OD Interventions/OD Tools/OD Techniques
Meaning
OD interventions refers to various activities which a consultant and client organization perform for improving organizational performance through enabling organizational members better manage their behavior, their work group, and organisational culture. The OD practitioner is a professional well versed in the theory and practice of organisational development. The practitioner bring four sets of attributes to the organisational settings, a set of values, a set of assumption about people, organisations and interpersonal relationships, a set of goals and objectives both for the practitioners and for the organisation and its members, and a set of structured activities that are the means to implementing the values, assumptions and goals. These activities are the ‘interventions’.
Definition
According to French and Bell
OD interventions are set of structured activities in which selected organisational units (targets, groups or individuals) engage with a task or sequence of tasks where the task goals are related directly or indirectly to organisational improvements. Interventions constitute the action thrust of organisation development ; they make things happen and are what’s happening.
Classification of OD Interventions
There are various OD interventions and they are classified in different ways. On the basis of approach adopted in using OD interventions, these are classified into two categories : process interventions and structural interventions.
Process interventions are those which emphasize process to accomplish a change
Structural interventions are those which involve an adjustment or change in the organisation’s structure to accomplish changed goals.
| Process OD Interventions | Structural OD Interventions |
| Sensitivity training | Job redesign |
| Team building | Work schedule options |
| Survey feedback | Process consultation |
| Behavioural modification | Management by obejectives |
| Grid organisation development | Collateral organisation |
| Career planning | Decision centers |
| Job expectation technique | |
| Organsaitional renewal process |
On the basis of target of OD interventions, these can be designed to improve the effectiveness of individuals, dyads, teams and groups, intergroup relations and total organisation.
| Target | Interventions |
|
Individuals |
Life and career planning |
| Role analysis technique | |
| Coaching and counseling | |
| Sensitivity training | |
| Skill development for technical task, relationships, decision making, problem solving, planning and goal setting. | |
| Grid OD phase I | |
|
Dyads |
Process Consultation |
| Third party peace making
Grid OD phase I and II |
|
|
Teams and Groups |
Team building |
| Family T-group | |
| Survey feedback process consultation | |
| Role analysis technique | |
| Skill development for decision making, problem solving, planning and goal setting in group activities. | |
|
Intergroup relations |
Intergroup activities |
| Organisational mirroring | |
| Techno-structural interventions | |
| Process consultation | |
| Third party peace making at group level | |
| Survey feedback | |
| Grid OD phase II | |
|
Total organisation |
Techno-structural interventions |
| Confrontation meetings | |
| Strategic planning activities | |
| Survey feedback | |
| Grid OD phases IV, V and VI |
Some of these interventions are discussion below:
1. Sensitivity Training
Sensitivity training also known as T-group approach (T stands for training), laboratory training or encounter group. It evolved from group dynamics concept of Kurt Lewin. The first sensitivity training session was held in 1946 in State Teachers College, New Britain, USA. Since then it spread to numerous training centers in the USA and other countries.
Sensitivity in one word is empathy. It is ability of an individual to sense what others feel and think from their own point of view.
Objectives
i. To make participants increasingly aware of, and sensitive to, the emotional reactions and expressions in themselves and others.
ii. To increase the ability of participants to perceive, and to learn from, the consequences of their actions through attention to their own and other’s feelings.
iii. To stimulate the clarification and development of personal values and goals.
iv. To develop behavioural effectiveness in participants.
v. To develop concepts and theoretical framework for linking personal values and goals to actions.