For organizations to be successful, they must be able to move forward and evolve. To do this, they need to be adaptive and flexible so they can keep in pace with today’s ever-changing business environment. At the same time, they must promote positive change by emphasizing creativity and innovation.
One of the best ways to promote these qualities is through “Organization Development.” In 1969, Warren Bennis introduced this concept as “a complex educational strategy intended to change beliefs, attitudes, values and structures of organizations so employees can better adapt to new technologies, markets and challenges, and the dizzying rate of change itself.”
Organizational Development offers employers and employees many benefits. One of the most important is that it can help employees feel that they are contributing to their organization’s success. When they believe their ideas are being taken seriously, they will respect the company and want to keep working there. Employees support what they help create.
It also helps when employees act as subject matter experts by educating and training others. This helps them earn the respect of their peers.
For many organizations, it’s relatively easy to change procedures and structures, but more difficult to get employee buy-in, which is crucial for long-term success. To accomplish this, it’s helpful to establish open communication and build trust across all levels of the organization. This helps reduce inappropriate competition between different parts of the organization and creates a more collaborative environment.
The following Organization Development activities can help build a stronger, more resilient organization at every level:
- Individuals may want to take advantage of counseling and coaching sessions; life and career planning; and process improvement.
- Teams may want to learn more about conflict management, unit goal setting and team building.
- Supervisors and managers may want assistance with strategic planning, culture transformation and survey feedback.
To learn more about these opportunities, please check out FEI’s array of Organizational Developmental Services.