Achieving_Personal_and_Professional_Goals_Using_Organizational_Development

BUS370: Organizational Development Achieving Personal and Professional Goals Using Organizational Development February 25, 2011 Achieving Personal and Professional Goals Using Organizational Development In today’s constant changing world, organizations use organizational development to assist with creating a more effective and healthier organization the promotion of personal growth and development which is the result of systematic change. Change is a way of life that affects our personal and professional lives. It also contributes to the strategies used to achieve personal and professional goals. My research of the organizational development process will enable me to present my personal perspective of how this process will assist me in achieving personal and professional goals. Organizational development is defined as an emerging discipline aimed at improving the effectiveness an organization and its members through a systematic change program (Brown, 2011). According to Craig R. Seal (2002), we are in a unique time in organizational development; technology is pushing the envelope of what is possible; change is the operative word; and there is a new group of "knowledge workers" who are not satisfied with traditional management techniques. Interesting work, growth and upward mobility, participative decision making, and increased learning motivate this new breed of worker (Journal of Organizational Change Management, 2002). In business constant change is demanded to maintain a competitive advantage in manpower, production, profit, and shareholder return. There are many factors that influence an organization to implement change: new technologies, new innovative intentions, team-based projects, and increased competition in their chosen product market. Based on these influences, organizations must develop strategies and techniques that are aimed at improving the effectiveness of the organization and its employees. In the hospital where I work, change is happening daily. There is always some new policy or procedure implemented to ensure that the hospital and its employees are compliant with government requirement. In the hospital there are always changes in technology. Because of the new software programs developed for hospital billings and patient chart documentations, our systems are upgraded every six months. In the field of healthcare, changes are made to ensure the safety of patients and staff. In the written work of Fletcher and Taplin, they discuss six distinct, predictive phases that take an organization through three development stages: pre-adolescence (entrepreneurial and directive); adolescence (coordinative and delegative); and adulthood (teamwork and alliance). The entrepreneurial phase is start-up and survival; directive phase is getting operations under control and centralizing decision-making; coordinative phase is managing the size and complexity of an organization through policies and procedures; delegative phase is gaining trust through issuance of responsibility; teamwork phase is the alignment of goals and directions taken by the team; and alliance phase is the establishment of relationships with external forces (suppliers, customers, vendors, and competitors) (Seal, 2002). These phases can be applied to the effectiveness of managing change as well as personal and professional goal achievement. During the entrepreneurial phase, organizations determine what changes are needed to improve operations, profitability, and staff performance. Applying this phase to personal and professional goal setting would entail determining improvements to be made and steps taken to achieve required results. Organizations entering the directive phase will be providing the what, when, where, and how the changes will be carried out. This phase of personal and professional goal achievement would result in finalizing time line for goal achievements, benefits, and how goals will be reached. The coordination phase would allow organizations to develop and present their expectations of employees and rules that must be followed to ensure effective, successful change. During the delegative, teamwork, and alliance phases, organization leadership and management would inform employees of duty and position changes resulting from the change. They would also make sure that each department understands that although separate, there aim is to work together towards achieving the organization’s goals. It must also be expressed that acting in an ethical, respectful manner will strengthen alliances with outside forces. When seeking to achieve personal and professional goals, these phases will enable others to participate and contribute to my goal achievements. It will also allow me to develop relationships with coworkers and acquaintances that may be able to assist me in obtaining personal and professional success. When implementing change for improvement, one must understand that there will be some resistance from those affected by the change. According to the text (Training Journal, 2010), “There are four things that hold back human progress: ignorance, lethargy, committees, and inflexibility” (Eaton, 2010). When improvements of any type are made, most people become fearful because they do not know if the impact will be positive or negative. It is up to management to behave in a manner that presents their interest in the new way of working. The working environment must also be improvement friendly. People must be allowed to provide feedback about the change going on around them. Effective communication will be the key to successful improvements. I work in a hospital where effective communication is required in order to provide quality medical services to the community we serve. There was a study that showed that clinicians and nurses reported that they had seen colleagues doing things that increased concern for patient safety, but felt uncomfortable presenting their concerns to the colleague. In the words of Stephen Covey: “Without involvement, there is no commitment” ((Eaton, 2010). According to the text (Organizational Learning, 2010), “Interaction among individuals in the workplace may now begin to take on the look and feel of teamwork. The importance and value of teamwork and its processes are commonly understood, but more importantly they are practiced. Practicing the tools and techniques learned in teambuilding allows for its integration into the organization. Reward and recognition of exemplary teamwork perpetuates stories of when and how the organization responded in the past and resolved problems, furthering the integration of teamwork into the collective wisdom of the organization. Once teamwork and teambuilding activities become commonplace, they begin to become embedded in the rest of the organization. The structure of the organization may shift into process teams, management teams, and leadership teams. The routine process for work is team-based in nature. The design of the workplace and equipment allows for the collaboration activities of workers. Compensation is tied to team accomplishments and so on” (Wesner, 2010). Human Resource Management plays a major role in the development of an organization. It deals with people related issues like compensation, hiring, performance management, organization development, safety, wellness, benefits, employee motivation, communication, administration, and training. HR also assists in the design of the organization, analyzes the work process, and recommends needed improvements whenever necessary. They scan and identify emerging trends that will affect the organization as well as employee management. HR business objectives are established to support the achievement of the successful achievement of strategic business plans and objectives. Developing effective methods of goal setting, as well as communication and empowering employees encourages employee ownership of the organization. Each organization has a personality, know as its corporate culture. Corporate culture is representation of how a company functions. During the 1970’s and 1980’s, deregulation of various industry markets influenced “merger mania” (Kello, 2011). This mania resulted in dysfunctional organizational cultures that negatively impacted employees and did not meet their specific market demands. According to the text (Corporate culture, 2011), “OD experts believe that an organization’s culture is the summary statement of cultural characteristics of the organization” (Kello, 2011). Culture change is a difficult process. If an organization lacks the ability to be flexible and adaptable to change, there is no possibility for survival. In 2003, the new president/CEO of Center for Health Sciences in Oklahoma requested an OD analysis of the institution. The analysis revealed that the institution was in need of: 1. Clear vision and mission statements; 2. Change-ready culture to accomplish new strategic initiatives; 3.A redistribution of power within the organization and team environment with teams empowered for decision-making at high problem levels; 4. A sense of instilled values; 5. Systematic approaches to coaching and mentoring to invest in self awareness and individual development; and 6. Open and transparent communication and decision system (Bacigalupo, Hess, & Fernandes, 2009). It was determined that emphasis would be placed of the people, process, and organizational structure. Emphasis on structure included knowing the organization sequence of development, recognizing limited range of solutions, and realizing solutions produce new problems. Emphasis placed on people included building trust based on the core values of excellence, integrity, service, intellectual freedom, diversity, and stewardship of resources. The emphasis placed on the process was a mission statement that represented what the organization stood for and the direction it was headed in (Bacigalupo, Hess, & Fernandes, 2009). The culture change implemented as a result of the analysis helped CHS increase the number of patients provided service and revenues. It also enables the ability to increase the number of full-time and part-time practicing physicians, where as before the change physician numbers were relatively low at 28. The newly hired CEO wasted no time in realizing that an OD intervention was needed to restructure the culture of the agency. As stated in the text (An Experimental Approach to Organizational Development, 2011) “An OD intervention encompasses the range of actions designed to improve the health or functioning of the client system. The interventions are specific means, activities, and programs by which change can be determined” (Brown, 2011). My research of organizational development has enabled me to draw a conclusion that success of an organization is dependent on self-efficiency of employees and teamwork. Maintaining competitiveness in a world of change requires confidence in our ability to learn. Learning new attitudes and adapting to change will empower employees to set obtainable goals that will lead them to personal and professional success. As I reflect on my current place of employment, the changes that I have experienced were designed to produce a more effective work environment. Change will always be needed to advance to higher levels of success. Corporations will use change to maintain their competitive advantage in global markets. People will need change to better themselves and reach a better quality of living. References Bacigalupo, A., Hess, J., & Fernandes, J. (2009). Meeting the challenges of culture and agency change in an academic health center. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 30(5), 408-420. Retrieved February 15, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 1867613541) Brown, D.R. (2011). An Experimental Approach to Organizational Development (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall. Craig R Seal. (2002). Understanding Organizational Evolution: Its Impact on Management and Performance. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 15(4), 432. Retrieved February 15, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 250918651). Cunningham, J. B., Kempling, J.S. (2009). Implementing change in public sector organizations. Management Decision, 47(2), 330-344. Retrieved February 21, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 1745405191). Eaton, M.. (2010, March). How to make change stick. Training Journal,46-50. Retrieved February 16, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 2007128781). Kello, J.. (2011). When the choice is to change or die. ISHN, 45(1), 24,26. Retrieved February 16, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry. (Document ID: 2246785481). Wesner, M.. (2010). Organizational Learning: The Enduring Influence of Organization Development. Organization Development Journal, 28(3), 41-46. Retrieved February 16, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 2127733291).