Abstract of the work of Eric Gaynor Butterfield during the Workshop "Organizational Improvements" - Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2004 organized by The Organization Development Institute International (www.theodinstitute.org)
A question that is asked me quite frequently in both national and international Congresses and also in “Organizational Improvement” Workshops in general, has to do with “What are the options that are available to consultants in matters of change and development organizational ”.
We have published an article on www.monographies.com (“Organizational Development: Are“ Best Theories ”complemented by“ Best Practices ”? - Lessons for consultants interested in the Organizational Development profession”), Eric Gaynor Butterfield highlights that there is a significant number of organizational theories available gestated by different notable experts in their capacity as academics and researchers and also an almost equally large number of "Best Practices" are available, which are usually used by consultants, managers, executives and practitioners to improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
We understand that becoming familiar with the “Best Theories” that are around sixty in number and with the “Best Practices” that include a number similar to those of the conceptual frameworks is not something easy, but what we can assure all those consultants interested in organizational change processes, is that ignoring them can be fatal in their relationship with Clients. It can be as fatal to the assessor as it is to the aerospace physicist who ignores the laws governing what happens outside the law of gravity.
So this task of updating regarding the conceptual frameworks and the most common methodologies of "process improvement" to which consultants turn, we leave them in your own hands knowing that you have to do all the best in defense of your own interests (which actually coincide mostly with the real interests of the Clients).
At The Organization Development Institute International we take into account a 4-step Program based on the knowledge, interventions and research of The Organization Development Institute - Worldwide that has a leading position in the world in relation to the processes of change and organizational development along with the training that is required of those who provide advisory services to organizations, companies and institutions in general.
This 4-step Program includes a series of theoretical knowledge and experiential learning that will allow consultants in training to effectively integrate theory with practice.
This Program is included below (see: The Organization Development Institute - International Registry), in its original version in English:
"Program I: Knowing Self and Others - Internal Consulting
This is a 40-hour residential experiential Program which helps participants develop an understanding of self and how one is perceived by others, placing focus on their own firm (intra-group and inter-group relationships). This experiential course is co-facilitated by two experienced OD Practitioners who are qualified in group learning techniques within organizations. Participants will be engaged in a series of experiential exercises and simulations to gain insight into their personal behavior patterns and to learn how they react to various situations in which OD Internal Consultants find themselves.
This course will also introduce the idea of career planning and participants will engage in experimental exercises which help clarify their personal career goals and help them begin to deal with integrating their interests, preferences and goals with those of their organization.
Program II: Seminar in Organizational Change & Development - Internal Consulting
This 40-plus hour seminar is designed to provide a theoretical understanding into the principles and practices of Organizational Change & Development from the stand-point of an Internal Consultant. Twenty-plus articles have been selected from The Organization Development Journal (the most cited publication in Organization Development and Change in the world) for participants to read and discuss. These articles were selected because of their breadth and usefulness for
a Consultant. They include articles by Arnold Tannenbaum, Chris Argyris, Robert Kaplan, Edgar Schein, Carl Rogers, Bob Golembiewski, Ken Murrell, Don Cole, Peter Drucker, Peter Sorenson, Terry Armstrong, Joanne Preston, Eric Gaynor, Roland Sullivan, David Norton, James March, Herbert Simon, Daniel Goleman and others. Topics include: the role of the internal change agent, change theory “from within”, feedback methodology, group & organizational assessment, internal consultation processes, organizational learning “from within”, group creation and development, intra group and inter group relationships, ethical issues in OD and various cases of OD interventions.
This seminar will also contain a series of experiential exercises to help students understand critical points involved in the theories presented and discussed, and how they may be applied effectively by an Internal Consultant. These will include exercises which deal with such things as: visualization, projection, nonverbal communication, trust, organizational diagnosis, force field analysis, giving and receiving feedback, interviewing, trust building, listening triads, how to be of help. Kolb´s learning model will be used to help participants link experience, reflection, theory and experimentation.
Program III: Competencies in Organizational Change & Development - Internal Consulting
This 80-hour experiential class will focus on the Internal Consultation Process and specific skill essential to Organizational Change and Development internal consultation. It will deal with seven stages of the internal consultation process: internal entry, renegotiating the Psychological contract, “redefining” diagnosis, feedback, planning change, interventions and termination of the contract.
Course Outline
1. Internal Entry
Process vs. Expert consulting (match with the external consultant)
Listening
Rapport building
Communicating nonverbally
Mistakes often made
Case examples
2. Renegotiating the Psychological contract
Re-building the psychological contract
Negotiating skills (with others from outside)
Process consultation skills (within the organization)
Writing a formal or informal contract
Mistakes often made
Case examples
3. Redefining Diagnosis
New data collection
New Instruments used for diagnosis
Interviewing skills
Observation skills
Developing questionnaires
Case examples
4. Feedback (Used for both diagnosis and evaluation of intervention)
Simple data analysis
Report writing
Data presentation: overhead, flip charts and handouts
Feedback skills
5. Planning change and the evaluation
How to lead group meetings
How to facilitate group meetings
How to resolve conflict
How to lead problem solving sessions
Action planning and action research
Practical evaluation and data collection
6. Interventions
Overview of previously learned internal interventions
Practice putting diagnosis and interventions together
These may include:
Team Building
Strategic planning
How to design training programs
7. Termination
Transferring Organizational Change and Development competencies to others from within
How do we cycle back and renegotiate our psychological contract?
Knowing when to “return” to previous tasks and roles
Final report and leaving
Putting it all together
Small groups of participants will prepare, present and critique OD cases.
Program IV: Organizational Change and Development "in Action" - Lab - Internal Consulting
This laboratory course is designed for a team of three to five learners to develop an Organizational Change & Development intervention with a Client, which may be their own firm. The team will work in consultation with two seasoned OD practitioners. The team will be involved with scouting, entry, contacting, diagnosis, intervention, design, implementation, exit and evaluation. The experienced OD practitioners will serve as the team's guide and shadow consultant during the entire project.
Program V: Practicum - Internal Consulting
In this Program the participant must carry out an Organization Change and Development internal consulting project from the initial phase of redefining his own psychological contract with his / her company through the exit and evaluation phase of the OD Internal Consulting Process. The learner will be assigned two experienced consultants who will serve as personal mentors.
The consultant who has successfully completed the stages that we have mentioned above in relation to the theories, practices and also the training program that culminates with the "Practicum" has a new task ahead that is linked to "appreciate what is the Typology of Organizational Change and Development ”on which to focus. In other words, the consultant can choose different methodologies that are linked to a combination of the same area of expertise, their preferences, the needs of the Client, the objectives to be achieved, the resources available to carry out the intervention, among others.
For this we have to turn to an excellent work and contribution that Dr. Joel Finlay has made for The Organization Development Institute - Worldwide. As the World's Leading Institution in Organizational Change and Development, The Organization Development Institute has identified a “Typology of Organizational Change and Development”.
We must then include Joel Finlay's proposal, which is useful to relate Organizational Typologies from the perspective of different Types of Intervention. (The OD Registry, edited by The OD Institute): “As any field matures and as its knowledge and experience base begins to expand, people begin to see new ways of doing things and in an effort to stand out from the crowd they begin to develop new types of OD and new marketing niches for themselves. Certified Consultants Internationally (original the International Association of Applied Behavioral Scientists and now out of business) certified Behavioral Scientists / OD consultants. They divided Behavioral Science / OD consultants into four main divisions: Personal / Professional Development Consultants, Group Development Consultants,Organization Development Consultants and Societal Change Consultants. (Incidentally, in 1987 Don Cole, RODC was the only member of CCI that was certified in all four divisions). " Joel Finlay wrote an article on the different kinds of Organizational Change and Development and came up with a tentative list of five different types of OD (OD Registry):
The different Types of Intervention according to Joel Finlay are:
“Level 1 - Organizational Transformation (OT).
Characterized by tactical or strategic change fully chartered and led by senior organizational Managers. Perhaps internal but generally external OD practitioners ”. This type of organizational intervention is rare within companies and organizations in Latin American countries. A distinction must be made between the subsidiaries of multinational corporations where the reorganization is in the vast majority of cases developed and planned from the "Central House" and then "executed" in the subsidiary of national companies. These are characterized by adopting types of re-organization that are rather conventional that are preferably linked to "Organizational Transition" instead of "Organizational Transformation" and,when it is executed, it is carried out within the “formal” schemes that are characteristic of the formal hierarchical organization, assuming that changes in the organization chart and in the Manuals of functions and responsibilities as well as in the Manuals of Processes must be sufficient.
“Level 2 - Traditional OD
Characterized by tactical or strategic change fully chartered and led by a relatively autonomous manager / management group in an organization. Internal and / or external OD practitioners ”.
“Level 3 - Focused OD (Including training / HR OD)
Characterized by general tactical or possibly strategic change chartered by an individual organizational function with significant functional area management leadership but not necessarily broad organizational leadership. Internal and / or external OD practitioners ”.
“Level 4 - Tactical OD (Including training / HR OD)
Characterized tactical change chartered by individual / functional area managers in support to change within their sub-organization, with sub-organizational leadership but generally without broad organizational leadership. Usually internal but possibly external practitioners ”.
“Level 5 - Guerrilla OD
Characterized by attempted tactical to strategic change un-chartered by organizational management and generally not broadly supported by leadership at any level. Nearly always internal practitioners operating an OD skunk works. Sometimes referred to as bottoms up OD in contrast to the much more traditional top down OD (This material by Dr. Joel Finlay, RODC was originally published in “The OD Journal”, Volume 14, N ° 1, 1996, page 100.) ”.
This is possibly one of the most common Types of Intervention that business advisors adopt in Latin American countries. And it is extremely unfortunate that there is relatively little literature, knowledge, experiences and experiences of this type of intervention within the Behavioral Sciences that are linked to Organizational Development and Change. Even the literature in English on this matter is quite limited and perhaps the consultants can turn to the “family business” advisers who do have rich experiences in this area that can be successfully transferred to national companies led by Latin American owners.
There is another perspective - different and that is somehow independent of the conceptual frameworks and "best practices" - to classify the Organizational Development interventions from which we have selected the one carried out by R. Schmuk and M. Miles ("Organization Development in Schools ”in“ Improving schools through OD: An overview ”; Palo Alto, CA: National Press Books - 1971), and it is the one that we must privilege in this work.
Both authors developed just over 30 years ago a classification of Organizational Development interventions that has become known as the “OD Cube” and has served as a roadmap for many consultants in organizational change and development. According to this model the authors made the following three main distinctions:
1. Depending on "What specific unit of analysis" is focused during the intervention;
2.Depending on “The particular type of problem being focused on” when diagnosing the problem;
3. Depending on the particular mode of intervention that has been selected for the consulting intervention.
Many of the consulting jobs in national companies with Latin American owners are initiated by consultants with point 2 in mind: "The particular type of problem that is focused on." However, it is unfortunate that many times an incomplete training on the part of the consultant can eventually lead him to position himself in the consulting model of "doctor-patient" or "purchase model" mentioned by Edgar Schein ("Process Consulting"; Addison - Wesley - 1968) that may have dysfunctional consequences for the Client.
We are going to begin to analyze the different options that consultants have at their disposal when it comes to "The particular type of problem in which the focus is focused", under which option a series of available alternatives are presented, the main ones being: (in English, and according to the original version):
Goals, plans
Under this option, a fairly common “Best Practice” adopted by consultants is based on the development of a “Management Information System” or a “Dashboard”. Here the risks can be high for the Client since the implementation of a SIG or Dashboard can take a long time and, if the business in which the company is managed is highly volatile and subject to high turbulence, the establishment of objectives can sometimes become the same limitation for the achievement of long-term organizational objectives.
Communication
Culture, Climate
Leadership, Authority
Leadership training, education and training courses within national companies with Latin American owners are usually dedicated to the level “below” the managerial level. A question that we usually formulate in our work to Clients is formulated within these terms to the owner of the company: Do you think it would be convenient for your directors and managers who report to you to be included among those to be trained? And we are surprised when they insist that training and coaching continue to be directed at subordinates at the top level.
Problem-solving
Decision-making
Conflict / Cooperation
The trilogy composed of problem solving, decision making and mechanisms to deal with conflict situations presents an interesting option for those consultants with training in the area of "Meeting Management". There is an area of great potential in this regard within companies with national owners, but paradoxically very few services are provided under this modality. Elliot Jaques has been a true "master" in the matter and the advisors who wish to delve into this important subject will surely benefit from strengthening their knowledge regarding the work methodology of this remarkable consultant that is Elliot Jaques.
Role definition
Possibly the definition of roles that arises naturally from a "New organizational chart" under the hierarchical pyramidal organization scheme is what the owners of national companies usually have the most in their heads and in this sense they also have it in their heads (metaphorically since it is actually in their minds) the same consultants accompanying them in the same perspective.
Others
As we can see, there is a diversity of topics and contents that are directly related to organizational performance and that of course are also related to conceptual frameworks and practices to be followed by consultants, but here the authors prefer to become independent - even partially from them - and to privilege some of the various points referenced above. For example, some authors within their conceptual frameworks include "one of these particular contents" as is the case of James March & Herbert Simon ("Organizations"; Wiley and Sons, NY - 1958) who make an excellent description of the impact on the results. organizational as a consequence of the treatment given to the objectives. Rensis Likert ("New Patterns of Management";McGraw Hill - 1961) considers that leadership and decision-making are vital aspects that have an important impact on the results of the company and the authors D. Katz & R. Kahn (“The social psychology of organizations”, NY, John Wiley.ñ- 1978) include the “role definition” as a preferred variable.
What we want to share with the reader at this time is that the process of selecting the "way to go and choose" by the consultant before carrying out the consulting intervention is plagued by a large number of alternatives where complexity is not necessarily reduced to combine very good theory with excellent practice.
This process by which the consultant must participate in organizational change and development gains even more diversity since he has before him different possible options in relation to the magnitude of the “participating population”. Being some of them:
The organization as a whole
Intergroup relations (2 or more groups)
Team / Group
From two or three people
A particular role
A person
Others
Possibly one of the most common practices in national companies with Latin American owners is currently that of “process improvement” that tries to turn the hierarchical pyramidal organization - even for a little while -. The implementation of improvements with or without "software" with methodologies such as CRM (Customer relationship management) and SCM (Supply chain management) among others are useful. However, the experience of our work at The Organization Development Institute International, Latin America shows us that the changes are of "relative duration" and that after implementing the new methodologies the organization tends to return to its previous hierarchical-pyramidal model that continues to be prevailing.
Schmuck & Miles also refer to different "Modes of Intervention". Here too the counselor must possibly have to reach some degree of very high specialization as to how to carry out the counseling intervention; at least with respect to the way in which it initially has to develop it. Some of the different ways in which organizational development and change intervention can be carried out include (also in original English):
OD task force establishment
Process Consultation, Coaching
Techno-structural activity
Training (education)
Problem-solving
Data feedback
Confrontation
Plan-making
Other
It is obvious to the reader the great number of possible options and ways to follow that the agent of change has before him. A quick review of the three main ways to Classify Interventions suggests that there is a combination of 3 factors in numbers of 6, 8 and 8, which statistically and applying the number of possible combinations suggests the existence of 384 alternatives. If we add to this some particular fashionable “Best Practice” (ISO, TQC, CRM, SCM standards, among others) we now have a number of possible combinations above 1,000, which should alert us to the complexity and scope of the work to do. Something that business consultants don't treat seriously enough.
For those interested in a specific list of possible alternatives open to consultants in their consulting processes and interventions, we must refer to the work of Gary Malean & Roland Sullivan (“Essential competencies of internal and external OD consultants”, Unpublished manuscript - 1989 In Rothwell, Sullivan & Malean already mentioned - 1995).
At the individual level
- Counseling & Coaching being an intervention designed to improve the quality of help in relationships between people. Training that is designed with the purpose of providing knowledge, attitudes, and skills that can be applied immediately at work, by the participant. Establishment of Individual objectives are aimed at improving people's planning skills and abilities in order to achieve "performance improvement" among employees and their immediate superiors. Personnel evaluation systems that seek to improve or change the usual methods of measuring individual performance providing feedback to employees regarding their performance.Statistical Process Control that represents a technique to monitor production and performance levels as well as highlight deviations from certain standards Job Descriptions that represent interventions aimed at analyzing the tasks and duties performed by incumbents with the purpose after describing what are the results that they themselves have to achieve. Changes in Job Descriptions can influence people's behavior as well as their level of achievement Values Rating which is designed to help assess or determine individual and group values Life and career planning that represents an intervention designed to help people plan for their lives and careers.Development of Personnel Policies that is specially designed to establish broad guidelines for action to be followed by personnel when they confront common problems in the course of their work Procedures Manuals that represent an intervention designed to establish or formalize methods for handling common problems faced by different people within an organization. Procedures arise as a consequence of organizational policies. Process Improvement are interventions designed to change the way processes are developed with the purpose of making them more effective and efficient.
At the Team or Unit level
- Team Building and Development whose purpose is to increase the degree of cohesion and cooperation of the different people who work together Work Enrichment which is an intervention designed to change the tasks and duties at work as well as the results that are achieved. they expect from them, providing the different incumbents with greater responsibilities Quality of life at work that represents an intervention designed to improve working conditions and to increase the participation of personnel in decision-making that influences them and the organization.Circles of Quality, which is an intervention designed to make use of small groups, which are usually working groups, to identify different methods to improve production or to solve problems at work.Establishment of Objectives for a Unit or Department that seeks to help the members of a group to establish their own group objectives and that usually also includes “production output.” Conflict Management that is specially designed with the purpose of reducing conflict of the type destructive between the different members of a work unit System mapping - open that is designed to identify those inputs, outputs and processes of the organization Process consulting that is an intervention designed to focus on how people and groups interact.Conflict Management that is specially designed with the purpose of reducing the destructive conflict between the different members of a work unit. System mapping - open that is designed to identify those inputs, outputs and processes of the organization. Process consulting which is an intervention designed to focus on how people and groups interact.Conflict Management that is specially designed with the purpose of reducing the destructive conflict between the different members of a work unit. System mapping - open that is designed to identify those inputs, outputs and processes of the organization. Process consulting which is an intervention designed to focus on how people and groups interact.
At Intergroup level
- Workflow planning that is designed as an intervention with the purpose of planning the workflow between two or more components of the same organization. Schedule Review that consists of an intervention designed to assess and evaluate how work is being scheduled. Development inter-organizational that represents an intervention designed where two groups or organizations work together to establish and / or maintain more efficient relationships. Inter-group Conflict Management that consists of an intervention designed to deal with destructive conflict between two or more units of Third-party intervention consisting of an intervention designed to improve relationships handled in previous conflicts.Cross-functional training, which is an intervention designed to provide both individuals and groups with the knowledge they need to function with another unit or organization.
At the level of the Organization as a whole
- Strategic planning that represents an intervention designed to improve the establishment of long-term organizational objectives, goals, and direction. Confrontation Meetings are interventions designed with the purpose of improving the setting of long-term goals, objectives, and direction. Confrontation Meetings are Interventions designed to bring two or more groups together for the purpose of resolving destructive conflicts. Cultural Transformation is about interventions designed to change existing assumptions about the “right” and “wrong” ways of doing things in the company.Reengineering is an intervention that is also known under the name of process innovation and redesign of the core process - it means a radical redesign of business processes with the purpose of achieving extraordinary results. Job redesign is a type of intervention where the Work itself is changed. Quality and Productivity Systems deal with interventions designed and oriented towards improving quality and productivity continuously and throughout the organization. Survey Feedback is a type of intervention designed to collect information from the different participants organizational, report the results, and make use of the results as the starting point for the action plan and improvements.Structural Change is an intervention designed to alter the relationships of "reporting" and information as well as the purposes and objectives of the different components of an organization. Customer Service Development is a type of intervention aimed at increasing the sensitivity of employees in terms of their efficiency and courteous way of relating to Clients, and includes the allocation of means to staff so that they can carry out an effective service to the Client Socio-Technical Systems are interventions designed to improve interaction / relationship (“Link”) between staff and work technology that is used within the organization. “Large-scale” technology / “Future Search Conferences” are interventions designed to bring together about 300 to 2.300 people from a company at all levels within the organization in order to create an ideal future for the organization.
At Planetary level or of the Society as a whole
- Trans-cultural Planning Processes are interventions designed to improve planning across national or cultural groups. Community Development and Trans-national Problem Solving is a type of intervention designed to improve the degree of trust and collaboration across the different national or cultural groups.
There is only one point with which we have to agree; The task of a business consultant is not reduced to “entering an organization with a single default scheme” to install a “default methodology / technology / software”. it's something more complex. And treating something complex under a simplified model should not be beneficial to the consultant and also much of the cost should be on the back of the Client. For this reason, it is not strange to us when consultants tell us that "Now there is not much consulting work. Our response to this assertion by the consultants has to do with the fact that “Clients also learn and take their lessons. And many times they have become gifted students who now have very little to learn from the new consultant ”.
Thank you very much for sharing.
