Competencies In Organization Development

By Author: Henry Ford
Total Articles: 189
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It is imperative to have competencies in Organization Development. Organization development is a strategy that aims at improving the effectiveness of an organization. It should be aimed at improving the structure of the organization in order for the organization to adapt to challenges and to new technologies. Competencies in this field are therefore imperative to achieve the desired change. This is because an organization development intervention may call for making of difficult and tough choices. These tough and difficult choices are what are called ethical dilemmas. This paper looks at the importance of competencies in organization development and in solving ethical dilemmas.

To begin with, OD consultants must realize that they should not use other people for their own benefits or for their own purposes. The best way to resolve ethical dilemmas is for OD consultants to discuss them when they arise with other consultants (Snell, 1986). It is important to learn and develop ethical fluency as one way of developmental process. To develop these ethical issues, an OD consultant will need to have an understanding and a commitment ...
... as these two will prepare him or her to make rational decisions. And these rational decisions will be based on a well structured problem analysis and ethical analysis form. Ethical sensitivity is developed through intuition and reflections of OD consultant’s belief, values and experience on ethical dilemmas. Therefore the ability to resolve ethical dilemmas depends on the OD consultant’s ability to choose his or her values and standards consciously, ability to clarify ones personal values and how to apply these values systematically (Gellerman, et al, 1990).

There is need for OD consultants to understand that there is a significant difference between the theories of OD and what happens in reality (McLean, et al, 1982). There are various studies which have been carried out on the field of organization development and these studies aimed at determining some of the most common dilemmas that are faced by OD consultants and how the consultants solved them. The study listed 39 common dilemmas but it noted that 13 of the dilemmas are the one that occur occasionally (DeVogel, 1992). These dilemmas are, starting with the most common occurring;- an illusion of participation, skip the diagnosis, inappropriate intervention, stretch the limits of my competence, coercion, political pressure, informed consent, client has misled the consultant, misuse of information, violate confidentiality, priority of interests, role of expectations, conflict with co- consultant.

Illusion of participation- This is a situation whereby employees get the impression that they are involved in decision making while in actual sense, the employer has already made up his or her mind. This dilemma is faced by many consults and it occurs frequently. They result to solving it through confronting the client.

Skip the diagnosis- This is whereby one is asked to skip a diagnosis or a needs assessment but instead to intervene through training or team building. The consultants who faced this dilemma handle it by negotiating an alternative approach or by confronting the client.
Inappropriate intervention- This situation occurs when one is asked to conduct an organization development intervention like team building which the consultant knows very well that it is not appropriate for the organization. The consultant solves this dilemma through action research and negotiations.

Stretching the limits of competence- This is whereby a consultant tries a new intervention with a client but this intervention may stretch beyond his or her skills or competencies. The consultants solve this problem through the use of research action or taking independent action. Even though there are some consultants who do not consider this as a problem.

Coercion- This is whereby the employees are forced to participate in an OD intervention without their will. This dilemma is solved through negotiation, confronting the problem or using action research to gather more information.

Political pressure- This is whereby the behavior of the consultant is shaped by the client organization’s internal policies. Taking independent actions and using action research are the most commonly used approaches to solving this dilemma. There are however others who use negotiation, indirect response or did not consider it a problem.
Informed consent- This is whereby the employees find themselves being drawn into an intervention when they are not aware of what they are getting themselves into. This problem is dealt with using negotiation, action research, and confrontation or through independent action.
Client has misled the consultant- This is whereby the consultant has been misled by the client on issues involving organizations problems. Also the client may be unwilling to cooperate or may be unwilling to give out all the information. Many consultants respond to this through confrontation and action research.

Misuse of information-This is whereby the consultant is asked by the manager to reveal information and the manager has intent of using this information for promotion or dismissal of the employees. The consultant solves this problem by refusing to give the information, negotiating an alternative approach, confronting the approach or conducting an action research. There are however others who did not consider this as a problem.

Violate confidentiality- This is where the manager asks the consultant to share with him information that the consultant has promised not to share. A competent consultant will refuse to comply. Hence the need for competencies in OD.

Priority of interests- This is where the consultant is in a dilemma on whose interests should come first between the managements and employees interests. Action research and negotiation are used to solve this problem.

Role expectations- This is where the consultant is caught between his view of his role as a consultant and the view of the client on what the role of a consultant is. Negotiation and confrontation are the methods use to solve this dilemma.

Conflict with co- consultant- This is when a disagreement occurs between co-consultants on what should be done about a client. This is resolved through negotiation, action research or confrontation.

In general, the core principles, practices and values that an ethical OD consultant should practice include autonomy, freedom, collaboration, objectivity, independence, anonymity, truthfulness, professional development, social justice and recognition of limits. The consultant should honor the preferences, pace, direction, judgment and decision of a client. He or she should ensure that every person involved in the intervention is willing to participate and he or she understands the reasons for carrying out the intervention. It is the duty of the consultant to offer advice, choices and recommendation instead of giving prescriptions. Therefore the consultant should not act as an expert but as a mediator and facilitator whose main aim is to help the client in problem identification and solutions. He should be neutral on issues affecting the company’s politics. He or she should not share any information regarding the client, the organization, an employee or about the intervention without the consent of the individuals involved. The consultant should be open on issues like costs, risks involved, estimated time, his or her experience, concerns and doubts. He should also be truthful in his assessment of the potential effectiveness of the intervention that he ha proposed. The OD consultant should be in a position to refuse any work from a client who is involved in work that violates the client’s values.

Therefore competencies are a very important aspect in OD consultancy. How to resolve the ethical dilemmas require that one be competent enough and have values that will ensure that you deal with the client and that all the parties concerned in the intervention are satisfied. I find the work written by Susan DeVogel very comprehensive in explaining why competency is an important element in organizational development. The OD values Clarification Instrument scoring sheet has been developed and it is a good tool to use when developing alternative actions. This sheet is an important tool in addressing and finding the solution when one is faced with ethical dilemmas. I find it an important tool to be used by OD consultants when dealing with ethical dilemmas.

An organization development consultant should also be competent in all human processes that include team building and conflict resolution. A competent OD consultant will also have good interpersonal skills and good communication skills. Competence will also make him or her have excellent training and coaching skills. It also enables one to have emotional intelligence.

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