Eight OD Myths that keep consultants from doing their best Work

1. Eight OD Myths that keep consultants from doing their best Work By-Prof Priyankakedia.

2. Introduction. • Jerry Harvey (1975) described eight "myths" that OD consultants live, believe in (and die by) • This chapter present the eight myths that represents ,prejudices the author have held or noticed in their years of working in the public private and non profit sectors around the world. • They explore each myth and talk about action implications that are worth considering if one wants to do satisfying work without burning out.

3. Eight OD Myths : • Myth-1 The learning Organization. • Myth-2 Personal Skills Training will Transform Corporations. • Myth-3 The best place for OD is a fortune 500 Company. • Myth -4 Hard Data will convince people to do OD. • Myth-5 Greed Motivates Corporate managers. • Myth-6 Change Projects require expert diagnosis of a companies strengths and weakness. • Myth-7 The Goal of OD Projects is cultural change that can be sustained for years or decades. • Myth-8 Defensives and resistance to change are human defects that must be overcome by competent Consultants.

4. Myth- 1 The Learning OrganizationOrganization Don't Learn People Learn. • A learning organization is one that seeks to create its own future; that assumes learning is an ongoing and creative process for its members; and one that develops, adapts, and transforms itself in response to the needs and aspirations of people, both inside and outside itself. • A learning organisation is one where new people keep doing such projects over and over ,year after year. However one should not assume that if an organization has learnt this year will continue similar pattern next year as well. It often happens that a new manager rips apart highly effectively learning that took years to build in matter of weeks or months. As a OD consultant one has to control this. Action Step-Help people to learn from their own experience, help people do action research and action learning Now. Do not imagine that any process you establish will outlast the next change in leadership. Today is the future. • As an OD Consultant develop an environment ,people can "create the results they truly desire," and where they can learn to learn together for the betterment of the whole

5. Myth-2 Personal Skills Training will Transform Corporations. • Personal Skills training, self-awareness & interpersonal competence are of enormous benefit to individual, Such training has little or no impact on the way organization functions. • If one want to change the organization function,OD consultant needs to create a climate which is more open, honest,supportive,satisfying and productive – need to get people working on organizational goals, policies, procedures, systems, structure and rewards. • If would require employees skills influence in their work systems for design, controlling and co-ordinating their work. In this scenario trainings or learning's by them would be of enormous benefit. Action Step –Do not mistake training for organizational change. If cannot offer people opportunities to influence their policies, procedures, structures and systems, you cannot do OD. • If they have learnt something new, a platform should be provided to implement their learning.

6. Myth-3 The Best Place for OD is a fortune 500 Company • Fortune 500 is a title used to describe the 500 companies that are listed by Fortune magazine for having earned the most after-tax revenue for the year; among public companies. • Past Fortune 500 Companies • Past Fortune 500 companies have included Wal-Mart, Exxon Mobile, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft and JP Morgan & Chase. • The fortune 500s out to be good places for OD Consultants, as their executives turnover every few years, change in leadership is frequent so needs lot of help. • The negative influence of this companies, the stock are publicly traded and they pay quarterly dividends, so long term development is an issue. • As an OD consultant it would be fashionable to claim fortune 500 as clients. They are good for today and may be next quartertone cannot count them for next year. Action Step- Seek for clients where a) there is a continuity at the top level for e.g.-apple. B) the stock is privately held ( IKEA),or if traded doe not pay quarterly dividends. Look for privately held or family businesses whose owners share the values you want to practice. Long term approach.

7. Myth-4 Hard Data will convince people to do OD • Hard data rarely convinces anybody to do what they are inclined to do. If hard data were persuasice,companies would fall all over themselves to have employees design their own work. Action Step- • Determine an appropriate data collection process. • Determine the type of data needed. • Determine the amount of data needed. • Utilise appropriate mix of methods to ensure efficiency, objectivity, validity & data collection technology ( Eg –Attitude Survey). • Suppress judgement while gathering data. • Know how data from different parts of the system impact each other. • Gather data to identify future states. • Stay focus on the purpose of consultancy.

8. Myth-5 Greed Motivates Corporate Managers.Maximizing Profits is More Important than anything else. • Corporations need not maximize profits foerver,need to merely avoid loss. A company has much to gain by empowering people at all levels. • Two categories of organisation, one believes in maximising the profit share, grabbing the market and filling up their pockets. Another is which not only focuses on the financial aspect, but believes in social capital and benefits to society. They habitually invest a percentage of profits in developing their people and supporting their communities. • Action Step- Seek out for the clients who believes in development of the people& society ,in addition to money. Watch out with those whose stated motivation is money alone.

9. Myth-6 Change Projects Require Expert Diagnosis of Companies Strengths and Weakness. • Change Projects require leaders willing to take risk. Change means doing something you never did before. • It is being observed that consultants ,who are hired by clients to write the diagnostic reports are rarely risk takers, they often get reports that cannot be implemented. • It is not essential that the reports which are being produced, on that basis actions could be taken. • On the other hand, the internal leaders would try to manipulate the diagnosis, are they are afraid to loose their power and authority. • Action Step-If your client wants fast change, invite them to involve their own people in studying the system and doing their own diagnosis along with OD consultant. Then action is certainty.

10. Myth-7 The Goal of OD Projects is Cultural Change that can be sustained for years or decades. • No organisations lasts indefinitely, no matter what interventions are used. Half the companies ,consulted within the 1970 &1980 no longer exist. • Instead of trying to build in new norms that will go on indefinitely, we believe every meeting should be success. • If you invest your life force in making some large corporate change project sustainable ,the only thing likely to sustain is a bruised ego and impaired idealism. • The goal of an OD consultant projects ought to be giving these people in this room at this moment, opportunities they never had before to understand their own work in a deeper way and take responsibility for acting what they learnt. • The best strategy would be to help people what they have today. • Market is very volatile ,depends on technology and nobody has control over world events. Action Step- Make the best of every meeting. Let the future take care of itself. If you want a different culture see if you can have it right now or today. Plan things on daily basis , you will be sustain.

11. Myth-8 Defensiveness and Resistance to change are human defects that must be overcome by Competent Consultants. • People in the organization are to be dealt with in a very critical way, In every organization ISM’S exists ( ageism,racism,sexism). The question arises whether people act on it whether just live with it. • People miscommucnicate, they make mistakes, they talk too much, they do not talk enough, they are too loose, they are too authoritarian. • If you have to fix every individual personality before you can do good OD work. Action Step- Teach yourself to accept people the way they are, not as you wish them to be, make people focus on goals, policies, procedures , systems , structure and task on hand. Help people motivate themselves by involving them in projects that have consequences for their own lives and lives of those close to them.