Organisational Development
Organisational Development (OD) is the systematic application of behavioural science knowledge for the purpose of improving productivity, efficiency, effectiveness and overall health of the total organisation. OD processes are used to enhance both the effectiveness of an organisation and the wellbeing of its members through planned interventions. The purpose of OD is to enable an organisation to better respond and adapt to industry/market changes and technological advances.
The applied interventions attempt to modify the beliefs, assumptions, values, attitudes and standards of both the individuals and groups thereby transforming the organisational culture for the betterment of system as a whole.
TDCI’s OD Process is based on the action research model which begins with an identified problem or need for change. The process proceeds through assessment, planning of an intervention, implementing the intervention, gathering data to evaluate the intervention, and determining if satisfactory progress has been made or if there is need for further intervention. The process is cyclical and ends when the desired developmental result is obtained.
Our OD programmes typically include the following steps:
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Contracting and attaining clarity in regards to the problem, need and mandate.
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Organisational Audit: Qualitative and quantitative diagnoses / needs analysis to identify current scenario, desired state, development areas and the contextual variables that inform the current state of affairs.
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Draft and discuss a fit-for-purpose developmental plan and journey to address the aspects identified through the OD audit.
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Develop and implement organisational development interventions as specified in the plan to enhanced performance (e.g. strategy, structure, process or people-related initiatives).
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Project management and coordination of initiatives.
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Monitoring and review the implementation of interventions
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Feedback loops and continuous improvement
OD presents clear benefits for organisational functioning and the continuous improvement of strategic and operational processes:
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Continuous improvement: Organisational development is a proactive approach that embraces change (internal and external), continuous improvement of business processes and a renewal of offerings. The OD process creates an iterative cycle of improvement whereby strategies are planned, implemented, evaluated, improved and monitored.
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Increased communication and interaction: OD emphasises increased open communication, feedback and interaction across all levels of the organisation. The goal of improving communication is to increase the understanding of the need for change and to align employees to shared company goals and values.
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Employee development: The need for employee development stems from constant industry and market changes. This drives learning and development / skills and competency enhancement initiatives to regularly increase employee skills to meet evolving market requirements.
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Product & service enhancement: A major benefit of OD is innovation, which leads to product and service enhancement. Innovation is achieved through employee development, which focuses on rewarding successes and boosting creativity, motivation and morale.
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Increased profit: Organisational development affects the bottom line in a variety of ways. Through raised innovation and productivity, efficiency and profits are increased. Costs are also reduced by minimizing employee turnover and absenteeism. As OD aligns objectives and focuses on development, product/service quality and employee satisfaction are increased. The culture shift to one of continuous improvement gives the company a distinct advantage in the competitive marketplace.