Organizational Design, Diagnosis, and Development

1. Organizational Design, Diagnosis, and Development Session 17 Human Process Interventions, II

2. Objectives • To review group level human process interventions: process consultation, team building • To review systems wide human process interventions: organization confrontation meeting, large group interventions, and grid organizational development • To examine the effectiveness for these human process interventions in producing change

3. Process Consultation • Communication • Functional roles in groups • Problem solving and decision making • Group norms • Leadership

4. TYPICAL ORGANIZATIONAL ROLES • Task specialist -- Person who because of experience, skill, or knowledge has edge in task competency • Maintenance specialist -- human relationsguru

5. Problems in Group Decision Making • Evaluation • Conflict • Domination

6. Group-think as a Dysfunctional Norm • The tendency of highly cohesive groups to conform to group pressures and to suspend reality testing and engage in consensus seeking. • Antecedents • High cohesiveness • Group structure • Stressful situations

7. Group Think Cont • Symptoms • Overestimation of the group • Close-mindedness • Increased pressure for uniformity • Consequences • Defective decision making • High probability of a bad decision • Preventive tactics

8. Leadership Training • Problem stating in an objective manner • Providing and sharing relevant information • Drawing out group members • Preventing domination • Avoid moving to evaluation prematurely; • Stimulating discussion and clarify points; • Summarizing to mark group progress.

9. Team Building • Types of Teams: Work teams, task teams, management teams • Family group diagnostic meeting • Team building meeting • Results of team building

10. Organization Confrontation Meeting • Groups of 10-15 are convened • The groups discuss problems • There is a plenary session with reports on the problems • The problems are classified • Smaller groups re-form and work on problem solving • Action plans are submitted to management along with a time table • The problem solving groups meet periodically to review what is happening and report to management

11. Large Group Interventions • Preparation for the large group meeting • Conducting the meeting • Follow up on meeting • Results

12. Organizational Grid Development

13. Leader Behaviors • People orientation -- consideration, the leader is concerned about the well being of employees and being fair. (1,9) • Production orientation -- initiation of structure, the focus of this leader is on goal attainment (9.1)

14. Consequences of Managerial Style • Consequences of 1.9: This style of works well when the task is intrinsically satisfying, or when the task is extremely structured and clear • Consequences of 9,1: This style works best with situations where there is pressure due to deadlines, ambiguous tasks, or external

15. Backwards & Forwards • Summing up: Today we reviewed group and organization wide interventions, including process consultation, team building, organizational confrontation meeting, large group interventions and grid development which is really managerial development. • Looking ahead:Next time we begin to examine techno-structural interventions.