Values, Motives, and Interventions of Organization Development Practitioners

Abstract

A mail survey was conducted to empirically measure respondents' perceptions of the values, motives, and interventions of today's organization development (OD) practitioners. The survey sample consisted of 1,500 names randomly selected from three different professional organizations. Overall, 416 practitioners (27.7%) returned the questionnaire. Data from each of the three content areas were analyzed through: (a) factor analyses to determine the underlying structure and to generate subscales, and (b) MANCOVAs to assess the degree of differences among various types of respondents (e.g., professional association membership, gender, internal vs. external status) across the respective summary scores. In terms of the values of OD, results indicated that practitioners perceive the field today to be focused more on business effectiveness and productivity issues than on the humanistic concerns and orientation of the past. Although respondents rated interest in social action and helping people as the most important motivators of OD work in the ideal, exercising personal power and reaping the rewards of the consulting relationship were considered to be the more dominant motivators for people in the field today. Regarding interventions, practitioners reported engaging primarily in activities aimed at long-term organizational change, action research methodologies, and management skills training.

Factors for consulting engagement success

“…There is some evidence that the distinction is blurring. For example, Church et al (1994) indicate that lately OD consultants have been focusing more on issues of business effectiveness and productivity and less on humanistic concerns. Similarly, for other types of management consulting, there is some recognition of the importance of focusing more on the process of a consultation, in addition to analytical skills (Akkermans, 1995;Payne, 1986).…”

“…It aims to help firms change to a very particular type of organisational culture (Burke, 1982) and has certain associated key values, concepts, and practices. These include respect for individual potential and growth, an emphasis on decentralising and democratising organisations, the promotion of a systemic view of organisations and related change efforts, and a strong focus on group process and dynamics (Church et al, 1994). In comparison, other management consulting may be described as the application of needed expertise in the form of unique knowledge, skills, insights, methods, or technology to help managers get better results, often including implementation (Schaffer, 1997;Shenson, 1990).…”

“…Sometimes you just don't fit....'' He added,``You know, in the consulting business you have to have a need and ... a fit culturally and they have to come together at just the right time.'' However, fit is most important when addressing the distinction between OD consulting, with its emphasis on fostering humanistic concerns, and other types of management consulting, with its emphasis on business effectiveness and efficiency (Burke, 1997;Church et al, 1994).…”

The making of twenty‐first‐century HR: An analysis of the convergence of HRM, HRD, and OD

“…Third, it is important to note that there is some upheaval in OD about the loss of the humanistic value base that has rooted it for so many years (Church, Burke, & Eynde, 1994). Although there are many professionals in OD who categorize themselves as strong pragmatists and are deeply concerned with strategic alignment and interventions, a review of the competency list endorsed by the Organization Development Network (Sullivan et al, 2001) reveals very little emphasis on strategic alignment or concerns of the business.…”

Internal change agents’ view of the management of change problem

“…It is commonly observed among the advocates of the rational-linear view of organisational change that there is an optimum solution for organising labour, raw materials and capital and for adopting new organisational practices (e.g. Church et al, 1994). Within this view, the focus has been primarily on the contingencies necessary for the success and effectiveness of implementing organisational change.…”