Role and Style

1
Chapter 4

• Role and Style
• of the OD Practitioner

2
Learning Objectives

• Define role of OD practitioner.
• Identify your strengths and areas of improvement
  as potential practitioner.
• Experience and practice your style of
  intervention and influence in a group.

3
You Need a Machete at Sears(part 1 of 2)

• Sears bought Lands End to upgrade its apparel
  image.
• Can Sears avoid hurting the image of Lands End?
• Sears is giving apparel operations to Lands End
  management.

4
You Need a Machete at Sears(part 2 of 2)

• Culture clashes between Lands End and Sears.
• You need a machete to get through it all, says
  former VP.
• Another says, to be successful , you need to
  work through a culture, not against it.

5
Haphazard VersusPlanned Change

• Change programs do not happen accidentally.
• Initiated with purpose and require leadership.
• OD practitioner deals proactively with changing
  forces.

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Two Types of Changein an Organization

• Random or haphazard change.
• Forced on organization by external environment.
• Not prepared for.
• Deliberate attempts to modify organization.

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External Practitioner (part 1 of 2)

• Not previously associated with client system.
• Advantages
• Different viewpoint and objectivity.
• Not dependent upon the organization.

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External Practitioner (part 2 of 2)

• Disadvantages
• Unfamiliar with organization.
• Unfamiliar with culture, communication networks,
  and power systems.

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Internal Practitioner (part 1 of 3)

• Member of organization who can be
• A top executive.
• Employee who initiates change in work group.
• From human resources or OD department.

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Internal Practitioner (part 2 of 3)

• Advantages
• Familiar with culture and norms.
• Knows power structure.
• Personal interest in organization.

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Internal Practitioner (part 3 of 3)

• Disadvantages
• May lack specialized skills.
• Lack of objectivity.
• Likely to accept organizational system.
• May lack necessary power and authority.

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External-Internal Practitioner Team(part 1 of 3)

• Team combines external practitioner working with
  internal practitioner.
• Probably most effective approach.

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External-Internal Practitioner Team(part 2 of 3)

• Partners bring complementary resources.
• External practitioner brings expertise,
  objectivity, and new insights.
• Internal practitioner brings knowledge of issues
  and norms, and awareness of strengths and
  weaknesses.

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External-Internal Practitioner Team(part 3 of 3)

• Provides support to one another.
• Achieve greater continuity over OD program.
• Team combines advantages of both while minimizing
  disadvantages.

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Our Changing WorldOne Countrys Resistance to
Consulting Grows (part 1 of 2)

• Management consulting in Germany with
  public-sector causes a political fight.
• Involves U.S. and German management firms.

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Our Changing WorldOne Countrys Resistance to
Consulting Grows (part 2 of 2)

• Contracts legal but effectiveness questioned.
• Occurring when German economy in poor state.
• Management consulting new to public sector.

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OD Practitioner Styles

• Practitioners have variety of styles.
• View styles as degree of emphasis placed upon 2
  dimensions
• Effectiveness - degree of emphasis upon goal
  accomplishment.
• Morale - degree of emphasis upon relationships
  and participant satisfaction.

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Five Practitioner Styles (part 1 of 6)

1. Stabilizer style
2. Cheerleader style
3. Analyzer style

1. Persuader style
2. Pathfinder style

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Five Practitioner Styles (part 2 of 6)

• Stabilizer Style
• Maintains low profile.
• Tries to survive by following directives.

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Five Practitioner Styles (part 3 of 6)

• Cheerleader Style
• Places emphasis on member satisfaction.
• Does not emphasize organization effectiveness.

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Five Practitioner Styles (part 4 of 6)

• Analyzer Style
• Places emphasis on efficiency.
• Little attention to satisfaction of members.

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Five Practitioner Styles (part 5 of 6)

• Persuader Style
• Seeks compromise between cheerleader and analyzer
  styles.
• Achieves average performance.

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Five Practitioner Styles (part 6 of 6)

• Pathfinder Style
• Seeks high organization efficiency and high
  member satisfaction.
• Desired style for OD practitioner.

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Pathfinder Practitioner Focuses on Six Processes

1. Communication.
2. Member roles in groups.
3. Group problem-solving.

1. Group norms and growth.
2. Leadership and authority.
3. Intergroup cooperation.

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Figure 4.1Practitioner Styles
26
OD in PracticeBain Co. (part 1 of 2)

• Bain one of largest consulting firms.
• 30 years old, offices in 19 countries.
• Clients include governments, businesses, and
  nonprofit organizations.
• Known for shrewd, suave people it employs.

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OD in PracticeBain Co. (part 2 of 2)

• Employees secretive about Bain and clients.
• Builds close relationship with clients.
• Works directly with chief executive.
• Focuses on total system.
• Works collaboratively with clients.

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Readiness of Organization for OD

• Key personnel first decide if change needed.
• Learning goals of OD appropriate?
• Cultural state of client ready for OD?
• Key people involved?
• Members prepared and oriented to OD?

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The Intervention

• Intervention is coming between members of
  organization for purpose of change.
• Planned activities.
• External practitioner usually intervenes through
  top manager.

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Who Is Client?

• Who client is becomes complex as practitioner
  intervenes.
• Client may be organization, certain divisions, or
  an individual.

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Practitioner Role in Intervention

• Operates on belief that team is basic building
  block.
• Concerned with how processes occur.
• Believes that assisting client, not taking
  control, will lead to lasting solution.

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OD Practitioner Skills and Activities

• Team development.
• Corporate change.
• Strategy development.
• Management development.
• Employee development.
• Technology integration.

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Table 4.1OD Practitioner Skills and Activities
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Six Key Skill Areas Critical to Success of
Practitioner

1. Leadership.
2. Project management.
3. Communication.

1. Problem-solving.
2. Interpersonal.
3. Personal.

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Figure 4.2Practitioner Skills Profile
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Forming Practitioner-Client Relationship

• A system of interacting elements.
• Consists of
• Practitioner.
• Client contact.
• Client target system.

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Figure 4.3Systems View of Change Relationship
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Initial Perceptions

• Initial intervention an evaluation by client and
  practitioner of each other.
• First impressions important.
• Relationship based on mutual trust and openness.

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Concepts of Perception

• Process whereby individuals give meaning to
  environment by interpreting and organizing
  sensory impressions.
• People behave on basis of what is perceived
  versus what really is.

40
Perception

• The process individuals use to interpret and
  organize sensory impressions.
• What one perceives can be different from reality.

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Selective Perception

• Selectivity of information that is perceived.
• Process in which people tend to ignore
  information that conflicts with their values.
• Accepts other information that agrees with their
  values.

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Closure

• Tendency of individual to fill in missing
  information in order to complete perception.
• A person perceives more in the situation than is
  really there.

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Figure 4.4Perception Formation and Effect on
Relationships
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Dilemma Interactions Include

• Questions about clients definition of problem.
• Clients awareness of need for change.
• Clients unrealistic expectations.
• Clients misuse of power.
• Value differences with client and practitioner.

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Practitioner Style Model

• Practitioner brings knowledge, skills, values,
  and experience.
• Client system has own subculture and readiness
  for change.
• Together determine practitioners style and
  approaches.

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Figure 4.5Practitioner Style Model
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Developing Trust Relationship

• Openness and trust between practitioner and
  client essential.
• Basic responses to build trust

• Questions.
• Advising.
• Reflection.

• Interpretation.
• Self-disclosure.
• Silence.

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Creating Climate for Change

• Practitioner practice what he or she preaches.
• Create climate of openness, authenticity, and
  trust.

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Practitioner-Client Relationship Modes (part 1 of
5)

1. Apathetic
2. Gamesmanship
3. Charismatic
4. Consensus

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Practitioner-Client Relationship Modes (part 2 of
5)

• Apathetic Mode
• Keeps quiet about true ideas with practitioner.
• Skeptical about change.

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Practitioner-Client Relationship Modes (part 3 of
5)

• Gamesmanship Mode
• Keeps quiet about true ideas with practitioner.
• Manipulates strategic factors.

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Practitioner-Client Relationship Modes (part 4 of
5)

• Charismatic Mode
• View of changes taken from leaders cues.

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Practitioner-Client Relationship Modes (part 5 of
5)

• Consensus Mode
• Both client and practitioner share perceptions.
• Differences are worked through.
• OD practitioner attempts to operate from this
  mode.

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Figure 4.6Four Practitioner-Client Relationship
Modes
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The Formalization of Operating Ground Rules

• Formalization of obligations in contract
  advisable for external practitioner.
• Internal practitioner does not need contract, but
  ground rules should be formalized.

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Contract with External Practitioner Specifies
Items

• Point of contact.
• Role of practitioner.
• Fees.

• Schedule.
• Anticipated results.
• Operating ground rules.

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Red Flags in Practitioner-Client Relationship

• Level of commitment to change of client.
• Degree of power to influence change.
• Clients manipulative use of practitioner power.

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Key Words and Concepts

• Analyzer style - high on effectiveness, low on
  morale.
• Apathetic mode - follows established routine,
  avoids responsibility.
• Charismatic mode - relies on leaders to determine
  if change desirable.

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• Cheerleader style - high on morale, low on
  effectiveness.
• Client sponsor - person or group within
  organization that requested practitioners help.
• Client target system - organization needing help
  in change.

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• Closure tendency to fill in missing information
  to complete perception.
• Consensus mode - decisions made through sharing
  viewpoints.
• Dilemma interactions - result from questions from
  practitioner regarding clients problem
  definition and value differences.

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• External-internal team - change agents from
  outside and inside organization.
• External practitioner - change agent from outside
  organization.
• Gamesmanship mode - sees life as if playing a
  game and goal is to win.

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• Internal practitioner - change agent from within
  organization.
• Interpretation - responses used by practitioner
  to explain something in terms client can
  understand.
• Intervention - entrance into client system and
  includes variety of roles and activities.

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• OD practitioner - change agent or person helping
  client to adapt and plan change.
• Operating ground rules - can include point of
  contact, confidentiality, requirements from
  organization, and other items.
• Pathfinder style - high on effectiveness, high on
  morale.

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• Perception - process individuals use to give
  meaning to environment by interpreting sensory
  impressions.
• Persuader style - moderate emphasis on morale and
  effectiveness.

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• Selective perception - selectivity of information
  that is perceived.
• Stabilizer style - low on effectiveness, low on
  morale.

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Preparations for Next Chapter

• Read Chapter 5.
• Prepare for OD Skills Simulation 5.1.
• Read and analyze Case The Old Family Bank.