Organizational Development Responsible Consulting
Introduction
Organizational Development (OD), a science-based process, is used by organizations to improve their capacity and effectiveness. By using OD, organizations reinforce or improve current strategies, techniques and capacity to achieve organizational goals. The process is not experimental but rather a critical science-based method backed by evidence and tested strategies. Organizational development has many business outcomes depending on the business type. Some of the business outcomes intended by undertaking OD include customer satisfaction, consumer engagement, financial performance improvement, and improving the capacity of the organization to adapt to change. OD may focus on changing the processes and strategies of the entire business or just a single aspect of the company. Over time, organizational design has become vital in business. Today’s business environment is characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), which calls for agility from the part of organizations and OD to achieve the change.
Organizational Development Consultancy
Organizational development consultants are experts hired by businesses to evaluate their current state and make recommendations on improving their performance. External consultants are mostly hired when a company is struggling and are required to make recommendations on what is necessary to ensure the business remains profitable (Vosoughi, 2014). Most OD consultants are highly educated and have immense experience in managerial roles. Since they rely on their reputation to get opportunities to work in the future, consultants must deliver excellent results now.
The Action Research Model
The action research model is a research-based process based on collaboration between an OD consultant and the organization/client. The method first aims at identifying whether an issue is OD-related or not (Asumeng & Osae-Larbi, 2015). Through research, consultants can gather solutions for current problems and develop new knowledge to solve related issues in the future. One of the assumptions in this model is that current organizational members are engaged in finding new solutions for action research (Coghlan, 2014). The model further assumes that the outcomes of an OD-related issue apply to the intended and unintended organizational issues (Asumeng & Osae-Larbi, 2015). If the results do not solve a current problem, they can be used to solve future problems. Action research is not a single action process but a spiral of processes, including planning, action, and fact-finding mission regarding the action results.
The initial step in organization development using the action research model is the identification of a problem. It involves sensing that something may not be going right within the organization. The top leaders are more well-placed to identify organizational problems than junior staff since they oversee the entire company. After identifying a problem, it is upon the corporate leader to judge whether the issue is significant enough to warrant the intervention of an external OD consultant.
After identifying a problem and deciding that it is worth the intervention of an external consultant, the leader discusses the details of the problem with an external OD consultant. At this stage, the OD practitioner may detail their framework for solving the problem. Sharing such information with a client forms a basis for collaboration and openness.
The third step in the action research model is data collection and preliminary diagnosis of the supposed organizational problem. Although the OD consultant is the dominant player in the stage, the company members also participate in the process by providing some corporate information (Cummings & Worley, 2014). Among other tools, the OD practitioner uses observation, interviewing, questionnaires, and corporate performance data to gather information about the current structure and operations of the firm (Asumeng & Osae-Larbi, 2015). The reports help the OD consultant determine the probable causes and likely consequences of the problem at hand.
Next is the feedback delivery to the key client/organization. Here, the OD practitioner delivers the diagnostic testing stage outcomes to the organization’s members, including the executives, managers, and employees. Cummings and Worley (2014) stress the need for an OD expert to balance the two principles of consultancy, openness and confidentiality while relaying the diagnostic results to the organization. One must be open about the organization’s specific problems and respect the principle of privacy regarding critical organizational data, some of which can only be accessed by top executives.
The fifth stage is a joint diagnosis of the organization’s problems by the organizational development consultant and organizational members. Joint diagnosis is a vital stage in the action research process since a misdiagnosis of a problem may lead to ultimate change resistance or stop the change process in its entirety (Asumeng & Osae-Larbi, 2015). Also, this stage seeks to reverse miscommunication that might have occurred during the initial diagnosis stage. At this stage, the organization and the OD consultant decide which issues warrant OD intervention and what can be achieved through internal operations change.
Next is the joint action planning, which comes before the action stage. Organizational members and the OD consultant agree on the actions necessary to redeem the firm into the desirable position (Weick & Quinn, 1999). The agreeable action plan is determined by a host of factors, including the diagnosis identified, organizational culture, and the nature of interventions required.
Finally, the agreeable change solutions are implemented during the action phase. Changes that require OD intervention at the organizational level include modifications to the strategic mission, structure, human resource management, and processes (Asumeng & Osae-Larbi, 2015). At the group level, changes include a transformation of the culture of different departments. Finally, issues that warrant OD-related change at the individual level include a change of tasks and responsibilities.
Issues that do not Warrant OD Intervention
After analyzing organizational data for information, one may realize that not all issues qualify for organizational development-related changes. A shift in day-to-day operations does not warrant OD intervention (Drobyazko et al., 2019). For instance, shifting production schedules to accommodate supply changes of raw materials is a simple operation that does not require the expertise of an OD consultant. Also, the organization may need to employ more people to cater to a sudden demand increase. Such an action does not require the intervention of an OD consultant but is just a decision made by line managers. In other words, some problems require simple ‘common sense’ solutions within an organization. Just like a new mother who may need to adjust her schedule to meet both parental and work demands, an increase in short-term demand calls for an increase in staff numbers.
According to the Havard Information for Employees, other strategic changes are implemented internally without involving the services of an organizational development consultant. These strategic changes include a shift in the culture, leadership, and reward regimes to attract and retain more employees (Bertalanffy, 2010). For instance, some organizations deliberately fire some top executives to usher in a new spirit within the organization, and this does not qualify to need the intervention of external consultants. The decision can be debated and agreed upon internally. Besides, an organization may need to intensify marketing campaigns to attract new customers for a newly launched product. The organizational leadership can decide these actions without having to seek expert advice from OD consultants.
Conclusion
Organizational development is a necessary process that helps companies stay competitive and profitable. It is a complex process that requires the input of a reputable consulting practitioner who can piece company data together and tell what is ailing the company and the possible solutions to the problems. Through action research, organizational members and the OD consultant collaborate to create strategies that can boost a firm’s performance. However, not all organizational issues require the input of an external OD consultant since some can be solved within the organization.
References
Vosoughi, M. (2014). Organizational Development Consulting: A Study of Expert Consultants’ Key Strategies.
Asumeng, M. A., & Osae-Larbi, J. A. (2015). Organization development models: a critical review and implications for creating learning organizations
Coghlan, D. (2019). Doing action research in your own organization. Sage.
Cummings, T. G., & Worley, C. G. (2014). Organization development and change. Cengage learning.
Weick, K. E., & Quinn, R. E. (1999). Organizational change and development. Annual review of psychology, 50(1), 361-386.
Von Bertalanffy, L. (2010). General Systems Theory. The Science of Synthesis: Exploring the Social Implications of General Systems Theory, 103.
Drobyazko, S., Potyshniak, O., Radionova, N., Paranytsia, S., & Nehoda, Y. (2019). Security of organizational changes via operational integration: ensuring methodology. Journal of Security and Sustainability Issues.
HARVie. (n.d.). Organizational Development Consulting. Hr.harvard.edu. Retrieved September 14, 2021, from https://hr.harvard.edu/organizational-development
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Question 
Organizational Development Responsible Consulting
Before beginning this assignment, read Chapter 3 in the course textbook. You may want to review Chapters 1 and 2 in your course textbook for assistance, too.
Review the guidelines found in Table 1.1 (OD realities and misconceptions) to establish the reasoning for OD interaction. In addition, special attention should be paid to the criteria for determining the validity of an OD problem. Understanding the process is crucial to becoming a successful OD consultant. Watch the following videos: What Should Consultants Do? (Links to an external site.) and handling a complaint to gain perspective on responsible consulting.
There are many ethical responsibilities within the field of the OD consultant. Suppose that you are just beginning your practice as an external OD consultant, and an organization approaches you to help them address an issue or change within their company. Before accepting the job, you need to determine whether the problem is an actual OD issue or an internal matter that is better addressed within.
Explain the process for evaluating an organizational condition to determine if the action required is OD-related. Define the specific criteria for determining the core of the problem and the potential solution.
TEXTBOOK
Bierema, L. (2020). Organizational development: An action research approach (2nd ed.). Zovio
After assessing the request, there are times that you will find the problem is not an OD concern. Prepare a response to the organization stating why the problem is not OD, why you are not the right person for the job, and what options they might have to remedy their problem.