The Future of Organization Development

The Global Committee on the Future of OD

Jeana Wirtenberg, Ph.D Ted Nguyen Elena Feliz

Center for Human Resource Management StudiesFairleigh Dickinson University

October 15, 2004

Global Committee on the Future of ODOctober 15, 2004

Objectives:

– Introduce “The Global Committee on the Future of OD” – A catalyst for change

– Describe how we are linking OD values and contributions worldwide to create vital, successful organizations and communities

– Present Highlights from Phase I and plans for Phase II Research:• Assessment of the current state of OD – Key Strengths and Areas for

Development• Global Business Challenges and Opportunities• Implications for the OD Profession and OD Practitioners to Add Value• Phase II Survey and Action Learning research Plans

- Describe Community Outreach and Communities of Practice – Uniting, energizing and mobilizing OD practitioners, business leaders and academics worldwide to advance the field of OD in an ever-changing world

Global Committee on The Future of OD Strategy

Linking OD values and contributions worldwide to create vital, successful organizations and communities.

Uniting energizing and mobilizing thousands of OD practitioners, business leaders and academics worldwide to advance the field of OD and add value to all stakeholders, in an ever-changing world.

VISION

MISSION

Accomplishments To Date 1. Literature Review An extensive analysis was conducted synthesizing business challenges and opportunities from more than 80 recent

research documents.

2. SWOT A survey was sent to over 6,000 OD practitioners with over 900 responses.

3. Business Leader Interviews Business leaders from the companies represented by the Advisory Board members were interviewed one-on-one.

4. Business and Academic Advisory Board Interviews OD Leaders represented on the Business and Nonprofit Advisory Board as well as the Academic Advisory board

members were interviewed one-on-one.

5. Knowledge Management PortalAn electronic tool has been developed to connect people worldwide in the creation and sharing of knowledge.. 6. Established Advisory Board of OD Executives from business, government and non-profit sectors.

7. Established Communities of Practice for business, government and non-profit sectors.

Global Research

Global Communities of Practice

Business Government(USA)

Non-Profit(USA)

Survey

Literature Review Action Learning

Competencies

KnowledgeManagement

Country/Region Teams Sector/Industry Teams

InformationTechnology

ChangeManagement

CommunicationsMarketing

CommunityOutreachIntegration

Liasion

Global Committee on the Future of ODChair: Ted Nguyen

Sponsors: Don Cole, President, The O.D. Institute Mila Baker, Chair of Board of Trustees, OD Network Rita Aloni, President of International OD Association

Q3-03

AppointmentOD

Global Comm.“ResearchAdvisory

BoardsKM

Portal

Q4 - 03 Q1 - 05Q1 - 04 Q2 - 04 Q3 - 04 Q4 - 04

SWOT Survey

Set up Boards:Business/Academic

Business Advisory Board Mtgs.

Knowledge ManagementOD Body of Knowledge

Literature Review

Phase II Client Survey

OD Global Committee Current Progress and Future Plans

Communitiesof Practices

Communities ofPractice

Marketing & Communications

Change Management

Business/Academic Partnerships

Business/AcademicsInterviews

Knowledge ManagementPortal Design

Knowledge ManagementPortal Launch

Government/Non-ProfitBoard Mtgs.

Global Committee on the Future of OD

• Action Plan:

– Conducting Global Research with clients in every sector and region of the world, to understand their business challenges, and co-create ways for OD to help their businesses succeed.

– Establishing Global Communities of Practice in every sector and region of the world to support OD practitioners in the collaborative creation, sharing, and application of best practices and knowledge.

– Building a Knowledge Management strategy to identify the OD body of knowledge and provide technology tools (KM Portal) and infrastructure for the virtual sharing of information and best practices globally.

– Designing and implementing a targeted Communications and Marketing strategy to build greater understanding of the field of OD.

– Strengthening business and academic partnerships to research and create new models and theories to solve business problems.

Research(Jeana Wirtenberg, PhD)

Phase I OD SWOT Survey – Over 900 Responses

Top Three Strengths

♦ Systemic Orientation/Change Management ♦ Techniques and Processes – Teamwork/Leadership Development♦ Values OD Brings to Practice

Top Four Areas For Improvement

♦ Lack of Definition and Distinction of the Field of OD♦ Lack of Quality Control of Practitioners♦ Insufficient Business Acumen of Practitioners/Insufficient Emphasis on Customer Needs♦ Insufficiently Clear ROI/Value of the Work

Phase I Action Research - Integrated Key Themes (#1)

♦ Implications ■ OD Profession ► Build collaborative global/multicultural OD networks and partnerships ► Support business leaders in becoming “whole system thinkers” ► Address business issues appropriately at each stage of the life cycle ► Partner with other OD and non-OD professional associations ► Teach business theory in OD Academic programs ► Identify best practices for industry consolidations, M&A, strategic alignment, and different

phases of business life cycles■ OD Practitioner ► Build skills and competencies in multi-cultural sensitivity and diversity ► Focus on addressing most formidable business challenges and adding value (based on understanding of basic business theory) ► Foster collaborative relationships across traditional organizational

boundaries

♦ Value to Business Leaders and Businesses ■ Strategies are aligned and executed in a way that meets both financial goals and core values ■ More positive results from organizational realignments, industry consolidations, M&A’s, by understanding and addressing cultural dimensions ■ Increased market share and shareholder value, due to effective application of change management principles to business and product life cycles

♦ Globalization, Multi-Cultural, and Whole System Perspective ■ Industry Consolidation, M/A, and Strategic Alignment ■ Business and Product Life-Cycle ■ Global Economy, Market and Shareholder Demands

Phase I Action Research - Integrated Key Themes (#2)

♦ Building Great Workplace, Productivity, and Performance Culture ■ Organizational Alignment ■ Speed, Innovation, and Flexibility ■ Capturing Elusive Customers

♦ Implications ■ OD Profession ► Embed and Leverage OD strengths to foster employee engagement ► Enhance skills around fostering innovation and flexibility in workforce ► Increase focus on what it takes to build a performance culture (e.g., training in productivity and quality methods) ■ OD Practitioner ► Partner with business leaders to build great workplaces ► Focus on enhancing productivity and performance ► Ensure work is linked to business imperatives around speed, customers, innovation, etc.

♦ Value to Business Leaders and Businesses ■ Enhanced productivity and profitability through organizational alignment ■ Enhanced commitment of workforce for better overall performance ■ Clarity of purpose and mission to inspire and engage workforce ■ Improved ability to attract and retain top talent

Phase I Action Research - Integrated Key Themes (#3)♦ Leveraging Technology and Worldwide Integration ■ Leveraging and aligning technology with business strategies ■ Speed, flexibility and innovation ■ Learning and Knowledge Management

♦ Implications ■ OD Profession ► Marry capabilities of technology with individual and organizational needs ► Understand best practices in technology integration and implementation ► Model virtual training and learning in professional activities ► Recognize and address challenges of technology from a people perspective

(e.g., virtual teams and meetings) ■ OD Practitioner ► Support business leaders in implementing new technologies ► Build resiliency into organizations as they integrate new technologies ► Foster continuous learning and knowledge sharing in organizations ► Stay current with technology advances and incorporate them in our practice

♦ Value to Business Leaders and Businesses ■ Leveraging and alignment of technology with business and people strategies ■ Exploit technology and readily adapt to the latest technological advances for

competitive advantage ■ Use technology to support learning and innovation for better results

Phase I Action Research - Integrated Key Themes (#4)♦ Corporate Social Responsibility is Increasing ■ Greater accountability for business ethics and governance ■ Corporate role in human rights and widening economic gaps ■ Accountability for the use of natural resources

♦ Implications ■ OD Profession ► Identify best practices in socially responsible business practices ► Develop skills and competencies in supporting socially responsible business

practices, ethics and governance ► Embed socially responsible values and associated results in corporate

drivers and key metrics (e.g., balanced scorecard) ► Use our values based heritage to create a paradigm shift in the way

business is perceived and conducted ■ OD Practitioner ► Coach and support business leaders in shifting/enhancing socially

responsible orientation and actions (show them what’s in it for them) ► Build expertise in skills, competencies and understandings re ethics,

governance, and socially responsible practices

♦ Value to Business and Business Leaders ■ Improved reputation among citizenries, consumers and investors

■ Enhanced commitment of employees as they find increased meaning in work through focus on corporate citizenship and contributions

■ Mitigate/reduce costs and negatives associated with litigation ■ Enhanced sustainability of Enterprises through responsible use of natural

resources

Phase I Action Research - Integrated Key Themes (#5)♦ Building Leadership and Organizational Capabilities for the Future ■ Changing Work and Workforce ■ Leadership Talent Identification, Development, and Retention ■ Leadership Courage, Decision Making and Problem Solving

♦ Implications ■ OD Profession ► Ensure business leaders have basic understanding of OD theory and practice ► Build competencies in leveraging diversity for business advantage ► Leverage conflict mediation and appreciative inquiry skills and competencies among OD professionals around the world ► Create HR/OD collaborative relationships and partnerships ■ OD Practitioner ► Coach leaders to find meaning and purpose and provide an environment that supports the whole person ► Work with HR and business leaders to actively advocate our beliefs and values for individuals and workplaces ► Model leadership courage, decision making and problem solving

♦ Value to Business Leaders and Businesses ■ Greater leadership bench strength to build long-term business success ■ Enhanced ability to make difficult decisions and address paradoxes ■ Access to wide array of choices around models for building organizations,

careers and learning

Phase I Action Research - Integrated Key Themes (#6)♦ Regulatory Environment and New Organizational Forms ■ Business and Government Partnerships are creating both challenges and opportunities ■ In U.S., increasing government regulations pose competitive challenges ■ New organizational models emerging across traditional sectors (public-private)♦ Implications ■ OD Profession ► Research best practices and new models in public-private partnerships ► Stimulate interest and awareness about emergent organizational forms ► Do action research/action learning with pioneers in collaborative cross-sector

emergent organizational forms ■ OD Practitioner ► Be open and opportunistic in identifying emerging organizational forms ► Explore new organizational forms through experimentation (e.g., high potential experiences on special projects) ► Leverage high potential talent to fuel interest and awareness ► Use OD win-win values to shift paradigm from adversarial to partnerships across

traditional boundaries (organizations, sectors, industries)

♦ Value to Business Leaders and Businesses ■ Intractable problems that can only be addressed at the “systems level” are understood and ameliorated ■ Better results through enhanced “win-win” collaborative relationships and partnerships among public, private and nonprofit sectors ■ Reduced costs and faster speed to market for critical products (e.g., drugs) as shared commitments and values become more of a priority

Phase I Action Research – Visioning Themes♦ The field of Organization Development is clearly defined, well understood, recognized and valued by practitioners and clients alike. OD professional associations speak with one voice and have a common identity. OD professionals demonstrate competencies and practices that are distinguishing hallmarks of excellence. ■ “OD profession easy to recognize and differentiate from others.”

♦ OD Practitioners demonstrate business savvy. OD supports strategy identification, execution and measurement. The focus of OD is on enhancing productivity and profitability, and we use metrics to monitor our progress. The OD field is clear about its ROI and OD professionals are credible partners to leaders. ■ “Practical - business focused - able to move from the conceptual to application and bring others along.” ♦ Academia and Business partner synergistically. This partnership develops practical applications of OD, new models, research and theory. The next generation of OD practitioners are prepared to succeed in all sectors. ■ “Business and academia partner to research and create new models and theories to solve business issues.”

♦ We create sustainable and humane Enterprises, embedding values, and creating a positive work environment. We build bridges, help to find common ground, and address organizational and cultural divides. We manifest our belief that social responsibility and business results can successfully co-exist. ■ “I feel satisfied in my work. I feel cared about. I want to stay.”

Phase II ResearchClient Survey Research Goals

1. Validate Business Success Factors:

Understand the relative importance of the factors driving business success from a people and organizational perspective, and current organizational effectiveness in each of the key areas

2. Determine Future Intentions to Utilize OD in key areas

3. Identify Preferred Sources of Expertise and Support

4. Ensure Capacity to sort Data by Key Demographicse.g., Industry, Size, Region, Function

Phase II ResearchAction Learning: Guiding Questions

• How can we create the conditions for collaborative deep inquiry and learning from our actions and activities on an ongoing basis?

• How can we leverage Action Research and Action Learning both as:– A SERIES OF EVENTSEVENTS marked by inclusivity, reflection, and

feedback– A transformational PROCESS that creates and embeds the

conditions and competencies for inquiry and continuous learning?

• To what extent would viewing OD practice as transformational Action Learning create the requisite paradigm shift for OD practice in organizations in a diverse, interdependent world?

Phase II ResearchAction Learning Outcomes

• Design and implement a plan to identify and capture learning relative to:– The process of reinventing the profession– Lessons learned along the way– Translating tacit learning / knowledge to explicit recorded knowledge– Identifying and sharing successes that can be replicated– Learning from mistakes that can be avoided– Creating vehicles, conditions, and processes for continuous reflection

and learning from OD practice

• Create vehicles that enable all components of the Global Committee (COP’s, Communications and Marketing, Change Management, Integration and Liaison, Knowledge Management, Research) to:– Develop insight and capture learning on a regular basis (within group)– Share insights and learning (within group and across groups).

Communities of Practice

(Elena Feliz)

The Global Committee on the Future of ODLandscape of our Communities of Practice...

THE BUSINESS SECTOR – Jenny Flowers, Chair

Strategy: Grow the grassroots industry teams and contacts, maximizing the Team Leader, Volunteer and Advisory Board relationships to achieve world-wide participation in assessing challenges, state of OD, best practices, and competencies in that specific industry.

Four teams, with Team Leaders and members identified, are workingtoward objectives:

•Pharmaceutical/BioTech/Medical Device (PBM) – Linda Klug, Aventis•High Tech/Telecom (HTT) – David Lipsky, Sony•Financial Services (FS) – Dorothy Obeirne, UBS•Energy/Manufacturing/Utilities (EMU) – Lucille Maddalena, Morris Business Group, Inc.

Three Teams need Team Leaders and volunteers:

•Healthcare and Hospitals (HH)•Consumer/Food Products (CFP)•Retail

The Global Committee on the Future of ODLandscape of our Communities of Practice...

Government Sector – Genevieve Jones, Chair

Strategy: Leverage key stakeholders, advisory board and membership to focus on federal, state and local/municipal in the U.S. to grow grassroots team to renew our focus and to evolve our approach to OD in this sector.

Nonprofit Sector – Terri McNichols, Chair

Strategy: Explore how OD as a profession can add value to U.S.-based nonprofit organizations. The Nonprofit sector team will look at how OD can empower the sector to deliver their missions more effectively.

Country/Region – Elena Feliz, Chair

Strategy: Belief in the Power of One – designate Country Liaison in countries like Canada, Thailand, Finland, Germany, India, Africa, etc., who will create local team linking with ODI, ODN, IODA as appropriate. In the U.S., leverage OD regionals and network.

Step 1: Access the Portal using your Internet Browser

Using the Global Committee on the future of OD Portal

Public Main Page

Accessing the Members Area

Step 3: Logon using your Userid and Password

Existing users:

New users: Enroll by clicking on theRegister Section

Step 4: Navigate through the Portal by clicking on the appropriate link

teams: Leadership Team information

View mission statement

Strategy and objectives: Review Expected Outcomes & Key Deliverables

Step 2: Click on the Existing Members

link

register: New Member

workstreams: Purpose, Structure & Scope

Click for members only area

Step 2: New members Register

The Future of Organization DevelopmentThree Thought Questions on the Future of OD

1. Should OD be considered a Profession and/or Discipline? If so, how should standards and qualifications for OD practitioners be determined?

2. Does/should OD have a unique identity that OD practitioners “own” and/or is our focus more on transferring OD competencies and knowledge to business leaders and/or project managers so that can be more self sufficient? What are the implications for the OD profession?

3. Can and should OD practitioners leverage our values-based OD heritage to support fundamental shifts in the way business is perceived and conducted (i.e., building more humane, sustainable enterprises)?

If so, what are the key results we want to achieve? What are the most effective ways we can influence others in these areas?

The Future of Organization Development

Comments?

Questions?

Suggestions?

The Future of Organization Development

Thank you!!!