Research Korner: Organization Development And Change

Learning Organization Development

Learning Organization Development Introduction             There had been a huge change that had happened in many industries and market around the globe. All of the said changes are all driven by two of the most important aspects or factors: Globalization and Innovation. Innovation can be considered as a must in any organization or business in the global market. That is due to the fact that the competition in the market is continuing to bloom, and the need for speed is considered as one of the most important strategies in order to meet the demand and preferences of the target market.             Innovation can be considered as the foundation for many economic growths nowadays, but we still have the limited knowledge regarding what it can cause. It is consist of all the types of many intellectual capital as well as intellectual property ranging from know-how to patents up to the high tech as well as low tech inventions of each and every kind (LeValliant 2003).             Innovation, in simple term can be defined as the introduction of new things or approach. It is the incarnation, mixture, or fusion of knowledge in unique, significant, valued new products, processes and even services (Luecke & Katz 2003, p. 2). Each and every innovation begins with the different creative ideas. It is also considered as the successful implementation of the creative ideas inside the organization. The creativity of individuals as well as team can be considered as the starting point for innovation, but it is not sufficient (Amabile & Coon 1996). Furthermore, it is also like any functions in the business that requires different tools, rules as well as discipline (Davila & Epstein 1996).             Innovation process is considered as one of the most important activities that must be done by organizations and businesses in order to maintain their position in the market as well as to continue their research and development process. Many of the organizations and business are using innovation in order to drive their organic growth. It can give many companies to have a quicker access to new and improved technologies, outsourcing non-strategic elements as well as collaboration and relation with new partners. All of the said factors can help many companies to serve their ever more demanding customers in more efficient way (innovaro n.d.)             In order for the company to maintain their competitive advantage as well as influential position in the industry as well as in the market, organizations and businesses must consider innovation as a measurable business value, therefore make the innovation an important part of the life of the business (Anderson & Gimenez 2005).             Above all innovation can be considered as the science of business organization (Baker n.d.). There are many factors that might affect the process of innovation of any company such as the culture, the behavior of the employees or staffs as well as the plan and strategy of the company for change. All of these, together with the ever changing business environment as well as the change in the behavior of the market have made the innovation process more complicated. It had made innovation to become the process that starts with a kernel of an idea and continue to the different stages that will help the company to reach or produce their marketable product that will help to change the economy (Baker n.d.). Procter and Gamble (P&G): Innovation and Organizational Change             Procter and Gamble or P&G has been considered as one of the most successful company in the world. It is one of the many multinational companies that used the advantages of innovation and globalization for their marketing and management strategies. As a matter of fact, the company had become the top 9 in the 2005 poll of the most innovative company in the world. Procter and Gamble had formally started its operation during 1837. It is a small store that sells soap as well as candle in the Ohio. The first brand of the company was the Moon and Stars. Furthermore, P&G is considered as one of the minority companies that have established their own department that will handle the process of analyzing the customers’ behaviors towards their products and services. Innovation as well as organizational change has been considered as the primary weapon of the company in order to continue their position in the global market.             The Ivory soap was the first product innovation of the company. The product had become a great hit with the help of the extensive marketing strategy by targeting the national market as well as establishing sales relation outside the country.  (Ingham 1983).             The biggest innovation of the company ever made was its introduction of the Tide detergent just after the World War II. It was the result of their extensive research about the chemical compound that will pull out grease, oil and other stain from the clothes. This major innovation helps to change the laundry habit of the Americans. It also gave them competitive advantage and edge against their major competitor that time, the Colgate-Palmolive (Ingham, 1983).              In addition to innovation, the Internet, together with the globalization and the consolidation of the different retail production are all come together in order to create a dynamic global marketplace. The company also established different headquarters in different part of the world as part of their strategies in the global economy. Innovation Process in P&G Small Team Operation             Regardless of any good intentions, if all of the important decisions in the process of innovation will be made depending on the top management level’s agreement, it will result to time delay. That is why it is important to delegate the decisions to the innovation teams to avoid all of the said delays as well as enable the Fast Innovation to be done. The approval of the top management level is only required at the milestone of the gates of the innovation process (Wentz n.d.).             The company had established a designated team that will lead the innovation process of the company and focus on the process of developing their products as well as their services. P&G had established their Corporate New Ventures Group. The said approach is an advantage to the part of the company due to the fact that the team can focus on the specific challenges as well as help them to develop more ideas in faster manner (Dundon 2002, p. 137).             The Corporate New Ventures encourages new product ideas and then funds the best ones and will be putted into the quick production. All of the teams that are involved in the said ventures are acting in independent manner; the said approach will help each group or team to be more responsive as well as flexible in order for them to be one of the assets of the company (Schuler & Jackson 2006, p. 54).  Reducing Career Risk for Individual             One of the fears of the employees or staffs that belong to the R&D process of the company is their fear in being part of those risky projects. This is due to the fact that the origin of those successful breakthrough or innovation projects are often forgotten, on the other hand, those R&D effort that failed are never forgotten. As a result, it will give the employees the impression about the career risk if they will get off track and associate with a project that may have a conflict with the conventional organization as well as it has a big chance for failure (Leifer & McDermott 2000, pp. 169 - 170).              Individual performance in the radical innovation efforts can be measured with the sensitivity to the risks that each and every individual will take for the organization. Unfortunately, those individual are facing dilemma with regards to their career. People are being punished by demotion for their past sins such as not meeting the projections in the project plan, once that their projects were mainstreamed (Leifer & McDermott 2000, p. 170).             On the other hand, although, more often than not, the reward systems are all adjusted to the performance of the mainstream, and not focus with the radical innovation activities, radical innovators that are push ahead by relying on the intrinsic motivation (cited in Leifer & McDermott 2000, p. 170). The source of their rewards in from their own sense of achievement that is related with the process of making progress in order to bring something that is fresh, thrilling as well as important to the world (Leifer & McDermott 2000, p. 170).             The company had experimented as well as implemented their own system that will enable them to reduce the career risk for each and every individual who are working in the radical innovation projects. The said system is had been undergone several experiments under the Corporate New Ventures Group. Radical projects are all approved by the review board that includes the CEO as well as the Chief technical officer (Leifer & McDermott 2000, p. 170).             The senior management of the company had ensured that the said system will ensure that project members that their career will not be at risk. In addition to that, the rotation of the team members up to the line management position in the mainstream organization will be a part of the complete package (Leifer & McDermott 2000, p. 170). Involvement of Upper Management             The upper level management as well as support from the global business units can be considered as the most essential factor that affected the Procter & Gamble model. The CEO is also involved in the process of innovation and other related marketing strategies. The company is focusing on the development of different opportunities via the use of the CNBD as well as the business unit engineering, together with their manufacturing planning groups. It is also focusing on the different changes that will help to change as well as ensure that the change can mobilize different resources in quick and fast manner (Leifer & McDermott 2000, p. 214). Combat Training             P&G also focuses on the values as well as culture of the company in order to drive success by improving their working environment. Due to the fact that the company had started to grow in terms of global market, meeting the top leaders will be impossible due to geographical gap, and it had placed a strong limitation on the personal contact between the top and middle level management. That is why the company had decided to put up their P&G College that had been modeled by the Management Development Institute of GE. The said institution was established in order to reinforce the passion of the company to win as well as to help the company to be equipped with the different strategies as well as tactics to be the best that they can be. The said university will help the employees to get to know more about the culture and values of the company that will drive them for creativity as well as innovation (Dyer & Dalzell 2004, p. 290). Human Resource Management             The HR department is the one that handles the process of creation and establishing the independent team that will manage their very own resources, hire the team members, create their own reward system as well as report directly to the top management level (Schuler & Jackson 2006, p. 54).             The human resource department of the company is that one that handles all of the different activities as well as supports to the different innovation teams, whether internal or external team that will help them to be motivated in order for them to developed new products that will add to the product line of the company.             Furthermore, the human resource management of the company is also focusing on the external innovation in order for them to expand the creativity as well as innovation process of the company.             By doing all of the said activities, the company had been able to motivate the employees to be more innovative by giving different support such as the budgets as well as the different facilities that will help their task easier.             Furthermore, the HR department of the company also offers their employees the state-of-the-art training as well as development programs (Vance & Paik 2006, p. 282) Conclusion             Procter & Gamble can be considered as one of the most successful companies in the world in terms of its relationship with their customers. The said success was brought to the company by globalization as well as innovation. Globalization had helped them to become an international company and innovation had helped the company to maintain its position in the market.             In terms of the innovation process of the company, by focusing on the different team as well as letting them decide in independent manner had helped the company to gain more innovations as well as new products that they can add to their line of products. Allotting the control for the innovation process to the team is a great help because it can help the team to save time by direct decision-making in managing the innovation process. Another thing is that it adds up to the motivation and drive of each team to be successful in their innovation process due to the presence of competition.             Furthermore, the reward system is also one of the advantages of the company; this is due to the fact that the reward system varies from one team to another. By doing it, the team leader will be able to know more about the things that can motivate his or her team member, therefore, the need for motivation of the staffs of the company.  Recommendation             In order to improve the innovation process of the company, P&G must continue their team-based innovation as well as their external innovation team in order to maintain the level of their new product that they can offer to their customers.             Furthermore, it is also important to maintain their system in reducing the risk factor in the position of the employees in different important projects. The said system will help the employees to work minus the pressure and stress. The said system will also help the employees to gain their self confidence that will eventually reflect to their work.             Training and development are also important factor for the innovation process of the company. The training and development programs of the company must be updated based on current situation in the global market in terms of technologies as well as learning in the international marketing and management.             Furthermore, the company must also focus on the improvement of the human resource management. The said department must focus on the different programs and activities that will help their employees in the innovation department to be motivated and work on their best. The said activities will focus on the reward and appraisal system.             Above all, the company must maintain its sound and clear communication between the upper level management as well as the lower management in order to maintain the efficiency and consistency of information. It focuses on the objectives and the missions of the company in the industry.      References   2002 Annual Report, P&G, viewed 08 November, 2004,<http://www.pg.com/ann ualreports/2002/pdf/pg_ar2002.pdf>   Amabile, T, Conti R. & Coon R 1996, ‘Assessing the work environment for            creativity’, Academy of Management Journal, vol. 39, no. 5, pp. 1154-1184   Anderson, A, Gimenez L, Nunley, D & Baldwin, E 2005, Developing Systemic     Innovation in an IT Organization, Intel Corporation, viewed29 April 2008            <http://www.intel.com/it/pdf/systemic_innovation.pdf>   Davila, T, Epstein, M and Shelton, R 2006 Making Innovation Work: How to          Manage It, Measure It, and Profit from It. Wharton School Publishing:             Upper Saddle River   Dundon, E 2002, The Seeds of Innovation: Cultivating the Synergy that Fosters New Ideas, AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn   Dyer, D, Dalzell, F & Olegario, R 2004, Rising Tide: Lessons from 165 Years of Brand Building at Procter & Gamble, Harvard Business School Press   Ingham, J. 1983, Biographical Dictionary of American Business Leaders, Greenwood Press   Leifer, R, McDermott, C, O’Connor, G C, Peters, L & Rice, M 2000, Radical Innovation: How Mature Companies Can Outsmart Upstarts, Harvard Business School Press   LeValiant, D 2003, Innovation on overtime, CMA Management, viewed 29 April 2008, < http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-1304796/Innovation-on-overtime-with-the.html>   Luecke, R & Katz, R 2003, Managing Creativity and Innovation Harvard     Business School Press: Boston    Schuler, R & Jackson, S 2006, Strategic Human Resource Management, Blackwell Publishing   Vance, C & Paik, Y 2006, Managing a Global Workforce: Challenges and Opportunities in International Human Resource Management, M. E. Sharpe   Wentz, R C, The Organizational Structure of Innovation: How Toyota, Procter & Gamble, GE, 3M, IBM, Google, Microsoft, Sony, Hewlett-Packard, DuPont, Honeywell, Whirlpool, The Innovation Machine, viewed 29 April 2008, <http://www.the-innovation-machine.com/?p=83> Appendices   Appendix A: Top 20 Innovative Companies in the World 2005   Source: (Business Week 2005)

Learning Organization Development

Learning Organization Development Introduction There had been a huge change that had happened in many industries and mark...

TRANSCONTINENTAL MEDIA –Evolving Towards An HR Business Partner

TRANSCONTINENTAL MEDIA – Evolving Towards An HR Business Partner   For most growing organizations, there comes a point in time when the Human Resources (HR) function must transition from transactional fire fighters to proactive business partners. While this type of transition is a common one, it is none-the-less difficult.  once said, “things do not change; we change.” The challenge for organizations lies in supporting transformation at the individual level so that it becomes evident at the organizational level. However, many organizations struggle to successfully make this transition. Let’s take a closer look at how one organization along with an external organizational development consultant made it work. STRATEGIC BUS A GROWING ORGANIZATION Transcontinental is a printing and publishing business headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is comprised of two printing sectors and one publishing sector (Transcontinental Media). Transcontinental Media is Canada’s leading publisher of consumer magazines and the second largest publisher of local and regional newspapers. Its foundation was established in 1979 through the acquisition of one weekly business newspaper and one magazine. A steady stream of acquisitions throughout Canada over the last two decades has made it the fourth largest print media group in Canada with annual sales topping the $500 million mark. Between 1996 and 2003 Transcontinental Media grew from 250 to 2800 employees. As a result of growth through acquisitions, the organization was made up of a number of independent units throughout Canada. Most acquired businesses retained much of their local policies, infrastructure, cultures and programs. The organization’s HR professionals tended to work in silos, were privy to little business information and were focused mainly on local administrative issues related to recruitment, compensation and employee relations in their respective geographic areas. As a result of two major acquisitions in 2000 and 2002, the development of a “one company” HR philosophy became apparent. An internal HR audit, conducted by members of the HR team in early 2003, confirmed the need to better align the HR function and coordinate activities and standardize processes in order to support the organization’s growth objectives. For Katya Laviolette, who was hired in May 2003 as Vice-President, Human Resources at Transcontinental Media, two things became apparent in her first months of leadership. First, the organization had grown too large to maintain a fragmented approach to HR. In order to continue growing, acquiring and successfully integrating, the culture needed to shift from that of a collection of small businesses to a unified publishing company. Second, the future of the business would depend on superior human capital. Transcontinental Media’s HR organization would need to become a worldclass partner to the business in order to attract, develop and support talent. This would mean expanding and growing the responsibilities of the HR professionals from a focus on the technical aspects of HR (recruitment, compensation and employee relations) to include the more strategic aspects of HR (change management, communications, organizational and leadership development). The HR organization decided to use the following model by David Ulrich as a framework to explain the vision of HR and make explicit the changes required in the role of HR professionals in supporting and achieving the organization’s vision and objectives. CHANGE AGE CREDIBILITY • Develops and aligns strategies with business • Assists line managers in solving organization, people and change-related issues • Contributes to management team’s strategic decision-making • Fosters systems thinking, customer focus • Strategically manages workforce development • Understands the organization’s culture and what is effective and ineffective • Institutionalizes change capability within the organization • Assists line managers to lead and facilitate change • Acts as a consultant in organizational effectiveness • Enhances management development • Creates and delivers effective and efficient HR processes and services tailored to unique business needs • Manages people and HR related costs • Ensures internal and external customer focus • Applies information technology to rapidly deliver quality HR products and services • Develops strategies and helps implement actions that enhance human capital contribution • Helps build workforce commitment • Ensures fair, ethical, and equitable people processes and practices MODEL FOR CHANGE To aid in this transition Laviolette, engaged Beverley Patwell of Patwell Consulting Inc., an organization development consultant, to help develop their change strategy. Together, and in conjunction with the HR team, they developed a collaborative change process which built on the current strengths and values of the organization. This model and its transition and implementation process enabled the organization to begin developing competencies that would make it self-sustaining as opposed to being dependent on external consultancy. In order to achieve their objectives each level of the organization that was directly or indirectly impacted by the changes, was consulted and or involved in the change process. For Transcontinental Media this meant that the all three levels of organization were active players and participants in various parts of the change process (Corporate, Sector and National HR Team). Collaboration was the key to the success of this project. The development process consisted of six basic phases: Understand, Assess, Develop, Test, Implement and Evaluate/ Refine. As we will see, this process was used within 2 phases: Phase 1: Understanding and Strategy Development and Phase 2: Execution. Each cycle identified and addressed learning opportunities in the areas of the individual, team, structure, culture and organization. UNDERSTAND PHASE 1 UNDERSTAND • Completed a review of an HR Audit earlier in the year. • Katya Laviolette (VP HR) held individual meetings with the National HR Team, Corporate HR, and local business leaders from every level of the organization to build relationships, understand the business as well as the HR challenges/objectives. • Beverley Patwell (external consultant) held individual meetings with Katya Laviolette, key members of the National HR Team and business leaders to gather data on their strengths, business challenges, cultural dynamics and opportunities for growth. ASSESS • Analyzed data gathered in the “Understand” phase. • Identified the HR organization’s primary opportunities for growth in order to become a more unified team of HR professionals and to expand the role of the HR professional to include competencies in the areas of strategic thinking and change management (Ulrich Model). DEVELOP • Articulated vision of the future (Ulrich Model) and gained buy-in with business leaders at both corporate and sector levels. • Developed and implemented the first HR National Team meeting with the following results: - Helped the group get to know Katya Laviolette, their new leader; - Created a common understanding of business challenges/opportunities driving the need for change; - Created a shared vision of the future; - Built relational ties across geographical boundaries by involving entire team; - Created the first HR Operating Plan linked to business strategy. UNDERSTANDING & STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT Below is a summary of the activities undertaken and the results achieved in each phase of the cycle during the first rotation. TEST • Reviewed the National HR Team’s draft of the joint HR Operating Plan with corporate and business leaders and made appropriate modifications. IMPLEMENT • Implemented, monitored and evaluated the progress of the HR Operating Plan. Corresponding individual action plans were executed over an 8 month period. REFINE & EVALUATE • Recognized, rewarded and celebrated new behaviors and achievements of operational objectives. • Performed periodic reviews of individual action plans and group successes against goals established and identified in the HR Operating Plan. • Conducted a post-offsite survey to define and prioritize individual skill development needs for HR team members. PHASE 2 UNDERSTAND • Reviewed the assessment of the first HR National Team Meeting & the groups’ expressed interest in developing their competencies in the areas of coaching, influencing and consulting. • Held individual meetings with functional experts within the HR team, in addition to HR managers, local business leaders and corporate leaders to understand the impact of the first change cycle as well as and learning opportunities. ASSESS • Synthesized data gathered in “Understand Phase” to set priorities for the second HR National Team Meeting to address the following: developing individual strengths and areas for improvement and re-articulating shared vision and operational objectives. DEVELOP • Developed and implemented a second off-site with the following results: - Created fundamental awareness of individual strengths and opportunities for growth particularly in the areas of consulting and influencing skills; - Strengthened and displayed individual capabilities by involving HR team members in the design and delivery of the HR National Team Meeting; - Further built relational ties across geographical boundaries by involving the entire National HR Team; - Created a second HR Operating Plan linked to business strategy. • Modelled a consulting process for the team by using it to create and implement the offsite. TEST • Reviewed the National HR Team’s draft of the HR Operating Plan with corporate and business leaders and made appropriate modifications. • Obtained feedback from HR Leadership Team and other key stakeholders as well as internal clients. IMPLEMENT • Worked on HR Operating Plan and corresponding individual action and development plans and implemented the actions over a 12 month period. EXECUTION Below is a summary of the activities undertaken and results achieved in each phase of the cycle during the second rotation. REFINE & EVALUATE • Recognized, rewarded and celebrated new behaviors and achievements. • Performed periodic reviews of individual action plans and group successes against goals outlined in HR Operating Plan. • Conducted a post meeting survey that defined and prioritized individual skill development needs for HR team members. RESULTS/INTEGRATION The process described above has helped the organization establish a shared vision for the role of HR. This vision is owned by HR professionals across the organization, championed by senior management and understood by all business partners. Professionals at the local levels are now more responsible and accountable for the strategic and change management aspects of HR as well the technical aspects of HR. Furthermore, each HR professional has developed their own learning plan that incorporates the technical, strategic and change management competencies required for their success. The HR competencies have increased across the board. As a function, HR is being called upon to participate in various strategic initiatives. The HR team is now able to set their own performance measures and assess their results. Going forward, the National HR Team has established quarterly meetings to review their progress and work on individual development needs. Finally, a regular annual meeting has been established to structure their HR Operating Plan and focus on continued HR Business Partner training and development. CONCLUSION/KEYS TO SUCCESS For Laviolette and Patwell, there are a few key lessons they have gleaned from their success in jumpstarting this transformation. VISION OF THE FUTURE - On reflection, Laviolette and Patwell both agree that defining a clear vision based on good organizational data was critical. However, it wasn’t just having the vision that made the intervention successful. Key success factors included: • Linking the HR vision to the strategic priorities of the business and having senior leaders champion and reinforce the vision. • Building an HR Operating Plan in collaboration with the National HR Team helped create buy-in and momentum for their work. • Tracking and measuring results on a regular basis reinforced their progress on a individual, team and organizational level and was highly appreciated by every member of the National HR Team. PATIENCE & POSITIVISM - The bottom line is that no matter how quickly we need to change; change requires patience, a positive vision, and a concrete plan. Leaders must ensure that small but important and visible signs of change are apparent to the organization – especially early on. Key success factors included: • Celebrating and recognizing quick wins. • Providing recognition (group or individual) for successful interventions and achievements of critical milestones. • Identifying and dealing hands-on with varying levels of resistance. • Being aware that individuals deal with change in different ways and require varying levels of support. • Taking the time to develop a customized HR approach, as opposed to replicating an approach from previous experience. COLLABORATIVE PLANNING & TRANSPARENCY – The change process involved a partnership that was strongly rooted in an organizational culture that valued collaboration. Key success factors included: • Including everyone in the design and planning process of the interventions (2 HR National Team Meetings, Competency Development, Developing the HR Operating Plan, Developing and monitoring performance measures and individual and team learning/development plans). NON-DEPENDENCE - Patwell’s approach to consulting asserts that in order to affect permanent change within an organization, the system cannot become dependent upon the external consultant. Rather, the consultant is there to model and provide the process for learning and in this case, some of the content early on. Through this process, the organizational system takes on ownership and becomes responsible for its own learning. CLIENT FOCUS - As with any change initiative, it is imperative that the consultant begin by developing a strong understanding of the cultural, business, technical and individual context in which she/he will be working. Key success factors included: • Tailoring the intervention to the culture in order to develop the right strategy to ensure sustained change. • Staying constantly attuned to what the client needs by obtaining sound and current data throughout the life of the project. • Being aware of your Use of Self and monitoring your own strengths and learning opportunities.

TRANSCONTINENTAL MEDIA –Evolving Towards An HR Business Partner

TRANSCONTINENTAL MEDIA – Evolving Towards An HR Business Partner For most growing organizations, there comes a point in time when ...

Teams Are The Foundations Of The Most Organization Today, Yet They Can Be Also Be Plagued By A Consistent Set Of Problems

Organization Development Outline   Main Topic: Teams are the foundations of the most organization today, yet they can be also be plagued by a consistent set of problems. I.              Introduction A.   Study Background and Importance B.   Organization Development and Culture Influence II.            The Revolving Development Difficulties A.   The cause of the study B.   Internal and External Factors C.   Degree of Development and Progress III.           Organizational Attitudes A.   Usage of Organization Development B.   The Process Goals of Organization Development IV.          Methods A.   Action Research B.   The Organization Development Practices C.   Separate and Integrate (The Development Diagram) V.   Organization Development Outcomes and Benefits VI.  Conclusion References Organization Development Executive Summary             An organization is nothing without its people, because the people are the propeller of the organization to gain success. The team behind an organization still needs development to pursue the goals of the organization. The main aim of an organization development is to make things possible by sorting the essential parts from the other and develop it until it reached the best results.             Organization development is meant for keeping the spirit of teamwork through the communication and appropriate deployment of task. As the propellers of an organization, the connection between them is important to keep the organization keep on going. The team is subject to various situations that might lead the organization to slow down that’s why as a team, the people should work in every issue as one.  The people are also part of the development in processing the goals of an organization to realize the outcomes and positive results. Introduction             It is natural in the organization to experience different kind of problems that can reflect in the organization. But the people in the organization should create adjustments and solutions to answer such difficulties in the organization. The problems might come in different range or aspect and these problems should be matched with appropriate solution as soon as possible to avoid the complicated situations. The people or the teams in an organization are the foundation in developing actions.             The team is committed to produce the ideas that can invite the possible outcome in making such decisions. The measurement of possibilities is so vast and it is in the ability of the people to see one certain and best possibility. With the right knowledge and skills, the people can contribute in handling different situations. The ideas that these people can craft can be the basis for the future use. Study Background and Importance The faster growth, high standards of living, and making new opportunities are the inclination of the globalization’s benefits. There are many challenges that a business must face before determining the stage of success, which depends on the expanding access of the opportunities for globalization, according to Annan (2001). Many company compete the market globalization to retain the business’s life and improve in any aspect if it is possible. Many developmental strategies are created over the years, and it is expected to develop more in the years to come. As the propeller of the company, the activities they perform to meet the needs of company, like brainstorming and making the decisions. It is important that these people understands the consistent problems that might surprise them, and eventually create solutions. Organization Development and Cultural Influence Organizational Development or OD is a strategy to make a change in terms of attitudes, structure, values, and beliefs within the organizations. This is intentionally done to create an easy access or have a higher level of adaptation upon the introduction of new technologies, challenges involved, and markets that will make an acceptable improvement in the latter part of the development. There are influences involved about the organization development. The national culture of the company affects the operation and managerial practices, whether domestic or abroad domains. Lau and Ngo (2001) acknowledged the cultural perspectives of each company’s values and beliefs that exerting a strong influence on the organization’s systems and work-related values among the individuals. The Revolving Development Difficulties Thompson, et al., (1998) discussed the conditions in determining the proper timing for the development interaction.  The development should recognize the need for a business strategy to increase complexity management; it should open the skill and career training structure and other labor market opportunities as an aid for recruitment; and the presence of inhibiting factors that approaches the recruitment, learning, and career development among the people and the systems. The people on the organization must coordinate in the organization development that can create a great impact. The people should control the difficulties that might appear for the development, like making the training intense. Organizational Attitudes Many ideas, tools, and suggestions try to challenge the leader of the industry, of both non-profit and profit based business. The people should develop the attitudes toward the organization and making it successful in answering the need for change or whole development. The change or development is only a reaction through the fears or passion with regards to the changing world views, this insight is given by Emery (2005). Usage of Organization Development According to Lau and Ngo (2001), the human resource system planning receives most of the attention between the works or task related interventions. And because of this, the part of the human resource to make the people more productive is the main focus to craft solutions in the problems through their communication and cooperation. The Process Goals of Organization Development The development entails the building of organizational strengths and weaknesses, as well as determining the steps to overcome the hindrances. This could only be done by clarifying the communication system among the people, improving the interaction and meetings, jointly problem-solving or/and decision makings, and through working with the conflicts, as suggested in the works of Schmuck (1995). This is because, people plays an essential role in the organization. The people or the team must collaborate with the each other to craft a more desirable solutions and decisions. Methods With the relation to organization development, Thomson, et al., (1998) identified the structural variables through the research he and the fellow authors conducted, the conventional way and the perception approach contributed the results in measuring the effects of OD in the management. On the other hand, their study showed the main dependent variable, which is the amount of training that can be also carried out the sides of development. In identifying the problems that revolves around the organization deserves to have possible solutions in the most accurate way. And knowing the solutions needed, it is important that a good training among the people or the whole team should be employed. The amount of training that an individual needs should be based in time, system, and technology. The training should also involve various assessments that can measure the effectiveness in taking the training methods. The training is also the kind of preparing the team in facing the problems that might occur in business cycle. Action Research  The people must determine the importance of action research for a continuous central-feature of the organization development activities. The transformation of group toward the objectives and goals is worth the capacity to work and help each other in term of work-related problems. In the work of Watkins (2000), the action research does not only be effective in the present purpose. The use of the records form the past years can suggests the possible solutions for future action. It can also be the measure in appointing the old or the new organization development and weigh its validity in the time it can be use again. The Organization Development Practices The development practices will take effect on the people or team because this target will make improvements in their knowledge and managerial styles. The joint study of Lau and Ngo (2001) stated the dimension of OD. The target level of change is within the people whether individual workers, workforce group, and the management team. Meanwhile, the nature of change comes along with the task and orientation activities among the people of the organization. The favorable outcome when it reached the key people is the involvement of essential skills, technique, and qualities of a leader can help them deal in different face of situation. Anna, et al., (2001) describes that the development can make the leaders push their capacity and extend their organizational understanding through the coaching techniques that may imply in the development. The financial constraint is a problem that can limit the development aim fort the leaders. But if the call for this development happened, the effectiveness can be seen in the climate analyses and action plans of the managers. Separate and Integrate There are various aspects that the organizational departments are better when taken separately or otherwise, jointly. It depends on how the department will work together. The mixture of corporate capital, commitment, talent or skill, or elaborative ideas can either fail or succeed the managerial aspect at times where the business is trying to gain recovery from the past challenges. Day et al., (2001) assessed the power of investment with regards to the future outcome of development. The assessment explained that if the investment in terms of time, effort, knowledge, and skills, which is being placed in a freezing state while the development, is transforming the whole the organization. The people will take their part in recognizing several problems that might plagued the organization. The diagram is taken from the description of Kurt Lewin, showing the stages in which the change can happen. It indicates the three steps which is the unfreezing, changing, and refreezing. It explains through the use of planning, action, and results. The main idea is by planning to change the traditional organizational structure by breaking it down into pieces and examining the essential parts. The people in the organization can use this model in creating the set of solutions that might be appropriate in answering the problems that are present in the organization. Together with a good analysis, the plans to answer the problems can be established. Emphasizing the people in the organization, the recognition of connections should start by learning the communication between the different concepts of organization. The concept of organization serves as the beginning of understanding the different disciplines in business and communication according to the work of Francis (2004). Organization Development Outcomes and Benefits Certain improvement is expected especially in the people who are taking their part in the organization and the same team that will feel directly the outcomes. Taking again the study of Lau and Ngo (2001), it elaborated the possible outcomes of the development in an organization. The first is through the measurement of employee satisfaction. It can be only be happen when it is best worked out the interventions done by the human resource system and planning, or individual and work group relations. The second outcome measures the new product development and the net profit could be the third which is obviously reflecting the financial performance of the business. According to the study of Goodier and Eisenberg (2006), the effectiveness can also be in the part of the management. The people in the managing department can acknowledge the work of others, learning the differences, and respecting it in return. The sense of wholeness and purpose can serve the strong foundation of the organizations existence. Conclusion Through the people, the organization will meet positive expectations in terms of the business. Although there are instances that might affect the activities of the team, the focus and attention cannot be easily diverted on different things that might distract the objectives, values, and mission of the organization. A good communication is the ultimate step in gaining trust with the other team member. With trust, the respect is established and the collaboration or the essence of teamwork will be given justice. As the team working together in harmony has a more advantage in taking their part in the organization. The meeting will be held accordingly to the organization’s objectives, commits well in achieving the mission, and leading the organization’s success through the vision. References: Anna, A., et al., 2001. Executive Coaching by Proxy in a Large Organization: A Leadership Development Tool. Journal of Leadership Studies, [Online]. 8(1), p.61, Available at: www.questia.com (Questia Media America, Inc.) [Accessed 18 September 2009]. Annan, K., 2001. Development without Borders. Harvard International Review, [Online]. 23(2), p. 84, Available at: www.questia.com (Questia Media America, Inc.) [Accessed 18 September 2009]. Day, J., et al., (2001). The Innovative Organization. The McKinsey Quarterly, [Online]. p.21, Available at: www.questia.com (Questia Media America, Inc.) [Accessed 18 September 2009]. Emery, M., 2005. Brinckerhoff, Peter C. Nonprofit Stewardship: A Better Way to Lead Your Mission-Based Organization. Journal of the Community Development Society, [Online]. 36(2), p.103, Available at: www.questia.com (Questia Media America, Inc.) [Accessed 18 September 2009]. Francis, R., 2004. The Expressive Organization. Business Communication Quarterly, [Online]. 67(3), p. 368, Available at: www.questia.com (Questia Media America, Inc.) [Accessed 18 September 2009]. Goodier, B., & Eisenberg, E., (2006). Seeking the Spirit: Communication and the (Redevelopment of a “Spiritual” Organization. Communication Studies, [Online]. 57(1), p. 47, Available at: www.questia.com (Questia Media America, Inc.) [Accessed 18 September 2009]. Lau, C., & Ngo, H., 2001. Organization Development and Firm Performance: A Comparison of Multinational and Local Firms. Journal of International Business Studies, [Online]. 32 (1), p. 95, Available at: www.questia.com (Questia Media America, Inc.) [Accessed 18 September 2009]. Schmuck, R., 1995. Process Consultation and Organization Development Today. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation,[Online]. 6(3), pp. 207-210, Available at: www.questia.com (Questia Media America, Inc.) [Accessed 18 September 2009]. Thomson, A., et al., 1998. The Determinants of Management Development: Choice or Circumstance? International Studies of Management and Organization, [Online]. 28(1), p. 91, Available at: www.questia.com (Questia Media America, Inc.) [Accessed 18 September 2009]. Watkins, K., 2000. Learning by Changing: Action Science and Virtual Organization Development. Adult Learning, [Online]. 11(3), p.20, Available at: www.questia.com (Questia Media America, Inc.) [Accessed 18 September 2009].   Interesting News Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Teams Are The Foundations Of The Most Organization Today, Yet They Can Be Also Be Plagued By A Consistent Set Of Problems

Organization Development Outline Main Topic: Teams are the foundations of the most organization today, yet they can be also be p...