KEEPING THE ORGANIZATION FOCUSED THROUGH ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Introduction | How Organizational Development Works | Goals of Organizational Development | Some Effective Organizational Tools

Introduction

In any organization, people may not reach their peak because of the social or mechanical systems, rewards, communication, or work processes. Organizational development is, in essence, the use of social science to address these problems.

The goal is to increase the long-term health and performance of organizational systems.

The method is using planned interventions based on social science research, concentrating on processes, motivation, power, communication, perceptions, organizational culture, goals, relationships, problem-solving, and conflict resolution.

Staff training and professional development is vehicle that builds your non-profit. Training is good for board members, managers, heads of committees, and secretaries. By investing in “people”, it creates a positive and lasting change at relatively low cost.

Research has found that people can affect systems as much as systems affect people. Part of organizational development is allowing people to influence the systems, which influence them.

For organizational development to work, its users must believe that people are important, not mere “human resources” to be used and discarded. By bringing out the best in their people, organizations can reach optimal effectiveness. For instance a board president can empower the other board members by building them up and motivating the entire board behind a cause, mission, or purpose. He or she must also promote risk taking and encourage creativity; this will in turn create a freethinking work environment that will lead the non-profit organization toward optimal effectiveness. This is highly important because many non-profit boards are also non-paid.

How Organizational Development Works

Organizational development helps organizations by:

	Empowering leaders and individual employees;
	Creating a culture of continuous improvement and alignment around shared goals and visions;
	Making change easier and faster, so the organizations can respond quickly;
	Putting the minds of all employees to work for the organization;
	Enhancing the equality and speed of decisions;
	Making conflict constructive instead of destructive; and
	Giving leaders more control over results, by giving all employees more control over how they do their jobs from day to day.

The outcomes of organizational development may include increases in:

	Cost reduction for non-profits;
	Innovation;
	Customer satisfaction;
	Product and service quality;
	Cost effectiveness;
	Organizational flexibility;
	Personal feeling of effectiveness; and
	Job, work, and life satisfaction.

Goals of Organizational Development

The objectives of organizational development are an organization where:

	Management and staff have the same goals.
	Communication is open, laterally and vertically, and all relevant facts and feelings are shared.
	People with the most relevant, direct knowledge make decisions—operationally, this means that decisions are pushed as low as possible.
	The reward system reinforces organizational health, balancing short-term performance, staff growth, and teamwork.
	Conflict is treated and resolved constructively; win/lose situations and interpersonal conflicts are resolved or avoided (not ignored), while conflict around ideas is maintained at a high level (but in a friendly, cooperative, and mutual-goal manner).
	Processes and structures are based on present needs rather than past needs, fads, or executive preferences; so they are efficient and help people.
	People are rewarded for success but not punished for failure of innovation or creativity; so innovation is high.

Some Effective Organizational Tools

	How to run effective meetings
	Role and responsibility charting/mapping
	Work-flow mapping
	Computer presentation skills
	Performance review processes
	Financial management
	Communication mapping
	Team-building
	Employee Training
	Group Motivation skills