1. Process Intervention Skills
Chapter 7
Process Intervention Skills
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

2. An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition
Learning Objectives
Understand key OD process skills and determine how they can be applied.
Practice using OD process skills.
Identify and gain insights into your own OD style.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

3. Walking the Front at Disney (part 1 of 2)
“The actions of one leader, multiplied by thousands of leaders, can reshape a culture.”
Judson Green, head of Walt Disney Attractions.
Disney has one of the world’s most deeply rooted corporate cultures.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

4. Walking the Front at Disney (part 2 of 2)
The leadership style at Disney is inclusive.
Managers work frontline shifts during peak periods.
Where guests’ satisfaction ratings are highest, cast members rate their leaders as outstanding.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

5. New Paradigm in Organizations
Change occurring in leadership styles because of importance of teams.
Organizations relying more on team approach.
Managers will need new skills.
Understanding group and team behavior is needed.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

6. Process Interventions (part 1 of 2)
Process intervention is OD practitioner skill for helping work groups become more effective.
Helps work group to understand way it operates.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

7. Process Interventions (part 2 of 2)
The manager helps team learn to diagnose and solve their own problems.
Team becomes more independent.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

8. An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition
Group Process
Process interventions concentrates on how groups and individuals within those groups behave.
Process is the how of the group.
Content is the what of the group.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

9. Five Areas Crucial to Effective Organization Performance
Communication.
Member roles & functions in groups.
Group problem-solving & decision-making.
Group norms & growth.
Leadership & authority.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

10. Figure 7.1 Group Process Interventions
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

11. An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition
Communications
Analyzing communications process within group.
Observing length of time member talks, who talks to whom, and who interrupts whom.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

12. Member Roles and Functions
Observing roles and functions of members.
Roles divided into 3 categories:
Group task.
Group building and maintenance.
Individual.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

13. Table 7.1 Group Behavior Interventions
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

14. Problem Solving and Decision Making
Helping group understand how it makes decisions.
Group consensus is one all members share in making and will support.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

15. An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition
Group Norms and Growth
Assisting group in understanding its norms and how they affect decision making.
Group will improve decision making as members grow.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

16. Leadership and Authority
Group understands impact of leadership and authority.
Roles of formal and informal leaders clarified.
Leadership functions shared among group members.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

17. Our Changing World: Grassroots Leadership at Shell (part 1 of 3)
Managing director Steve Miller tried to transform Shell but with little progress.
Went directly to employees in field (coal-face).
He brought change to lower levels and let it spread to managers above.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

18. Our Changing World (part 2 of 3)
Leadership changes at Shell:
Solutions to problems reside with people at coal face.
Leader finds ways to empower frontline people and hold them accountable.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

19. Our Changing World (part 3 of 3)
Approach to change:
Brought in 6 to 8 member teams.
Teaching method used was the fishbowl.
One team in middle working on problem, another team observes.
Observing team learns from another team’s performance.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

20. Types of Process Interventions
Process interventions differ but never involve the group’s task.
Concern is how group going about accomplishing its task.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

21. Process Interventions Include:
Clarifying.
Summarizing.
Synthesizing.
Generalizing.
Probing.
Questioning.
Listening.
Reflecting Feelings.
Providing Support.
Coaching.
Counseling.
Modeling.
Setting the Agenda.
Feedback.
Structural Suggestions.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

22. Clarifying and Summarizing
Purpose is to resolve misunderstandings.
Provides a summary of major points.
Helps the group to understand where it is.
Example: “Mary, I seem to be hearing you say…. Is this correct?”
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

23. Synthesizing and Generalizing
Puts several points together in common theme.
Takes ideas of one person and attaches them to group.
Example: “Am I correct in assuming the rest of you share Irwin’s position?”
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

24. Probing and Questioning
Seeks more information and asks questions.
Useful at beginning of discussion if members reaching hasty conclusions.
Example: “Larisa, I’m not sure everyone understands your point. Could you explain it in more detail?”
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

25. An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition
Listening
Communicates nonverbally that one is listening.
Uses eye contact and body posture.
Hears entire message including feelings.
Examples: eye contact, nod of head, body posture.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

26. An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition
Reflecting Feelings
Communicates back to speaker feeling part of message.
Listener practices empathy.
Example: “Shannon, am I correct in assuming you have a problem with what Murphy has just reported?”
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

27. Providing Support, Coaching, and Counseling
Gives assistance to group or individual on behaviors to improve.
Encourages members to talk and express ideas.
Compliments group for productive meeting.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

28. An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition
Modeling
Learning to give process observations by observing someone else making process observations.
Members encouraged to take role of providing process interventions.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

29. An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition
Setting the Agenda
Sets aside time to discuss process issues apart from content issues.
May include how well members communicate with each other.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

30. Feeding Back Observations
Provides feedback on group process.
Limited to extent that group is able to accept feedback.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

31. Structural Suggestions
Provides suggestions on group membership, communication patterns, allocation of work, and lines of authority.
Manager avoids stepping in and taking over.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

32. Results of Process Interventions
Little empirical evidence on success of process interventions.
Some findings suggest positive effects on participants.
Process interventions relied upon by OD practitioners and increasingly used by line managers in daily operations.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

33. OD in Practice: Shaking up HP (part 1 of 2)
Discuss HP in light of new information.
CEO Fiorina dismissed by HP’s board.
Official reason was “strategic differences” with the board.
What does B.W. and W.S.J. report?
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

34. OD in Practice: Shaking up HP (part 2 of 2)
Who is her replacement?
Has new CEO been able to bring change to HP?
What style of change does this new person brings to HP.
What happened to Fiorina?
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

35. An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition
Key Words and Concepts
Agenda setting interventions - sets aside time when process issues discussed.
Empathy - listener tries to see world from speaker’s point of view.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

36. An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition
Group building and maintenance functions - help group grow and improve members’ relationships.
Group consensus - decision made by group that all members can support.
Group content - task or what a group does.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

37. An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition
Group process - how group goes about accomplishing task.
Group task functions - behaviors that directly help the group solve its task.
Individual functions - behaviors that satisfy individual needs and inconsequential to group’s task.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

38. An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition
Member roles - functions that individual members play in a group.
Norms - organized and shared ideas regarding what group members should do and feel.
Process interventions - how the group is accomplishing its task.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition

39. Preparations for Next Chapter
Read Chapter 8.
Read instructions for OD Skill Simulation 8.1 and complete Step 1.
Read and prepare analysis for Case: The Farm Bank.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7th edition