Organization Development

Organization Development (OD) is a strategic process that takes into consideration the entire culture of the organization to increase its effectiveness and efficiency. The primary purpose of OD is to develop the entire organization. OD is about system change and the people involved in the process of change. It is not training, personal development, team development, HRD (human resource development), L&D (learning and development) or a part of HR although it is often mistakenly understood as some or all of these.

At TheStriekerGroup, OD begins with a planned discussion on how to effectively utilize the human resources within the organization. This discussion is broad-based, inclusive and future-oriented. It focuses on what on determining “what is now” for the organization and “what can be” given the talent and structure to make things happen.
This process requires a number of key steps.

Step 1: Where are we going?
For a sound OD process to be created, the organization must have a strategy. In other words, where does the organization wish to go? This visioning is critical as it sets the change process in motion and begins to show if there is a potential followership for the change. Without a clear sense of direction, the OD process will be adrift and do more harm than good. Once the direction is clear and we have individuals on board, we are ready for the next step.

Step 2: What do we have?
In order to fully understand the capabilities and potential for moving the organization into the future, a clear understanding must be obtained through a series of diagnostic tools. These tools can take a clear look at the organizational culture, leadership talent, structure, etc. It depends upon what the organization needs now. Once a clear understanding is determined for what is, we are ready to move to the next step.

Step 3: What are the alternatives?
The diagnostic process will reveal a great deal about the capabilities and potential of the organization and begin to determine talent needs. However, before setting off on a course of hiring and moving talent around, it is important to challenge the assessment process and to see if there are alternative ways with the existing talent and within the current organizational structure to achieve the vision. This is a time for looking at new ways of doing things and thinking outside of the box. However, these discussions are always anchored by the stated strategy and vision for change. This is not a time to go off into twenty different directions. Once everyone has explored the alternative, we move on to the next step.

Step 4: What are the Plans for Action?
This step is a cumulative stage where people gather what they have learned from steps 2 and 3 and begin to actions that are practical and meaningful for the organization. It is important at this time to start small as this step is very fragile and can destroy the momentum for change. Make sure the actions are doable and with the capabilities of the talent who are assigned the various tasks. It is paramount that the actions be behavioral in nature, we could see what got done, measurable and time tabled in such a way that they can be done in a relatively short period of time. This is critical for maintaining the momentum. Make the actions part of the individual’s work, not a separate project, and finally structure the actions so the individual will be able to realize immediate process, insight and outcome wins. Again, all these actions are conducted within the context of the stated strategy. Once we have determined what we want to do, we are ready for the final step.

Step 5: How Do We Execute?
This stage is simple in that it charges the individuals to carry out the actions that have been established in the previous step. In reality, it is the hardest as it requires persistence and diligence to make things happen and manage the obstacles that always come with change. There is a direct correlation between steps 4 and 5. If the actions are clear and within the capabilities of the staff with a clear line of sight for completion, then the execution will be focused with high quality. If the actions lack this alignment, the execution will suffer and staff will begin to lose enthusiasm and a sense of purpose for the vision. So, the alignment of steps 4 and 5 are very critical.
TheStriekerGroup will guide you through this five step process and become your external set of eyes to make sure there is alignment throughout.