Analyzing the Organizational Development Essay

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Organizational development describes an area of study which is concerned with how an organization manages change and performance within its area of operation. It involves concepts, studies, and practice geared to improve the efficiency with which to manage change and performance. It can be described as a proactive process by which an organization identifies problems and their causes, makes plans for action to be taken, puts these plans into action, examines the outcomes, and improves procedures through an established feedback mechanism. The process is aimed at helping organizations acquire the relevant information and the ability to handle problems in efficiently.

It was recognized in the 1930s when studies done on the behavior of workers and the things that motivated them discovered that the structure of the organization was one of the biggest stimuli to foster efficiency. Focus was mostly on the social process that was involved in organizational development. However today, organizational development has a wider scope. It focuses on keeping the organization at par with its dynamic environment and this is done by inculcating skills necessary, managing the knowledge base of the organization and reengineering the culture of the organization (med.upenn.edu, 2015).

Theory and practice of the current issues in organizational development

A major issue that I identified from the book was the attempt to bring together the interests and requirements of the firm with those of the employees. This is an attempt to eliminate disharmony between the employee and the organization by introducing collaboration among workers at all levels. In this pursuit, organizational development promotes an individual's self-control while trying to reduce the control from the institution because when the goals are aligned, there is little need for control. There is thus an attempt to move from autocratic leadership to leadership that allows collective participation of all members.

The book has also enlightened me on the some other relevant issues such as standardization, differentiation and centralization. These are areas that can enhance the practice of organizational development. When differentiation is emphasized, it encourages specialization, and I believe that this is how employees can begin to enjoy their jobs and become more productive. Centralization requires a particular balance which will work optimally for the organization. This can be in terms of the way the organization's processes are run so that it receives maximum benefit.

I find that organizational development is quite different from planned change especially with regard to approaches of the firm, the employees and the change itself. The book highlights the differences between the different practices to respond to change clearly. At the same time, however, similarities also exist. The firm is seen as an entity which brings people together as well collecting resources to perform optimally within a structure towards a defined objective and the decisions made are towards achieving this objective. I noticed that the two approaches see the organization as existing separately from the environment and that they also highlight the need for an adjustment to the changes in the environment. They also agree on making the work process and the strategy for the organization the focus of organizational development. Planned change and organizational development also see employees as distinct from the change agents (Bonstra, n.d.).

Roles within a group organization

A role can be defined as being the behavior related to an assigned task that a person is expected to demonstrate as they hold the job. These roles result in specialization, especially when the organization grows and the work is categorized and distributed among many people specialized in their respective areas. Thus through specialization, people are enabled to become more adept at their skills and the knowledge that they have concerning their roles (Jones, 2013). I was able to distinguish several roles which appear in most organizations as below:

Executive Officers

The executive officer is the person who is at the top of the structure of the organization. This is where the ultimate decision on matters concerning the organization is made. I consider this person to be the vision carrier as well as one whose role is to disseminate it. All other functionaries report to the executive officer. The person holding this position is tasked with keeping all the activities of the organization moving towards fulfilling the company vision and mission. They also hold the people in charge of the departments accountable for the processes, actions, and results in their respective expected functions.

Research and development team

This team appears consistently in most organizations. It is an important group which does extensive research in the area that forms the company's main operations.

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The research then forms the substance for the development of new products and services. This team ensures that the company stays relevant within a dynamic environment where competition is high. In my view the decisions that must be made here are on the product to be pursued for development. The team must be in agreement in this so that optimal results can be achieved. A collective decision must be reached so that everyone will support it and work towards it. The research and development team keeps abreast of market developments and this has been the case for technology companies like Apple. They must launch new products or innovations on a frequent basis and this is because of the dynamic market expectations that they operate in and must respond to effectively.

Operations and production team

This team handles the actual production of the company's innovations. The designs are made practical as they take on material form ready for the market. I see learning and coordination being key here. The team must be brought abreast of the new developments so that each member understands the relevance of the change and development in agreement with others. As an employee, I would thus be keen on learning all I can and especially how my role contributes to the final product. This will enable me to specialize in this role and give the best results possible.

Sales and Marketing team

This team is responsible for making the product available to the intended client. This team is responsible for packaging the product in a way that will induce the customer to purchase it. They run advertising and marketing campaigns to this end. Their work is really to create awareness and educate about the need and utility of the product as well as make it available where there is a need. I notice that product knowledge is essential for each member of this team. Each person in the team must know what uniquely sets apart one product or service from another. As a team member of this function, I would thus ensure that I am fully aware of the benefits of the product and that my team is aware as well. Thus, it will be easy to focus on meeting the organization's objectives in an advertising campaign. At the same time, knowledge of the market and competition will enable me to design a campaign that will ensure success for the product and thereby help the organization meet its objectives.

Accounting and Finance Team

As with the other teams, I see this as a team of high importance to each company. Every company needs to know what numbers it is running at every turn. This team puts together the costs, the revenue, the profits and the resources that are available for the organization's operations. They indicate when a change may be needed especially when the numbers reflect poor performance. They are thus a crucial team in every organization (Hollie, 2015). Authenticity and clarity of purpose should be the main pursuit of this team.

Recommendation on the change in the organization

I recommend that organizations take up organizational development values in terms of what was originally proposed by the founding members. The value that I would emphasize includes team work among others. Without it an organization cannot function well as there would be divisions and lack of focus. Participation is in line with this especially where decisions are being made. This will ensure that the team supports the decision made and thus works collaboratively towards the organizations, vision, mission and objectives. A culture of openness is also desirable as it allows people to express ideas without inhibitions. Delegation of responsibility is also a vital because it allows people to develop skills and prepare for continuity of the business. Being open to other cultures is important for businesses operating on a global stage such as those engaging professionals in science and technology. I would thus recommend these values to be adopted in these organizations to take care of the organizational development goals (Subramanian, 2015).

Change to contribute to the organizational goals

I believe that an organization whose goal is to adapt to the dynamic environment in which it operates should first change its structure. The new structure should reflect more participation in decision making to allow for fresh views and new ways to take on challenges. Different environments will require different decision structures whether centralized or decentralized (Swaim, 2014)......

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