January 29

WFED 582 – Kotter’s Model

Harrington writes that models can help practitioners decide what to study. He goes on to say that it is frequent that consultants will see issues and frame them differently than the clients. Creating a model is a visual way of showing how the issues can be addressed that all parties can look at and discuss. The use of a model is a great way to break down a lot of information into bite-sized pieces. (p. 15)

When going through a change things can become unwieldy and chaotic which is why a model is important, it helps to keep people grounded and on track with what’s happening. A model provides a roadmap from start to finish. An example of a model that is used to move change along is Kotter’s model which provides eight overarching steps needed for a successful change.

Kotter’s model provides a cohesive workflow to get from point A to Z and the many steps in between.

The eight steps are noted below

Thomsen 2013

I was struck by the steps of the first step, Establishing a Sense of Urgency which states the following should be accomplished:

  • Express the need for change.
  • Show the risks if change does not happen.
  • Get a good discussion going on about how to make change and what needs to be changed to get people talking and thinking.
  • Get outside perspectives to add merit to the need for change.

This first step provides strong suggestions for what should go into an initial communication plan, or even before that, could be used for the basis for a proposal when working through the contracting phase.

One model can’t be used for all change efforts. Harrington notes that when you try to use the same model for different situations, the challenges and issues that are critical to clients may not be reflected in the model. Creating models that come from the study of each and every unique organization will provide tools and steps unique to that organization (p. 15).

References
Harrison, M. (2004). Diagnosing organizations: Methods, models, and processes (applied social research
methods) (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Thomsen, S. [Steven Thomsen]. (2013, February 17). Kotter’s 8 Step Organizational Change Model FC [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/LxtF4OXzhyI

Category: WFED 582 Organization Diagnosis | LEAVE A COMMENT
January 25

WFED 582 – TNA and Organization and Assessment

Similarities and differences between org diagnosis and training

There are some similarities between Organization Diagnosis and Assessment and Traning Needs Assessment (TNA) Needs as well as some differences. The main differences are that TNA looks to fill the gaps between the current knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) of the workforce and where they want to be. Organization diagnosis looks at where the organization is and what it needs to get to where it wants to be.

My client organization is eager to implement a recognition program, but when I asked how managers would be supported and educated on the ways in which to offer recognition, they looked at me with a blank face- as if it was something that everyone knows how to do. But we don’t. We’re not all good at recognition. We know it’s important, but we don’t know how to do it.

The need for an employee recognition program came from looking at two years of the Gallup Engagement Survey. We found that recognition ranked lower than our peers. A bit of analysis was done to get a sense of the type of recognition that would be acceptable and easy to manage. An initial recommendation was presented, but it fell short because, as a former leader said: “not everyone puts the same emphasis on the importance of recognition”. So the program was put aside.

This comment falls within the definition that Sifford-Myers presents when comparing TNA to organization diagnosis where scope of organization diagnosis is “any area related to an organization including but not limited to environment, purpose, strategy, technology, systems, tasks, motivation, culture, atmosphere, leadership style, people, human relations, physical conditions, performance, and business processes”

Now, if the case had been presented in a way that included, not only the systems, as that would be used to implement the program (award program, written documentation, collection of types of ways people want to be recognized…) but trainings that would close the gap between where people are in the way they feel about recognition (not enough time, feel awkward recognizing people, could make others feel left out, don’t believe in the need for it) then perhaps it would have been better received. This example provides a way to see how TSA falls within organizational diagnosis- it’s just a part.

Reference

Sifford-Myers, J. (n.d.). Lesson 2, Fundamentals of Organizational Diagnosis/Assessment and Feedback Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2024252/modules/items/28021114.

Category: WFED 582 Organization Diagnosis | LEAVE A COMMENT
January 15

582 Lesson 1 blog: Assumptions and Anxieties

Assumption and Anxieties, the two A’s. That was the meat of the video (Tavistock Institute, 2014)- it took a while to get there, but it seems that much of what you’re doing as an OD consultant is constantly considering the assumptions that have been made and the initial anxieties that come up as a newcomer, as someone who’s been in the organization for years and believes what they’ve always done is the best way about it.

Assumptions are ingrained in the culture. The way we move and react to things is based on what we’ve learned over time. I recently had a conversation with my husband of thirteen years about why he always puts my keys in a certain spot, and he said, “because that’s where you like them.” I replied, “No, it’s just that I usually find them there when I can’t find them here, which is where I always put them.” So, this tiny little thing that’s been grating my nerves for years has been done because he thought that was my preference. He made an assumption that that’s where I wanted the keys and it’s led to some pretty late mornings as I’ve had to hunt the house looking for them.

My point is that assumptions can make or break our day, they can cause us to do things, without really knowing why, and can have dramatic ripple effects. But the longer and assumption last, the more like an unspoken law that it becomes. It’s this thing that is blindly done without question.

Then, when our assumptions are challenged, when we’re asked why we do things the way we do and our response is along the lines of “because we’ve always done it that way” then we can feel exposed because it’s not a strong answer. We become defensive and dig in our heels and start to resist.

And that opens up the fear gate. The part of us that is afraid to take risks, to try something new. The video touches on this at the end. Dr. M mentions anxieties that come up for both the consultant and the employee. The consultant is afraid of asking the wrong question, following the wrong information thread, meanwhile, the employee of the organization is looking to the outsider thinking, “what does she know? She doesn’t know this place or my role, or my contributions, and she’s going to say that they’re bad for the organization.” And that’s when the fences start to go up and things become more complicated.

In this video (Tavistock Institute, 2014) believing assumptions were real, and allowing anxieties play out may have been the reason that it took two years to discover the root of the problem.

I met with an OD practitioner the other day who told me something so obvious, it stopped me in my tracks. I stopped listening to what he was saying because his statement was so obvious and yet, I’d never heard it spoken as simply before. He said that when he’s interviewing and organization he is truly curious. He believes that everyone is doing their best and wants to know what they’re doing and how it’s received. He said that by leading with curiosity he has found tremendous success in the way that people will open up to him because people want to teach him about their ways of doing things. Curiosity also allows him to calm his nerves in new situations and with new clients. By always being curious, he allows himself to be vulnerable and show that he doesn’t know all of the answers, that he’s not there to judge or make directives, he’s there to learn.

That trait of curiosity is something that I hope to bring to my work, I love to learn, and what better way of learning than being curious? And what better way to learn about people and take down their walls than by asking questions? And as soon as people start talking and teaching, they are engaging, and from that engagement, anything can happen.

Tavistock Institute of Human Relations (2014, July 3) Organisational Diagnosis [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/y-vn9CE2sow

Category: WFED 582 Organization Diagnosis | LEAVE A COMMENT
January 14

WFED 881 Welcome post

Hi class!
My name is Sara Schumann. This is my second semester of the OD&C Master’s program and I’m loving it! I’m rarely available after 8 pm, my bedtime. I’ve found that the best time for me to get my homework done is between 4 AM and 6 AM.

At work, I manage a team of seven students who spend a lot of their day moaning about their group work 🙂 And then I was introduced to group work for the first time last semester. In undergrad, I was an English major and there was little to no group work, so the concept was pretty new. I loved it. I found that when we had an understanding of when each other was dedicated to school work was very helpful so that we had an idea of when each of us would be working on the assignment and when we could expect our questions to be answered. It was also helpful to set very clear expectations of who was in charge of what and when that portion would be completed.

The biggest challenge I see in marketing myself as an OD consultant is getting over the thought that although I’ve learned a lot over the course of the program, I’m afraid that I won’t have enough real-world knowledge and experience to start my own practice or get a job in the field. I think it can be solved by speaking to the work that I’ve done through my courses, and what I’ve learned, but that’s my biggest fear/ hurdle – not thinking that people will want to give me a chance because of my lack of real-world work in OD. So if you have any suggestions or insights on how to promote the fact that being fresh out of school, is an asset, I’m all ears!

Category: WFED 881 Marketing for Consultants | LEAVE A COMMENT