Principles of Organizational Development

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Principles of Organizational Development DeAnn Gerami BUS 370 Organizational Development Instructor Teddi Reilly July 09, 2011 Principles of OD 2 Principles of Organizational Development “Change is inevitable. Progress is optional.” This anonymous quote (Popular Quotes, 2011) describes perfectly the need for organizational development in an institution. Change is inevitable; what is optional is leadership's choice to accept that changes are coming and to take the appropriate action in order to be successful, or reject the change, remain stagnant and ultimately fail. Organizations today are operating in an environment that changes rapidly; one of the most important assets an organization can have is the ability to manage this change. This is where organizational development (OD) and the OD practitioner get involved. The principle of organizational development uses planned, systematic approaches to change, whether involving the entire organization or larger segments of it. The practitioner must develop diagnostic skills in order to identify specific OD issues, problems and/or opportunities that may arise within an organization. They must also develop the ability to apply OD knowledge to organizational settings, and they must also identify the steps involved to effectively manage organizational change in a variety of contexts and settings. The focus of this paper will be on the role the practitioner will take in ensuring the success of the organization that is facing change. There are several basic characteristics of an OD program. These include change, collaborative approach, performance orientation, humanistic orientation, systems approach, and scientific method. OD is a planned strategy whose change effort is aimed at specific objectives and is based on the diagnosis of

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