Organization Development Principles - Processes

Question: Discuss about the Organization Development for Principles, Processes. Answer: Introduction Bounce fitness is a leading fitness and personal training organization that assist people to shape their bodies and regain their health. It has been awarded as the top fitness expert by the Northern Virginia Magazine and provides in house and personalized training to its customers. The major clients of the organization include individuals, organizations, corporations and educational institutions. The specialization of the company is in providing In-home personal training and fitness to its customers. The company offer different programs that are customized according to the personal needs of the consumers and addresses the budget limitations and the fitness needs of the individuals. The fitness experts are experienced and certified professionals and have certifications in various fitness specialties. The company operates in several locations in Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland area. Recently, the company has expanded its operations in other areas of the country. During the expansi on, the company made all the centers as independent to provide quick decision making and adaptation to the local business environment. However, due to this the fitness experts adapted their fitness regime according to their personal perception and it invited several complaints (Bounce Fitness, 2016). As a result, in order to combat these problems, the organization initiated changes to standardize its operations. The management decided to use the same systems, same customer services and fitness class routines as developed in the central head office of the organization. Although the senior management of the organization is ardent to implement these changes to reduce the customer complaints, they acknowledge that the situation of organization change will bring uproar and resistance from the existing employees. The personal trainers will resist the change, as they are of the perception that they are better in developing the fitness program and customizing it according to the customers. In essence, the organization has not yet informed the personal trainers, clients and the staff members in the central office (Paton and McCalman, 2008). In this report, an organization development plan has been created to streamline the changes and address the areas where intervention is required to br ing the change process. Organization Development Plan A business organization needs a strategic plan to identify a strategic direction of growth and pursue it. Bounce Fitness has developed a strategic plan for future expansion and financial growth of the organization. It is keen to become the top fitness organization in the USA and; therefore, introducing its fitness care centers at different locations (Cummings and Worley, 2014). The business deals with specialized services, wherein the services are provided at the home of person, with customized plans that suits the budget and the fitness level of the person. However, to provide the same level of services to every client and establish a name for itself, it is important that the company standardize the fitness services offered by the organization. In this way, the mistake of one fitness expert at a different location will not tarnish the name of the entire organization. Standardization of the operations such as customer services and fitness program will also assist the organization to create an identity for itself and reduce its operations costs. Profiling Organization Culture and Readiness for Organization Development In order to change the organization culture, the company needs to diagnose the current organization culture. The existing culture of the organization must be examined to find the gaps between the existing culture and the desired culture. The knowledge of the existing organization culture is also essential in ring changes to the organization. In order to profile the current organization culture of the organization, the company must consult with all the stakeholders, namely, employees, customers and the senior management. The consultant needs to scrutinize the current culture with thee information obtained by the employees or the fitness experts in remote locations, in the central office and the clients of the organization (Anderson, 2016). Key Role in the Organization Development Process The change process affects the operations of the entire organization. In this process, the employees need to adapt themselves to the organization changes. The primary aim of th organization change is to drive the results and productivity of the organization. The key role in the change management process is of the senior managers, change management team and the fitness experts. The senior management of the organization authorizes the change management plan. They sponsor changes and provide funding for all the required changes (Anderson, 2016). The change management team develops the change management strategy and the plans for the successful implementation of the change management process. The employees collaborate with the change team to drive their performance and integrate the change management strategies in their current operations. The commitment of the change management team, employees and the senior management can be obtained by keeping them updated regarding the change managem ent process. Moreover, the communication is very important in the change management process to combat the employee resistance in the organization (Cheung-Judge and Holbeche, 2015). Required Information In order to correctly identify the problem in the organization culture and the issues that are resulting in the organization problems, it is important to obtain information regarding the underlying causes of the organization problem (McLean, 2005). In the present situation, it has been identified that the major reason or the driver of the organization change is the reduced customer satisfaction. The change management team should be able to examine the underlying cause for the problem. According to the current situation, the problem could be misunderstood mission, misunderstood strategy or lack of team cohesion. In this regard, the companies should obtain information from the customers and the employees in the central office and regional office. Alternate Strategic Directions Another strategic direction for the Bounce Fitness center is market penetration strategy. In this strategy, the company increases its market share in the existing markets. The company can increase its market share by establishing competitive prices, increase the number of fitness trainers and create product differentiation. In this strategy, the primary objective is to increase the profitability of the organization. Techniques to Embed the Organization Culture in Organization Development Plan In the organization change management, the primary methods to embed the organization culture are inspiration, information and intimidation. In the inspiration method, the management can use the technique of persuasion, vision, role modeling and storytelling to motivation to teach the people the current organization culture. The information method is the most widely used method in embedding the organization culture wherein the traditions, rituals and learning are used to teach the employees the existing organization culture. Other than that, the methods of coercion, threat, role definition and control systems are used to intimidate the employees to adopt the current organization culture. The change management team should identify the current culture of the organization and develop strategies so that the organization development process can easily be adopted by the employees (Yaeger, Head and Sorensen, 2006). Communication/Education Plan In the change process, the communication and the education plan is a significant aspect in the successful implementation of the change management. The communication plan is important for preparing the organization to transform from its current state to the desired state. The company should implement communication plan of regular meetings and emails. In the communication plan, Bounce Fitness can focus on sending the message regarding the nature of the transformation, the procedure of change, the role of the members in the change process, its effect on different members and the desired commitment from each member (Cummings, 2008). The communication plan should be circulated to each and every personnel affected with the change. Along with it, the message should be delivered by someone from the senior management to increase the credibility of the message and feedback opportunity should be provided to every individual. Implementation of Organization Development Activities The team participation can be improved when the employees and all the stakeholders are given the need for change and how it will make their operations easier. The fitness trainers should be discussed regarding how the present situation is affecting the business of the organization. Along with it, the fitness trainers should also understand that the standardization of the operations will reduce their efforts. Team development and Learning activities The organization development (OD) is an organization improvement strategy wherein one or more structured activities are undertaken to improve the performance of the organization. There are numerous organization development intervention techniques, namely, sensitivity training, survey feedback, team building and intergroup development. In the present situation, the process consultation is the best-fit approach to drive the organization development (Yaeger and Sorensen, 2009). In this approach, the professionals of the organization are assisted in developing strong relationships with the clients that result in efficient working and operations of the organization. In the present situation, the major problem in the organization is reduced employee satisfaction which can be improved with this intervention strategy. Role of Organization in Collaborative Learning Collaborative learning is a significant practice to teach the employees regarding the goals and the strategies of the organization. With collaborative learning, the companies can create a learning environment wherein the employees communicate to learn. The organization can create an informal learning network which is equally supported by the technology and the senior management (Haneberg, 2005). Conflicting situations are a common situation in the workplace. In the present context, in the organization development, the culture of collaboration can be developed in the organization. It is the process of integrating ideas and notions obtained from different sources (Haneberg, 2005). Team Learning Intervention Strategies The management can implement several strategies to enhance the productivity and efficiency of the team members. Firstly, the management can design the incentive system in such a manner that all the employees can get benefit from it. In the second intervention strategy, the company can implement a mentoring system in which the new recruits learn about the organization culture and the desired technical skills from their seniors. Thirdly, the management should implement a system of recognition and awards to the performing employees. Fourthly, the employees should be provided regular feedback and goals should be assigned to them to help them grow. Monitoring the Intervention Strategies The intervention strategies can be monitored and evaluated using the method of brainstorming. In this method, various ideas or solutions are identified in a group discussion. In this method, a brainstorming session is conducted and people use their creative approach to identify the solutions to the problem. Intervention 1 Description Why do you feel this is the best option to proceed with? Incentive system Employees will be paid additionally according to their performance Employees will be encouraged to work hard and maintain their performance Intervention 2 Description Why do you feel this is the best option to proceed with? Mentoring New recruits will be trained from the experienced employees The new recruits will gain knowledge from the expertise of others Management Approval Status Approved Not approved Managers (Trainer) Name : Managers (Trainer) Signature: Date: Maintain Organization Development Program Survey is the most popular technique to examine the effectiveness of organization development program. In this technique, the attitude of the employees can be examined at each level of the organization and developing a report regarding the findings. The change management team can then devise solutions for each of the perceived problems. Regular team meetings to share information on the progress of the organization development program Regular team meetings can be used to share the information regarding the progress of the organization development program. It is the most effective way in which the people share and communicate, get feedback and collaborate to take important decisions for the organization. It will also serve as a reminder for the employees regarding what is going on in the organization, the employees can share their issues an opportunities and offer mutual support to obtain the objectives of the organization (McLean, 2005). Activities and intervention strategy In the present context, Bounce fitness should adopt the process consultation approach wherein the employees would be assisted in developing relationships with the customers. The company can also use survey feedback to determine the perception of the employees regarding the organization development process. In the organization development program it is important to maintain a progress report that assists the management of the organization to examine the progress and the efficiacy of the development program. Along with it, the progress report will also be critical in the allocation of resources and obtaining support from the employees. Evaluation of organization development plans Bounce fitness is suffering from an organization culture issue, in which it is obtaining customer dissatisfaction due to differences in the services provided at different location. Therefore, the approach to the organization development programs is to reduce the customer dissatisfaction and expand customer base. The implementation cost of the plan in accordance with the program outcomes. The company needs to bear the cost in employee training, developing the mentoring system and conducting the survey. Conclusion Conclusively, it can be stated that the organization is having issues in the organization culture which is resulting in reduced consumer satisfaction as there are variances in the services provided at different location. Therefore, the organization is focusing on implementing a system that can be used to standardize the operations in other locations. In this organization development program, the mentoring and survey system can be used. References Anderson, D.L. (2016). Organization Development: The Process of Leading Organizational Change. London: SAGE Publications. Bounce Fitness. (2016). About Us. Retrieved on 30 December, 2016 from: https://bouncefitness.com/ Cheung-Judge, M. and Holbeche, L. (2015). Organization Development: A Practitioner's Guide for OD and HR. Kogan Page Publishers. Cummings, T.G. (2008). Handbook of Organization Development. London: SAGE. Cummings, T.G. and Worley, C.G. (2014). Organization Development and Change. Boston: Cengage Learning. 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