Successful Organizational Development and Growing Pains

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Successful Organizational Development and Growing Pains Eric G. Flamholtz, Yvonne Randle Abstract This article reviews a framework for understanding and managing the process of “successful organizational development” in business enterprises. It also summarizes recent empirical research designed to test the framework. Finally, it examines some of the implications for practicing managers and leaders. As used here, “organizational development” refers to the process of developing the set of “organizational capabilities” or “form” required by an enterprise as it increases in size and complexity. If done well a business enterprise will thrive and prosper. If done inadequately, the organization will suffer. In order to develop successfully, an organization needs a model of what is required to be built. Flamholtz (1986; 1995) has developed a model for organizational growth, which identifies the key “building blocks of successful organizations.” In this growth model, organizational “form” or structure consists of six key components or “building blocks”: markets selected, products (including services), resources to support growth, operational systems, management systems, and culture. Under this growth model, the challenge of building an organization is to create the appropriate combination of these six key variables or building blocks for the stage of growth an organization is currently in. This paper presents a specific organizational life cycle model (Flamholtz, 1986; 1995) that can be used to identify (measure) the point at which specific transitions in the development of an enterprise should occur. The paper uses this model in conjunction with an organizational effectiveness or success model (Flamholtz, 1986; 1995) that has been and is being empirically tested (Flamholtz, 2003) to indicate what needs to be done for successful organizational development as well as what

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