Question

Case let

The client was a petrochemical plant with 1,000 employees in a North American corporation. . . . At the plant, we were greeted with statements of goals ranging from hard-nosed interest in increasing productivity to enlightened aspirations for improving human relations in the organization. But whether the outcomes desired of OD were utilitarian or humanitarian, the nature of OD was, for virtually all members of the organization, shrouded in mystery. As is generally true, prospective clients in this organization had a difficult time understanding what they were getting themselves into. At a meeting to discuss the possibility of working with cross-functional task forces, for example, the consultants sketched in typical fashion the outlines of a team-building scenario. They stressed the importance of the group’s willingness to help themselves, held out the possibility of increased self-awareness, and emphasized the absence of any guarantees of improved effectiveness. In response, one member of the task force remarked, “This is the strangest sales pitch I’ve ever heard”
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Required Question:
Question 01: In the above scenario how would you describe the organization development (OD) process to a potential client?
Question 02: Illustrate the OD practitioner role in an initial client meeting?

Answer 1

1) The Organizational Development process helps the company identify its problems and concerns and further take the necessary steps. It aims to understand problems, set goals, and analyze the complete issue. The businesses have relied upon the process since the inception of the 20th century. Hence, the first step is problem identification. The problem in the current scenario is the lack of team spirit and togetherness. The second step is to assess the situation. The managers should evaluate the entire situation and know the deeper issues also. The next steps are to plan for the action and implement the plan. The efficient plan here is to motivate the employees to work in a team and offer them incentives when they succeed. The company has to implement the step then. Next, the managers should evaluate and supervise the entire plan. The last step is to get revert from the managers and senior executives. Finally, the company should repeat the steps in case of any other issues.

2) The OD practitioner plays a vital role in the beginning of the strategy to gather the employees and empathetic towards the issues. The practitioner also plays a vital role in client meetings. It is because it will make the customers and stakeholders gain trust in the functions of the company. Hence, the practitioner plays an essential role in making the operations efficient. The practitioner should analyze the whole situation positively to get the best results and feedback.