Richard Beckhard, pioneer in the field of OD, defined the characteristics of organizational development as:
- A planned effort
- Organization-wide
- Managed from the top
- To increase organization effectiveness and health
- Through planned interventions in the organization's 'processes', using behavioral science knowledge
A typical organizational change model/process can take years to execute, yet most organizations are looking for shorter term successes or specific milestones to demonstrate continued progress. Additionally, in today’s business environment, emerging priorities, organizational restructuring efforts and leadership turnover create a situation where many change initiatives are scrapped or overtaken by events long before the organization can realize an anticipated return. This “churn” often results in wasted effort and resources and, even more detrimentally, wears employees down – building organizational resistance to change and fostering cynicism in the workplace.
Many organizational change initiatives fail simply because the organization does not bring the initiative to life in an executable manner. Conversely, a project approach that focuses solely on what is executable or achievable may overlook the more significant opportunity or breakthrough that the organization really needs to stay competitive or move ahead.
At Hemsley Fraser we pride ourselves on coupling unconventional thinking with practical solutions for our clients. This balance between vision and execution is the key to achieving breakthrough success.
Hemsley Fraser organizational development consultants have extensive experience in managing large scale organizational transformation initiatives. Hemsley Fraser OD services include:
- Executive caliber facilitation services.
- GroupSystems, collaboration technology for brainstorming, consensus-building and decision-making.
- Creativity and problem solving techniques and workshops.
- Action planning workshops.
For a new perspective on your organization’s corporate change initiatives, please contact a Hemsley Fraser organization development consultant.