Inform Yourself

As we mentioned in our prior post, Organizational Development (OD) is a strategy implemented by an organization as means to inducing a specific desired end result. This end result may be beliefs, attitudes, values, or perhaps organizational structure in order to meet the dizzying array of challenges facing organizations today so they are more effective in achieving business objectives.

Organizational Development is typically a long range effort in an organizations problem solving, collaborative management, or renewal processes through the use of a change agent and the application of theory while applying behavioral sciences. Here, change agent means a leader who is engaged in the application of the holistic transformative process as opposed to managing an incremental or efficiency based change methodology. That said, there is a particular structure Organizational Development (OD) typically takes within and organization. Here are the main players and the key structure an organization needs in order to start Organizational Development (OD) strategy.

Change Agent: A change agent is not a technical expert in a particular area such as accounting, information technology, finance, or production etc. Here a change agent is a behavioral scientist who knows how to engage people within an organization so they are involved in solving their own problems. Their main strength lies in understanding human behavior and then applying various intervention techniques in order to engage individuals within the organization in the Organizational Development (OD) strategy. The change agent may be external or internal to the organization. IN either case, a "contractual relationship" should be clearly defined. A “contractual relationship” is an agreement that should probably be explicit with respect to all of the conditions involved except the fee.

Sponsoring Organization: The sponsoring Organization is the organization that has the problem. This means that top management or an individual assigned by top management recognizes an issue exists and is committed to taking appropriate action to resolve the issue. It is implied here that the organization MUST be actively involved in solving its own issues!

Contractual Relationship: A document defining the relationship between the sponsoring organization and the change agent regardless if the change agent is internal or external to the organization. Although neither the sponsoring organization nor the change agent can be sure of the exact nature of the problem or problems to be dealt with (if not previously define) or how long the change agents' help will be needed, it is essential that some agreement be reached. The sponsoring organization needs to know generally what the change agent's preliminary plan will be, what its own commitments are in relation to personal commitments and responsibility for the program, and what the change agent's fee will be. The change agent must assure himself that the organization’s (particularly the top executives) commitment to change is strong enough to support the kind of self-analysis and personal involvement required for success of the strategy. A termination agreement permitting either side to withdraw at any time is usually included especially if there are a large number or unknowns involved.

This structure is essential to forming a firm foundation for the Organizational Development (OD) strategy. Both the change agent and the sponsoring organization must have a high comfort level of trust with the other party’s commitment to the process and the terms under which both parties will operate. Additionally, this structure provides the clarity for the initiative itself. Is the initiative to determine the nature of the problem or problems to be dealt with or is it the strategy in eliminating the problems being dealt with by the organization? In either case it is essential to form the solid foundation on which the Organizational Development strategy is built upon. To fail to do so will lead to almost assuredly lead to failure!

Next, we cover systems context, organizational self renewal, and improved organizational performance. Until then, we wish all of our readers a GREAT day!

One of the most common comments and questions I receive when speaking with business owners regarding their businesses is “I’ve heard the terms Organizational Development (OD) and Talent Management but what do they mean? Are they the same thing”? Their questions are usually spawned after hearing someone in Human Resources talk about one of the subjects while mentioning the other in the course of their presentation. Based on my experience, there is much confusion regarding these two business development tools especially in the small and middle market segments.

The simple answer to the question is no, they are not the same thing. Each has its specific use and place within the strategies an organization is utilizing for growing a successful business.

Let’s start by defining each of the terms for clarity sake:

Organization development (OD) is a planned, organization-wide effort to increase an organization's effectiveness and viability. Warren Bennis (an American scholar, organizational consultant and author, widely regarded as a pioneer of the contemporary field of Leadership studies is a Distinguished Professor of Business Administration and Founding Chairman of The Leadership Institute at the University of Southern California) has referred to Organizational Development (OD) as a response to change, a complex educational strategy intended to change the beliefs, attitudes, values, and structure of organization so that they can better adapt to new technologies, marketing and challenges, and the dizzying rate of change itself. Organizational Development (OD) is neither "anything done to better an organization" nor is it "the training function of the organization"; it is a particular kind of change process designed to bring about a particular kind of end result. Organizational Development (OD) can involve interventions in the organization's "processes," using behavioral science knowledge as well as organizational reflection, system improvement, planning, and self-analysis.

Talent Management refers to the process of developing and integrating new workers, developing and retaining current workers, and attracting highly skilled workers to work for a company. The term was coined by David Watkins of Softscape[ published in an article in 1998. The process of attracting and retaining profitable employees, as it is increasingly more competitive between firms and of strategic importance, has come to be known as "the war for talent." Talent management is a process that emerged in the 1990s and continues to be adopted, as more companies come to realize that their employees’ talents and skills drive their business success. Companies that have put into practice talent management have done so to solve an employee retention problem. The issue with many companies today is that their organizations put tremendous effort into attracting employees to their company, but spend little time into retaining and developing talent. A talent management system must be worked into the business strategy and implemented in daily processes throughout the company as a whole, NOT just by Human Resources!

Notice the differential between these two definitions. Organizational Development (OD) is applied to the larger structure (aka the organization) in order to produce a specific desired result. Talent Management is applied to an asset within the larger structure or to attracting and integrating the asset to the structure! Two very different strategies to say the least!

Although these two are very different strategies, they do have one very big thing in common. In order for an organization to successfully implement either or both strategies, it MUST be done through the business strategy, implemented in the daily processes, and driven by the organization as a WHOLE not just by Human Resources! This means it STARTS at the top of the organization with commitment through action not words! An organization must live it, breathe it, and be it on a consistent basis always measuring its progress (or lack thereof) in order to be successful implementing either or both of these strategies.

I will provide details for each of these strategies in the blog posts that follow.

Stay tuned to learn more, leave a comment, or contact me by completing the form at http://www.timothymcginty.com/contact.html

Now that you have worked your way through developing your definition of Your Blissful Life and discovering Your Genius and the roals you need to be in so you are most authentic and producing at your highest levels ever, the logical question that follows is “So, how do I get there?”

The first step in getting there is taking responsibility for your own success! No one is going to grab and lead you by the hand and make it happen for you. YOU must make it happen for you! You must take responsibility for your transition to authenticity and your success.

In order to make your transition a reality, the vast majority of individuals will need assistance. They will require someone to hold them accountable for achieving their success. They need someone to hold their feet to the fire. They need someone to tell them what they need to hear, NOT what they want to hear! Most individuals are unable to hold themselves accountable for their own transition. It is hard work and requires much reflection and honesty with one’s self. The majority of the population will not hold themselves accountable but rather let themselves off the hook. This reason is to do so is human nature. Change is hard! Our self-talk (that little voice in the back of your head) wants to keep us safe and secure at all times. Yet in order to get what you want, you must get outside of your comfort zone. When we get outside our comfort zone we learn and grow.

The person whom you select to assist you in holding you accountable goes by many names Accountability Partner, Coach, Mentor, etc. Although the names may be familiar to you, the roles for each are vastly different. Here is a simple definition of each:

1. Accountability Partner: An individual with whom you share your prioritized list of actions to be taken who will hold you accountable for completing each action item.

2. Coach: An individual with specific training whom you share your prioritized list of actions to be taken who will hold you accountable but can also assist you in discovering;
a. other actions that may need to be taken
b. the strategies you must employ in order to overcome obstacles
c. teach you new strategies where necessary depending on their
training and expertise

3. Mentor: An individual with whom you share your actions to be taken however this individual has already been where you want to go. They act as your guide and lead you as they walk in front of you through the process or processes they utilized in order to achieve their success. They have been where you want to go and assist you in avoiding miss steps along the way.

Note that differential between the three different types of individuals you can choose to assist you in your transition. Which one is the right one for you? Each type of individual has specific advantages and disadvantages. Be honest with yourself. No one knows you better than you!

Be open, be honest, and take responsibility for your accountability so you achieve your success! You determine your success or not!

To date we have focused more on what individuals need to do in order to achieve higher levels of performance. While we will re-visit this from time to time however we are now going to start to focus on what organizations need to do to attract, develop, and support its greatest asset in performing at a higher level so the organization performs at a higher level.