[Table 3.1]
50 PART 1 Overview of Organization Development
Knowledge and Skill Requirements of OD Practitioners, (continued) FOUNDATION
COMPETENCIES CORE COMPETENCIES 6. Comparative cultural
perspectives
A. Dimensions of natural culture
B. Dimensions of industry culture
C. Systems implications 7. Functional knowledge of
business
A. Interpersonal communication
(listening, feedback, and articulation)
B. Collaboration/working together
C. Problem solving D. Using new technology E. Conceptualizing F. Project management G. Present/education/coach
4. History of organization development and change: an understanding of the social, political, economic, and personal forces that led to the emergence and development of organization development and change, including the key thought leaders, the values underlying their writings and actions, the key events and writings, and related documentation
A. Human relations movement B. NTL/T-groups/sensitivity
training
C. Survey research D. Quality of work life E. Tavistock Institute F. Key thought leaders G. Humanistic values H. Statement of ethics 5. Theories and models for
change: the basic action research model, participatory action research model, planning model, change typologies (e.g., fast, slow, incremental, quantum, revolutionary), Lewin’s model, transition models, and so on
Skills 1. Managing the consulting
process: the ability to enter, contract, diagnose, design appropriate interventions, implement those interventions, manage unprogrammed events, and evaluate change process 2. Analysis/diagnosis: the abilities
to conduct an inquiry into a system’s effectiveness, to see the root cause(s) of a system’s current level of effectiveness;
the core skill is interpreted to include all systems—individual, group, organization, and multiorganization—as well as the ability to understand and inquire into one’s self
[Table 3.1]
[Table 3.1]
FOUNDATION
COMPETENCIES CORE COMPETENCIES
3. Designing/choosing appropriate, relevant interventions:
understanding how to select, modify, or design effective interventions that will move the organization from its current state to its desired future state 4. Facilitation and process
consultation: the ability to assist an individual or group toward a goal; the ability to conduct an inquiry into individual and group processes such that the client system maintains ownership of the issue, increases its capacity for reflection on the consequences of its behaviors and actions, and develops a sense of increased control and ability
5. Developing client capability:
the ability to conduct a change process in such a way that the client is better able to plan and implement a successful change process in the future, using technologies of planned change in a values-based and ethical manner
6. Evaluating organization change:
the ability to design and
implement a process to evaluate the impact and effects of change intervention, including control of alternative explanations and interpretation of performance outcomes
competence in those areas may take considerable time and effort, and it is questionable whether the other two types of OD practitioners—managers and specialists in related fields—also need that full range of skills and knowledge. It seems more reasonable to suggest that some subset of the items listed in Table 3.1 should apply to all OD prac- titioners, whether they are OD professionals, managers, or related specialists. Those items would constitute the practitioner’s basic skills and knowledge. Beyond that back- ground, the three types of OD practitioners likely would differ in areas of concentration.
OD professionals would extend their breadth of skills across the remaining categories in Table 3.1; managers would focus on the functional knowledge of business areas; and related specialists would concentrate on skills in their respective areas.
Knowledge and Skill Requirements of OD Practitioners
[Table 3.1]
[Table 3.1]
PART 1 Overview of Organization Development
Based on the data in Table 3.1 and the other studies available, all OD practitioners should have the following basic skills and knowledge to be effective.
Intrapersonal Skills or “Self-Management” Competence. Despite the growing knowl- edge base and sophistication of the field, organization development is still a human craft. As the primary instrument of diagnosis and change, practitioners often must process complex, ambiguous information and make informed judgments about its rel- evance to organizational issues.
The core competency of analysis and diagnosis listed in Table 3.1 includes the ability to inquire into one’s self, and as noted above, it remains one of the cornerstone skills in OD.10 Practitioners must have the personal centering to know their own values, feelings, and purposes as well as the integrity to behave responsibly in a helping relationship with others. Bob Tannenbaum, one of the founders of OD, argued that self-knowledge is the most central ingredient in OD practice and suggested that prac- titioners are becoming too enamored with skills and techniques.11 There are data to support his view. A study of 416 OD practitioners found that 47% agreed with the statement, “Many of the new entrants into the field have little understanding of or appreciation for the history or values underlying the field.”12 Because OD is a highly uncertain process requiring constant adjustment and innovation, practitioners must have active learning skills and a reasonable balance between their rational and emo- tional sides. Finally, OD practice can be highly stressful and can lead to early burnout, so practitioners need to know how to manage their own stress.
Interpersonal Skills. Practitioners must create and maintain effective relationships with individuals and groups within the organization and help them gain the competence necessary to solve their own problems. Table 3.1 identifies group dynamics, comparative cultural perspectives, and business functions as foundation knowledge, and managing the consulting process and facilitation as core skills. All of these interpersonal competen- cies promote effective helping relationships. Such relationships start with a grasp of the organization’s perspective and require listening to members’ perceptions and feelings to understand how they see themselves and the organization. This understanding provides a starting point for joint diagnosis and problem solving. Practitioners must establish trust and rapport with organization members so that they can share pertinent information and work effectively together. This requires being able to converse in members’ own language and to give and receive feedback about how the relationship is progressing.
To help members learn new skills and behaviors, practitioners must serve as role mod- els of what is expected. They must act in ways that are credible to organization members and provide them with the counseling and coaching necessary to develop and change.
Because the helping relationship is jointly determined, practitioners need to be able to negotiate an acceptable role and to manage changing expectations and demands.
General Consultation Skills. Table 3.1 identifies the ability to manage the consult- ing process and the ability to design interventions as core competencies that all OD practitioners should possess. OD starts with diagnosing an organization or department to understand its current functioning and to discover areas for further development.
OD practitioners need to know how to carry out an effective diagnosis, at least at a rudimentary level. They should know how to engage organization members in diagnosis, how to help them ask the right questions, and how to collect and analyze information.
A manager, for example, should be able to work with subordinates to determine jointly the organization’s or department’s strengths or problems. The manager should know basic diagnostic questions (see Chapters 5 and 6), some methods for gathering informa- tion, such as interviews or surveys, and some techniques for analyzing it, such as force- field analysis or statistical means and distributions (see Chapters 7 and 8).
In addition to diagnosis, OD practitioners should know how to design and execute an intervention. They need to be able to define an action plan and to gain 52
commitment to the program. They also need to know how to tailor the intervention to the situation, using information about how the change is progressing to guide implementation (see Chapter 11). For example, managers should be able to develop action steps for an intervention with subordinates. They should be able to gain their commitment to the program (usually through participation), sit down with them and assess how it is progressing, and make modifications if necessary.
Organization Development Theory. The last basic tool OD practitioners should have is a general knowledge of organization development, such as is presented in this book. They should have some appreciation for planned change, the action research model, and the positive approaches to managing change. They should be familiar with the range of available interventions and the need for evaluating change programs.
Perhaps most important is that OD practitioners should understand their own role in the emerging field of organization development, whether it is as an OD professional, a manager, or a specialist in a related area.