The OD
discipline is here to stay, I can say that in a very confident manner since I
now know how important OD is to any organization. With times changing as
rapidly as they are it is hard to imagine how a business can survive without
applying some of these tactics which we have learned about over the past
several months. Rather we like to admit it or not business is changing just as
fast as technology and trends do, it is truly difficult for a company to keep
up with new styles of leadership, how their employees are feeling at work, and
the culture and values which they have created. How can someone who is not a
trained professional know how to identify and work on making the changes that
matter for a business?
All
throughout the last several months as we learn about OD we are constantly
talking about the Micro and Macro problems which are occurring on a daily
basis. To understand these problems it is important for a trained practitioner
to look more in depth into an organization, perhaps it is not possible for
someone who is not trained to see that there are many underlying problems. One
thing which an OD practitioner can do so well is that they can also understand
the importance of the culture of an organization. When we talk about the “Psycho-social
subsystem, we are talking about the network of social relationships and
behavioral patterns of members such as norms, roles, and communications” (Brown
2011). As we have learned about OD we have come to understand that systems just
like this one are essential to an organization, having a negative culture can
easily hold a company down from achieving their goals.
Through
my readings I have understood that those which say that OD is a passing fad say
that because it has only been around for about sixty years so some do not
consider it a discipline. To that theory we can make the argument that so many
things which are part of our society today would be considered just a fad that
will eventually pass. If we look at items such as cell phones, and the internet
we have to agree that these things will be around for quite some time and will
not just pass away. These type of items make are lives and our jobs much easier
and helps us be more efficient; in my opinion this is the purpose of OD.
Companies that use OD have had major improvements these companies have found
that their employees “find more meaning in their work, learn how to work better
in teams, and make greater leaps towards accomplishing the mission and goals of
an organization”( Business balls).
I do
believe that as time goes on we will in fact start to see that businesses will
recognize that it is very hard to keep things functioning without OD. It is important
that we understand that every business wants to succeed; not only do they want
to succeed but they want to see growth and increase their profits. Most
businesses will understand that they have to develop their organization if they
are to succeed. Business that invest in their employees, infrastructure, and
technology can witness growth; these are some of the aspects of business which
OD focuses on. I believe that much like our text states that the future of OD
will find practitioners “creating a vision, instilling the importance of
innovation and empowering employees” (Brown 2011); OD seems to change behaviors
and bring out the best in organizations.
Reference:
Brown, D. R. (2011). An Experiential Approach to
Organization Development (Eighth ed.). Prentice Hall.
Blanchard, K. (2014, February 12). Gung Ho. Retrieved May 9,
2015, from http://www.businessballs.com/gunghokenblanchard.htm
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