OD (Organization Development) is mainly the practice and theory of planned, methodical change in the values, beliefs, and attitudes of the employees through creating and reinforcing long-term training programs. It is paramount to note that OD is action-oriented and it begins with a thorough organization-wide investigation of the current situation as well as future requirements. OD mainly employs various behavioral sciences techniques such as transactional analysis, sensitivity training, and behavior modeling. The fundamental objective of OD is to enable an organization adopt better to fast-changing external environments of new technologies, regulations, and markets (Foster, 2014).
In addition, Organizational development is a field of theory, practice, and research devoted to knowledge development. As well, OD is also dedicated to the efficiency of employees or people to achieve a more flourishing performance and change in an organization. OD is also a process of evaluation, action planning, and continuous diagnosis. Its major objective of transferring skills and knowledge to organizations so that they can effectively improve their capacity required for managing future change and solving problems (Foster, 2014).
The history of OD began in the 1950s when human relations studies were conducted. There were reputable psychologists who conducted these studies and they concluded that organizational processes and structures influenced the employee’s motivation and behavior. Currently, the growth of OD has its aim focused on efficiently bringing into line organizations in handling the complex and rapidly changing environment. In order to achieve this, organizational values and norms transformation, organizational learning, and knowledge management has to be aligned effectively. There are various key concepts in OD, and they include the organizational climate, organizational culture, and organizational strategies (Foster, 2014).
OD has been able to change effectively the perception of how people think regarding an organization’s work effectively. OD has continued to change rapidly due to the technological changes, which has ensured that practitioners and leaders are abreast with these changes in achieving organizational success. OD consists of a valuable heritage, which will continue to assist organizations to tackle their challenges. In addition, there will be innovation of new tools and ideas that will enable organizations to handle effectively tougher challenges in organizational and change dynamics particularly in this diverse, complex world. This is the paramount reason OD should be strengthened so that it can maintain its fundamental core values effectively through the establishment of innovative solutions (Foster, 2014).
The future of Organization development is dependent on two main aspects and they include E-change and O-change. The two aspects must go hand-in-hand because OD is an equal and strong supporter of E-change. On the other hand, there are five approaches, which can be utilized in leading a successful organizational change. These five approaches include education, participation and involvement, facilitation and support, negotiation, and straight talk. However, for these approaches to be effective, leaders should not resist resistance. Since they lead a successful organizational change and this change should start with the leader changing first so that the other employees can follow (O’Brien, 2008).
In conclusion, OD is indeed the game-changer in predicting the future of many organizations, and it should be able to overcome leadership, strategy, and competency barriers. OD will always continue to be an integral aspect to the HR professionals so that they can be able to support their organizations in the current turbulent, competitive, and rapidly changing world effectively. OD major focus is to assist in building healthy organizations, which contribute, to the society (Foster, 2014).
References
Foster, C. (2014). Organization Development. Web.
O’Brien, M. J. (2008). 5 approaches to leading successful organizational change. Leadership and Management. Healthcare Financial Management.