What is Organisational Development?

When I tell people we “do Organisational Development” my audience either nods along sagely (thank you my fellow HR professionals) or looks blankly into the middle distance…

So, what the heck is Organisational Development?

It’s like the secret sauce for making teams and whole organisations work like a well-oiled machine. Picture it as this cool, strategic plan where leaders take the lead and get everyone on board to spice up the way things run. We're talking about tweaking processes and systems in a planned way to boost overall efficiency and effectiveness.

You might hear folks throw around the term O.D. - it's just a snazzy abbreviation for Organisational Development. And, it's not just a buzzword; it's a big deal in shaping how businesses roll.

According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Organisational Development is all about having a game plan to amp up your business performance by getting everyone in your workforce engaged. It's a well-thought-out approach to keep things in your business running smoothly.

When did Organisational Development begin?

Flashback to the swinging '60s - think Austin Powers if you will, and that's when the concept of Organisational Development first hit the scene. Back then, it was all about fine-tuning the behaviour of the cool cats in organisations. Groovy, baby! Back in the day, Organisational Development was like the rebel response to the soul-sucking scientific management practices of the early 20th century (who loves a bit of Taylorism and time and motion studies!? That’s right, no one).  It flipped the script from cold, mechanical approaches to a warm and fuzzy humanistic vibe. Picture this: training, employee feedback sessions, action research, and systems thinking taking the stage. Leadership styles got a makeover too, turning into this collaborative dance that spanned boundaries and cultures. Diversity became the magic recipe for brewing up some serious innovation. It’s taken a while to sink in and to be honest it’s only been since the early 21st century that some have been able to look beyond Human Resources being ‘Personnel’ and open their eyes to beyond people being numbers on spreadsheets. You can check out a bit more on the history of OD in this blog: A Journey Through Time

What could Organisational Development mean for you?

🚀 Now, it's not just a fancy term; it's like the superhero for ensuring growth and toughness in this ever-changing business landscape. Imagine it as the mastermind behind boosting how your whole business ticks. To stay ahead, businesses need to be like Sherlock Holmes—constantly analyzing data, making tweaks, and prepping for the future.

Now, here's the cool part: lots of businesses are already doing OD without even knowing it, let alone shouting it from the rooftops. They're casually fine-tuning systems for efficiency or tackling challenges head-on. It’s likely that you’re doing a bit of OD without knowing you’re doing it!

So, what makes Organisational Development stand out above just making things a bit better? Think of it as the organisational chameleon that encompasses your whole business, every facet of it, in a loving hug. With traits like flexibility (tweaking everything from overall strategy, over-arching systems, departments all the way down to individual roles), adaptability (rolling with planned changes like a boss), and embedding change (making sure those positive changes become part of your company's DNA). OD is about careful planning and shape shifting ensuring everything fits in within your overall strategy and everyone is aligned to your business goal.

And guess what? It's not just about looking good on paper. OD is all about action - boosting overall performance, improving communication, and making sure everyone's on the same development wavelength.

How does it work its magic? Organisational Development brings the wisdom of behavioural science to the table, tackling business challenges and aligning them with the big-picture goals. It's the magic wand that introduces action plans that increase the organisation's knowledge, skills and ability to hit those collective goals. Has anyone ever asked you if you had a magic wand what would you change…?

What does this OD magic wand look like?

Depending on who you ask it can vary on how many stages of Organisational Development there are; it’s my opinion that there are 7 distinct stages or phases, not including the in and out - but definitely including the shake it all about.

The Organisational Cycle

The ‘In’ - Initial Contact; it could be just one although it’s likely to be several conversations.

Contracting - who’s going to do what, and by when!

Diagnostics - Data Collection and Analysis - in order to plan ahead, we need to know where we are!

Feedback - Reviewing the data collected and the recommendations from the analysis.

Action Planning - Plotting an appropriate course of action.

The Action/ Intervention - Ah, the good stuff… let’s make the required adjustments to your business.

Sustaining the Change/ Accountability - After all the great changes, we need to make sure they stick.

Evaluation - what went well, what did we learn, how would we do it again?

The ‘Out’ Termination/ Separation - sometimes we’ll go through the cycle once and part company … or, let’s go ‘round again, and make a better thing, better!

Organisational Development can jazz up your workplace and rock your workplace!

There’s a few things that are pretty consistent when it come to Organisational Development projects; there’s a few things they need - such as buy-in from the top - and a few things that it gives - such as focussed training and upskilling.

Leadership Love: It's all about that commitment from the bigwigs! Imagine your top dogs saying, "We're all in for this OD thing!" Executive coaching is like their secret weapon to lead the charge and make change happen. It’s a sad tale I must tell… most OD projects that fail are because of lack of leadership buy-in! 

Communication that Rocks: No more boring memos! OD is all about clear and consistent communication. Picture this: tailored messages for different departments and positions. It's like sending out party invites—everyone gets the details that matter to them.

Training with a Purpose: So, imagine training that's not just filling the time and instantly forgotten but is like the matrix pill for your organisation. Organisational Development says, "Let's align that training with our big dreams, goals, and everything awesome." Too many people jump straight to the action/ intervention phase, and that my friend is training without a well thought out purpose.

Training & Coaching Extravaganza: Forget boring workshops. OD brings the A-game with high-quality focussed training and coaching. It's about boosting skills, personal growth, and making your team unstoppable based on the diagnostics, feedback and proper planning!

Eyes on the Prize: OD isn't just about the short-term thrills; it's like having a long-term vision board for your organisation. Think sustained growth and success over time. Who doesn't want that?

Culture Connection: It's like OD is the matchmaker for your organisation and its culture. Understanding and aligning with what makes your workplace tick is the secret sauce for successful Organisational Development.

Team Building Extravaganza: Picture this: your whole organisation is a powerhouse of teamwork. That's the dream of OD—boosting teamwork across the board for top-notch business performance. 🚀

Why do businesses love OD?

Oh, let me count the ways! Continuous development, personal and professional growth for employees, boosted productivity, fatter profit margins—yes, please! It's like OD is the superhero swooping in to diagnose operational problems, plan strategies, build up communication, and sprinkle some magic dust on product or service quality.

And guess what? OD isn't just for the big shots; small businesses can totally get in on the action too. It's like a tailored suit - assess where you're at, set some awesome goals, and create a plan that fits like a glove. Small businesses, you can be OD rockstars too!

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If you want to learn more about OD and how it can help your business, check out our series of free 30 minute webinars here, or email colin@humaneverything.co.uk to start a conversation.