Organization Development vs. Organization Change Essays

Organization Development vs. Organization Change Essays Organization Development vs. Organization Change Essay Organization Development vs. Organization Change Essay According to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, â€Å"There is nothing permanent but change. † By that he meant that everything is always in flux, including in an organization. In a social unit of people, systematically arranged and managed to meet a need or to pursue collective goals on a continuing basis. All organizations have a management structure that determines relationships between functions and positions, and subdivides and delegates roles, responsibilities, and authority to carry out defined tasks. Organizations are open systems in that they affect and are affected by the environment beyond their boundaries. Any organization, being a living organism, is in the process of continuous change. Nobody can stop this process. No specific action is needed for changes to happen. Organization Development is a response to change, a complex educational strategy intended to change the beliefs, attitudes, values, and structure of organizations so that they can better adapt to new technologies, markets, and challenges, and the dizzying rate of change itself (Bennis, 1969). It is a system-wide and values-based collaborative process of applying behavioral science knowledge to the adaptive development, improvement and reinforcement of such organizational features as the strategies, structures, processes, people, and cultures that lead to organization effectiveness. Furthermore, Organization Development focuses on assuring healthy inter- and intra-unit relationships and helping groups initiate and manage change. Organization Development’s primary emphasis is on relationships and processes between and among individuals and groups. Its primary intervention is influence on the relationship of individuals and groups to affect an impact on the organization as a system. Unlike Organization Development, Organization Change is much broader. It is about the significant change in the organization, such as adding or removal of a product or service, reorganization of a certain department, or implementation of a new process of services. Organizational Change is more broadly focused and can apply to any kind of change, although, these changes may or may not be directed at making the organization more developed in the sense implied by Organizational Development. In Organization Development, everyone in an organization who is affected by change should have an opportunity to contribute to- and accept responsibility for- the continuous improvement process or the transformation. Organizational effectiveness and humanistic values meet as employee ownership increases in change processes and outcomes.