Organizational Development

Organizational Development

University of Phoenix

Organizational Development

Organizational development and organizational psychology share a similar link. Both organizational development and organizational psychology entail delving into the realm human behavior in efforts to modify individual and group behavior to increase organizational efficiency and performance. The objective of this paper is to examine organizational development by providing an explanation of the process followed by identifying the theories associated with organizational development. In addition, the paper will illustrate which specific conditions are necessary for successful organizational change and development. Close assessment of the objective will lead to a clear understanding of the bond between organizational development and organizational psychology.

Process of Organizational Development

Organizational development is the systematic process to implement planned and effective change using technologies, research, theories, and behavioral science in effort to promote change that will “improve” the performance and overall health of an organization. More specifically, “organization development (OD) is a complex strategy intended to change the beliefs, attitudes, values, and structure of organizations so that they can better adapt to new technologies, markets, and challenges”(University of Virginia Leadership Development Center, n.d., ¶ 1).

The primary step in the process of organizational development is for the organization to do a self-reflection of its current state, and then plan on what specific interventions they wish to apply to make changes. The next step is to hire an organizational-development consultant to help in the intervention process; intervention can differ and can be at the individual, group, or organizational level. “During organizational consultation, the intervention process is carefully planned and implemented to benefit your organization, its employees, and its primary stakeholders” University of Virginia Leadership Development Center, n.d., 2). The type of interventions an organization employs can differ, but what is consistent in the intervention process is the organization’s need to modify some level of behavior if the programs are to increase organizational efficiency. The final step in the process is to evaluate the organizational development programs to gauge the effectiveness of the programs. The best method for gauging the effectiveness of organizational development programs is by using multiple criteria for measurement.

Theories Associated with Organizational Development

Three theories have been the most influential in guiding the organizational