Effective Organizational Change And Development

By M. Isi Eromosele

Change is a constant, a thread woven into the fabric of our personal and professional lives.

Change occurs within our world and beyond, in national and international events, in the physical environment, in the way organizations are structured and conduct their business, in political and socioeconomic problems and solutions, and in societal norms and values.

As the world becomes more complex and increasingly interconnected, changes seemingly far away affect us. Thus, change may sometimes appear to occur frequently and randomly. We are slowly becoming aware of how connected we are to one another and to our bigger world.

Organizations must be aware of their holistic nature and of the ways their members affect one another. The incredible amount of change has forced individuals and organizations to see the big picture and to be aware of how events affect them and vice versa.

Organizational development is a relatively new area of interest for business and the professions. While the professional development of individuals has been accepted and fostered by a number of organizations for some time, there is still ambiguity surrounding the term organizational development.

The basic concept of both professional development and organizational development is the same, however, with an essential difference in focus.

Professional development attempts to improve an individual’s effectiveness in practice, while organizational development focuses on ways to improve an organization’s overall productivity, human fulfillment and responsiveness to the environment.

These goals are accomplished through a variety of interventions aimed at dealing with specific issues, as well as through ongoing processes.

Change In Organizations

Organizational development efforts, whether facilitated by an outside expert or institutionalized and conducted on an ongoing basis, bring about planned change within organizations and teams.

However, they are but one type of change that occurs in organizations, for change can be both planned and unplanned and can occur in every dimension of the universe. A change in the head of a company can dramatically alter the character of an organization.

Organizational realignment of a company’s strategies, operations and methods may yield similar impacts. Change will not occur unless the need for change is critical.

Because individuals and organizations usually resist change, they typically do not embrace change unless they absolutely have to.

Planning For Change

Before embarking on an organizational change initiative, it is wise to carefully plan strategies and anticipate potential problems. One useful method of planning comes from using the concept of force-field analysis. The term describes analysis that is deceptively simple and can be used to help plan and manage organizational change.

Behavior within an organization is a result of the dynamic balance of two opposing forces. Change would only occur when the balance shifted between these forces.  Driving forces are those forces which positively affect and enhance the desired change. They may be persons, trends, resources, or information.

Opposing them are the restraining forces, which represent the obstacles to the desired change. As these two sets of forces exist within an organization, they create a certain equilibrium. That is, if the weights of the driving and restraining forces are relatively equal, then the organization will remain static.

As changes occur and affect the weight of either one of the two forces, a new balance will occur and the organization will return to what is called “quasi-stationary equilibrium.” Individuals practicing their vocation in the context of the organization may

intuitively employ these concepts in defining and redefining what change is possible.

What is the usefulness of this perspective? Force-field analysis assists in planning in two major ways: (1) as a way for individuals to scan their organizational context, brainstorming and predicting potential changes in the environment; and (2) as a tool for implementing change.

In the former, force field analysis becomes a method of environmental scanning (which is useful in strategic planning), whereby organizations keep abreast of impending and potential changes from societal trends and potential budget constraints to staff turnover and purchases of new office equipment.

The more change can be anticipated, the better individuals and organizations are prepared to deal with the resulting effects. The second use of force-field analysis is similar, offering a way to systematically examine the potential resources that can be brought to bear on organizational change and the restraining forces that can be anticipated. This advance planning and analysis assists in developing strategies to implement the

desired change.

M. Isi Eromosele is the President | Chief Executive Officer | Executive Creative Director of Oseme Group - Oseme Creative | Oseme Consulting | Oseme Finance

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