising spend multiple times during the 1990 recession in the USA and became a popular brand across the world. In 2009 Nike touched revenues of 19.2 Billion USD. Ans. 3 Characteristics of Organizational Culture There are seven primary characteristics that every organization should cultivate in it, as 1. Outcome Orientation There are some organizations which pay more importance to results rather than processes. The business model of any business is one which decides Management and Organization Development. Whether thrust should be on the outcome or on the processes, this defines the outcome orientation of the business. 2. Innovations and Risk Taking Risk and returns are two things which always go hand in hand. It often happens that when you calculated risk somewhere, the chances of returns are higher. Same goes for innovation. You could either be a follower or a pioneer. Though pioneering brings risk with it, but at times it can also have a breakthrough outcome for the organization. Therefore innovation and risk taking are one of the main characteristics of organizational culture. 3. People Orientation How much should the management focus on the people? Some organizations are famous for being employee oriented as they focus more on creating a better work environment for the employees while others treat employees no better than work machines. 4. Aggressiveness When there is a fierce competition, only then aggressiveness is visible among the employees of an organization. For example, companies like Apple are known for their aggression and market dominating strategies. 5. Attention to Detail The degree of attention of the employees to work is the key to the success of any business. Attention to detail defines the amount of importance a company allots to accuracy and details in the workplace. The management defines the degree of attention to be given to details. 6. Stability Organizations that have to deal with stabilizing operations and other needs are more focused on making themselves and their operations stable. The managements of these organizations are more inclined to ensuring stability of the company rather than looking at indiscriminate growth. 7. Team Orientation Quite often, the nature of business also requires an organization to be team oriented. Synergistic teams help give better results as compared to individual efforts. So, they lay more emphasis on synergy between different teams and in forming a well balanced team for producing effective output. Ans. 4 Diagnosing the System and its Processes Diagnosis : The process of how to understand the current functioning of an organization and how it provides the information necessary to design change interventions is called Diagnosis. It generally follows from successful entry and contracting, which set the stage for successful diagnosis. Organizational diagnosis is a major practitioner skill. It usually examines two broad areas. The first area contains the various interacting sub-elements that create the organization. These are the divisions, departments, products, and the relationships between them. The diagnosis may also have a comparison of the top middle and lower levels of management in the organization. The second area of diagnosis involves the organizational processes. These are the communication networks, team problem-solving, decision-making, leadership and authority styles, goal-setting and planning methods, and the management of conflict and competition. The Process: Diagnosis is a cyclical process that includes data gathering, interpretations, and identification of problem areas and possible action programs. The first step is the identification of possible problem areas. These initial attempts often bring out symptoms as well as probable problem areas. The second step is gathering data based on the initial problem identified in the preceding step. These data are categorized, examined and presented to the client in a feedback session (steps 3 and 4). If it is determined that enough data is available (step 5), the client and practitioner jointly diagnose and identify likely problem areas (step 6). At this point, the client‟s level of motivation to work on the problems is determined (step 7). Based upon the diagnosis, the results are monitored to find the degree of change that has been achieved versus the desired change objectives. Ans 5. Major causes for resistance to change Fear of change: One of the most common reasons for resistance is fear of change. This includes fears of not being good enough and fears of the unknown. It's a bit like the sailors of old who feared the uncharted oceans (Here Be Dragons). The solution? Put it on the map - provide people with role models. Not being consulted: If people are allowed to be part of the change there is less resistance. They feel heard. Yet, time and again. The solution? Involve people in the change as early as possible. Poor communication: It's self evident. When it comes to change management there's no such thing as too much communication. The solution? Say it strategically, but don't remain silent. Changes to routines: When we talk about comfort zones we're really referring to routines. We love them. They make us secure. So there's bound to be resistance whenever change requires us to do things differently. Whether it's new procedures, new parking places, new reporting lines, or new corporate culture, changes to routines can be uncomfortable. The solution? Show people how it will work and demonstrate the need for change. Low trust: When people don't believe that they, or the company, can competently manage the change there is likely to be resistance. This may be related to their experience of change in the past. The solution? Communication. Lots of it. And evidence that top management support the change process. Misunderstanding about the need for change: If staff do not understand the need for change you can expect resistance. Especially from those who strongly believe the current way of doing things works well...and has done for twenty years! The solution? Involve people in the change as early as possible. And find lots of ways to demonstrate why the change is necessary. Exhaustion/Saturation: Don't mistake compliance for acceptance. People who are overwhelmed by continuous change resign themselves to it and go along with the flow. The solution? maybe provide some incentives along the way. Change in the status quo: Resistance can also stem from perceptions of the change that people hold. For example, people who feel they'll be worse off at the end of the change are unlikely to give it their full support. Similarly, if people believe the change favours another group/department/person there may be (unspoken) anger and resentment. The solution? Lots of focus groups. Listen carefully for emotions and provide support. Ans. 6 (a) Human Process Interventions These interventions focus on people within organizations and the processes through which they accomplish organizational goals. These processes include communication, problem solving, group decision making, and leadership. Human process interventions related to interpersonal relationships and group dynamics include the following four interventions: T-Group This traditional change method provides members with experiential learning about group dynamics, leadership, and interpersonal relations. The basic T-group brings ten to fifteen strangers together with a professional trainer to examine the social dynamics that emerge from their interactions. Members gain feedback about the impact of their own behaviors on each other and learn about group dynamics. Process Consultation This intervention focuses on interpersonal relations and social dynamics occurring in work group. Typically, a process consultant helps group members diagnose group functioning and devise appropriate solutions to process problems, such as dysfunctional conflict, poor communication, and ineffective norms. The aim is to help members gain the skills and understanding necessary to identify and solve problems themselves. Third-Party Intervention This change method is a form of process consultation aimed at dysfunctional interpersonal relations in organizations. Interpersonal conflict may derive from substantive issues, such as disputes over work methods, or from interpersonal issues, such as miscommunication. The third-party intervener helps people resolve conflicts through such methods as problem solving, bargaining, and conciliation. Human process interventions are covered in greater detail in unit 8. Ans 6(b) Team Building Interventions This intervention helps work groups become more effective in accomplishing tasks. Like process consultation, team building helps members diagnose group processes and devise solutions to problems. It goes beyond group processes, however, to include examination of the group’s task, member roles, and strategies for performing tasks. The consultant also may function as a resource person offering expertise related to the group’s task. Human process interventions that are more system-wide (than those related to Interpersonal & Groups) typically focus on the total organization or an entire department, as well as on relations between groups. These include the following four change programs: -group relations -group interventions development .