Values, Assumptions, and Beliefs in Organization Development
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Transcript of Values, Assumptions, and Beliefs in Organization Development
Values,
Assumptions, and
Beliefs in OD
Value foundation
Early significant statements
Implications
…constitute an integral part of and distinguishes OD from other improvement strategies
…provide structure and stability for people as they attempt to
understand the world around them
…humanistic, optimistic, democratic
Events in Management and Organization Thought
Edgar Schein
-group process consultation
David Cooperrider
-appreciative inquiry
Marvin Weisbord
-future search
Harrison Owen
-open space
Second Wave
Douglas McGregor
-Theory X and Y
Burns and Stalker
-two forms of organization
structure
Rensis Likert
-democratic leadership style
Katz and Kahn
-open systems
Addison-Wesley Six-Pack/OD Six-Pack
-theory, practice, values of OD
Late 1960s
Kurt Lewin
-group dynamics
-laboratory training
Wilfrid Bion
-the Tavistockmethod
Rensis Likert
-survey research and feedback
methods
Eric Trist
-sociotechnical approach
Robert Tannenbaum
-team building
1940s – 1960sFrederick Taylor
-the scientific management
Max Weber
-bureaucracy
Mary Parker Follett
-participative leadership
Hawthorne Studies
-primacy of social factors on productivity
and morale
Chester Barnard
-acceptance theory of authority
Lewin, Lippitt, White
- Democratic leadership
< 1939
Prevailing paradigms for organizations -
zeitgeist
Scientific management as the way to organize work
Bureaucracy as the way to organize people
Hawthorne studies gave way to human relations
movement advocating participative management
and a general “humanizing” of the workplace
Emergence of laboratory training movement where
humanistic and democratic values filled the
movement
Survey feedback systematically assessed employee
morale and attitudes in organizations
Sociotechnical approach viewed social and
technical systems as interdependent where a change
in one system will directly affect the other
1900s to
1920s
1940s to
1960s
Prevailing paradigms for organizations -
zeitgeist
Recognition of four major stems of OD: (1)application
of laboratory training insights to complex
organizations, (2) survey feedback technology, (3)
emergence of action research, (4)sociotechnical and
socioclinical approaches
Changing Context and Second-wave OD
1980s to 1990s has dramatically changed the
context of the business environment (globalization,
tech innovations etc.)
Considerable attention is being given to new
concepts, interventions, and areas of application
Second generation OD includes interest in
organizational transformation, culture, learning
organization, TQM, and visioning
1960s
and
beyond
Early Statements of OD Values
and Assumptions
Warren Bennis
OD practitioners share a set of normative goals
Richard Beckhard
Several assumptions about the nature and
functioning of organizations
Robert Tannenbaum and Sheldon Davies
Values in transition
Normative goals by Warren Bennis
1. Improvement in interpersonal competence
2. A shift in values so that human factors and
feelings come to be considered legitimate
3. Development of increased understanding
between and within working groups in order to
reduce tension
4. Development of more effective “team
management”
5. Development of better methods of conflict
resolution
6. Development of organic rather than mechanical
systems
Mechanical System
Authority-obedience
relationships
Strict division of labor
and hierarchical
supervision
Centralized decision
making
Organic System
Mutual confidence
and trust
Multi-group
membership and
responsibility
Wide sharing of
responsibility and
control
Organic versus mechanical systemsfrom Normative goals by Warren Bennis
Assumptions about the nature and
functioning of organizations by Richard Beckhard
1. The basic building blocks of an organization are
groups (teams)
2. An always relevant change goal is the reduction
of inappropriate competition
3. Decision making is located where the
information sources are
4. Controls are interim measurements, not the basis
of managerial strategy
5. Develop open communication, mutual trust, and
confidence between and across levels
6. People support what they help create
Values in transitionfrom 1969 Industrial Management Review
by Robert Tannenbaum and Sheldon Davies
Away from… Towards…
People are bad People are good
Negative evaluation of
individualsConfirming as human beings
Individuals as fixed Seeing as being in process
Resisting and fearing individual
differencesAccepting and utilizing
A job description A whole person
Walling off expression of feelingsMaking appropriate expression
and effective use
Maskmanship and game playing Authentic behavior
Values in transitionfrom 1969 Industrial Management Review
by Robert Tannenbaum and Sheldon Davies
Away from… Towards…
Status and prestige to maintain
power
Status for organizationally relevant
purposes
Distrusting people Trusting people
Avoiding facing others Making appropriate confrontation
Avoidance of risk taking Willingness to risk
Process work as unproductive Process work as essential
Competition Collaboration
The democratic values prompted a critique of
authoritarian, autocratic, and arbitrary
management practices
dysfunctions of bureaucracies
The humanistic values prompted a search for
Better ways to run organizations
Develop the people in them
Implications of OD values and
assumptions
For dealing with individuals
For dealing with groups
For designing and running organizations
Implications for dealing with individuals
Two basic assumptions
Most individuals have drives toward personal growth
and development
Most people desire a higher level contribution to the
attainment of organization goals than most
environments permit
Implications for dealing with individuals
Implications:
• Ask
• Listen
• Support
• Challenge
• Encourage risk taking
• Permit failure
• Remove obstacles and barriers
• Give autonomy
• Give responsibility
• Set high standards
• Reward success
Implications for dealing with groups
Assumptions
What occurs in the work group greatly influences
feelings of satisfaction and competence
Most people wish to be accepted and to interact
cooperatively with at least one reference group
Most people are capable of making greater
contribution to a group’s effectiveness and
development
Group members should assist the leader for group
effectiveness
Attitudinal and motivational problems require
interactive and transactional solutions
Implications for dealing with groups
Implications:
• Let teams flourish
• Leaders should invest in groups
• In time required for group development
• Training time and money to increase group members’ skills
• Energy and intelligence in creating a positive climate
• Leaders adopt a team leadership style
• Give important work to teams, not individuals
Implications for dealing with groups
Implications:
• Group members receive training in group effectiveness skills
• Problem solving and decision making
• Conflict management
• Facilitation
• Interpersonal communication
• Encourage to deal with positive and negative feelings
• A shift in perspective
• From viewing problems as “within the problem person” to
viewing problems and solutions as transactional and as
embedded in a system
Implications for designing and running
organizations
Assumptions
The needs and aspirations of human beings are the
reasons for organized effort in society
It is possible to create organizations that on one hand
are humane and on the other hand are high
performing and profitable
Implications for designing and running
organizations
Implications:
• An optimistic, developmental set of assumptions about people
is likely to reap rewards to both organization and its members
• The belief that people are important tends to result in their
being important
• The belief that people can grow and develop competently
tends to produce that result
• People are an organization’s most important resource
OD rests in the foundation of values and
assumptions about people and organizations
These beliefs help to define what OD is and
guide its implementation
Creating the Best Workplace on Earthby Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones
“In a nutshell, it’s a company where individual
differences are nurtured; information is not
suppressed or spun; the company adds value to
employees, rather than merely extracting it from
them; the organization stands for something
meaningful; the work itself is intrinsically rewarding;
and there are no stupid rules.”
http://hbr.org/2013/05/creating-the-best-workplace-on-earth/ar/1
References
French, W., & Bell, C. (1995). Organization
Development: Behavioral Science Interventions for
Organization Improvement. 5th Ed. New Jersey, USA:
Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Sikes, W., Drexler, A., & Gant, J. (1989). The Emerging
Practice of Organization Development. Alexandria,
Virginia; San Diego, California, USA: NTL Institute of
Applied Behavioral Science; University Associates, Inc.
French, W., Bell, C., & Zawacki, R. (2005). Organization
Development and Transformation: Managing Effective
Change. 6th Ed. NY, USA: McGraw-Hill.
The Foundations and Future of Organization
Development presented by Sandhya Johnson
(http://www.slideshare.net/)