Organizational Design, Diagnosis, & Development Session 1 An Overview of Organizational Design, Diagnosis, & Development

Course Goals To assist management students in identifying symptoms of problems in organizations To give students am understanding of the variety of interventions for resolving organizational problems through organizational design and development To promote the development of analytical skills in discerning organizational dysfunction To promote recognition of appropriate organizational interventions in relation to the dysfunction

Organizational Design The formal and systematic arrangement of operations that comprise the entire organization The Differentiation of units and activities into specialized groups and the way these groups are Integrated into a total system

The Role of Strategy in Organizational Design Design as a management tool –Design is not just for the Chiefs –Managers can use redesign to effect change Why designs fail –Thought to be a panacea –Irrational basis for use –Just another fad Appropriate designs -- One size cannot fit all.

WHAT IS OD A planned effort to increase organizational effectiveness Goals are achieved through behavioral science research methods Simplified it is: –Diagnosis -> Intervention ->Evaluation

A Brief History of OD It grew out of workshops on race relations at the State Teachers College in New Britain, CN Founders included Kurt Lewin and Ron Lippett. Focus on group norms; group process (task vs maintenance functions) group decision making. OD in the 90's –Focus became team building efforts –OD is more important than ever because organizations are changing at a dizzying rate, they are merging, they are spinning off units, they are reorganizing, they are employing new technologies

Needs for Diagnostic Skills The role of the practitioner Client relationships The diagnostic process –Analyzing at the organizational group and individual levels –Data collection and interpretation

The Semester Plan Starting with design –Environmental & technological impingements –Basic architecture –New structures Diagnosis –A model for analysis –Techniques of data collection

The Plan, continued Development –Human process interventions (1) T groups, team building (2) Systems wide -- surveys, feedback –Technostructual interventions (1) Organizational redesign (2) Quality of work life (3) Work redesign

More of the Plan –Human resource interventions (1) Goal setting and reward systems (2) Career planning and stress management –Strategic interventions (1) Organization and external environment relationships (2) Internal environment -- culture and climate

Backwards & Forwards Summing up: We considered goals for the course and then proceeded to examine Organizational design as a strategic tool, the purpose of Organizational Development, and needs for diagnostic skills. We concluded with a preview of the semester Looking ahead: Next time we will explore the basic building block of organizational structure.