To create a BUSINESS SCHOOL in an ORGANISATION

To create a Business School in an Organisation

In understanding different job functions, there still exists a confusion in comparing two functional roles – ‘Training & Development‘ and ‘Learning & Development‘. In most organisations both the above terms are  used synonymously and considered as  the same  function. Recently even CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) has agreed on using ‘Learning & Development’ as a more appropriate term instead of  ‘Training & Development’, inspite of the fact that the word ‘learning’ is a general and ambiguous word.

In bigger organisations maybe the ‘Learning  & Development (Training)’ function could be a stand-alone function, but generally it is considered as a sub-function under the ‘Human Resource (HR)’ function.  Irrespective of the above fact we are well aware about the relevance of the L&D (Training) to the development of the organisation. In this write-up I would like to highlight what could be a  new business objective for personnel who are from the L&D (Training) function… and that would be…

“To CREATE a virtual BUSINESS-SCHOOL in the ORGANISATION“

What I mean by this objective is, the L&D personnel’s vision for the organisation should be that of creating an environment of education and learning in the organisation, such that during work hours, the  employees other than treating the organisation as a workplace, should also see their organisation (employer) as a college or business school, that encourages regular education and learning for their employees. In  addition to ‘on-the-job’ training and ‘classroom’ training the employee/s should have easy access to senior employees who may act as coaches or mentors, such that employee can benefit from a mentoring  relationship with the senior personnel (just like how a student would develop a relationship with a professor if he/she required any guidance on a particular study subject).

Additionally employees should have access to knowledgeable information about the company and it’s functioning- at the tip of their fingers right from their workstations. Many top organisations who genuinely  believe in ‘LEARNING’ already have such systems in place through a ‘Learning Management System’ (LMS) – which could be implemented through several methods, the simplest being having an online intranet system, wherein an employee can access such material easily from  his workstation/ cubicle. Such information could cover theory, articles, case-studies on various business functions which might or might not be necessarily related to the employee’s functional role in the organisation.  Such an initiative is a win-win, because in addition to it being a motivational factor for an employee, the organisation benefits through – increase in productivity, creativity, efficiency, loyalty, and increased job  satisfaction.

To conclude, if such an objective is kept in mind and developed realistically, ‘GROWTH‘ to the organisation and individual (employee) is ‘INEVITABLE‘.

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Source : Self-composed
Author : Lionel Sequeira
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Interviewing Skills of a Change Agent

Interviewing Skills of a Change Agent

In the process of Organisation Development (OD), once a problem has been identified, and once a Change Agent (Internal or External) has been appointed, the Change Agent has to collect data to help record facts of the problem.  One such data collection method is the Interviewing Process, where the Change Agent meets employees of the organisation who might be directly or indirectly related to the problem, and records information obtained from them for further study/analysis. The objective of such an interview  is to obtain appropriate and relevant information that is vital to the entire  Organisation Development (OD) process. For an employee to be genuine and provide the ‘true’ information, a good amount of skill is required from the Change Agent. Below is a brief summary of such interviewing skills a Change Agent needs to possess…

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(Below para has been adapted and edited from ‘Developing mind skills in Managers’ by Samuel A Malone)

The change agent must maintain a high standard of impartiality, integrity and objectivity when interviewing employees/staff.  He/she shoul not be seen as taking sides. He/she must maintain a mid-course with objectivity at all times. Should develop good listening skills and be aware of the barriers to effective listening. Briefly these barriers include prejudgement, jumping to conclusions, assuming that other people think as you do, lack of attention, having a closed mind, wishful hearing, semantics, excessive talking and lack of humility.
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Conditions of successful organisation development

Conditions of successful organisation development

The organisation development programmes are long-term programmes and a lot of time, money and materials are tied up in these programmes. It is, therefore, neccessary that the following conditions must be followed so that an OD programme can be effectively implemented.

1 – Recognition by top or other managers that the organisation has problems
2 – Use of an outside organisation development consultant
3 – Support an involvement of top managers
4 – Involvement of work group leaders
5 – Achieving early success with the organisation development effort
6 – Education of organisation members about organisation development
7 – Acknowledgment of managers strengths
8 – Involvement with managers of human resource departments
9 – Development of internal organisation development resources
10 – Effective management of organisation development programme
11 – Measurement of results

Source : Adapted from a management book (name not known)

Organisation Development Interventions (Techniques of Organisation Development)

Organisation Development Interventions (Techniques of Organisation Development)

The various techniques used by the organisation development practitioners to bring about planned change are as follows :

1 – DIAGNOSTIC Techniques
Used in diagnosing the problem that is faced by the organisations.
1.1 – Survey Feedback
1.2 – Nominal Group Technique
1.3 – Force Field Analysis

2 – Interaction – Facilitating Techniques
Enable group members to discuss together the various problem areas and arrive at a solution which can be implemented to effect the change
2.1 – Team Building
2.2 – Process Consultation
2.3 – Grid organisation development

Source : Adapted from a management book (name not known)

Benefits of Organisation Development

Benefits of Organisation Development

An effectively implemented organisation development programme provides the following benefits:

1 – Improved employee morale
2 – Increase organisational efficiency
3 – Reduced labour turnover and absenteeism
4 – Improved employer-employee relationships
5 – Improved relationships with outside parties

Source : Adapted from a management book (name not known)

Skills of an Organisation Development (OD) practitioner

Skills of an Organisation Development (OD) practitioner

To be able to effectively carry out the process of organisation development, the organisational development practitioners must posess the following skills

1 – Inter-personal skills
2 – Problem-solving skills
3 – Group Dynamics
4 – Political Skills

Source : Adapted from a management book (name not known)

Who is a Change Agent (in Organisational Development)

Who is a Change Agent (in Organisational Development)

Organisation development programmes are initiated by the top level managers but they are developed with the help of change agents. (also known as OD practitioner). A change agent is an individual person or a group of persons who ensures that the planned change is actually implemented in the organisation.

The change agents have knowledge of the organisational development techniques (interventions) which they use in bringing about the organisational change. A change agent can be an internal consultant, an employee or manager of the company or an external consultant or an organisational development specialist who helps the organisation in changing its existing level of functioning; since the top managers feel that the way the organisation is currently functioning is deficient in some way.

Source : Adapted from a management book (name not known)

The Organisation Development Process

The Organisation Development Process

An organisation development process comprises of the following steps

1 – Recognition of the problem
2 – Diagnosis of the situation
3 – Identification of the problem
4 – Selection and ownership of a solution
5 – Implementation
6 – Evaluation

Source : Adapted from a management book (name not known)

What is Organisation Culture

Organisation Culture

Organisational culture is the workplace environment formulated from the interaction of the employees in the workplace. Organisational culture is defined by all of the life experiences, strengths, weaknesses, education, upbringing, and so forth of the employees. While executive leaders play a large role in defining organizational culture by their actions and leadership, all employees contribute to the organizational culture.

Source : humanresources.about.com

9 Team Roles (Dr. Raymond Meredith Belbin)

Belbin’s 1981 book Management Teams presented conclusions from his work studying how members of teams interacted during business games run at Henley Management College. Amongst his key conclusions was the proposition that an effective team has members that cover eight (later nine) key roles in managing the team and how it carries out its work. This may be separate from the role each team member has in carrying out the work of the team.

• Plant: A creative, imaginative, unorthodox team-member who solves difficult problems. Although they sometimes situate themselves far from the other team members, they always come back to present their brilliant idea.
• Resource Investigator: The “Resource Investigator” is the networker for the group. Whatever the team needs, the Resource Investigator is likely to have someone in their address book who can either provide it or know someone else who can provide it. This may be physical, financial or human resources, political support, information or ideas. Being highly driven to make connections with people, the Resource Investigator may appear to be flighty and inconstant, but their ability to call on their connections is highly useful to the team.
• Chairman (1981) / Co-ordinator (1988): The “Chairman/Co-ordinator” ensures that all members of the team are able to contribute to discussions and decisions of the team. Their concern is for fairness and equity among team members. Those who want to make decisions quickly, or unilaterally, may feel frustrated by their insistence on consulting with all members, but this can often improve the quality of decisions made by the team.
• Shaper: A dynamic team-member who loves a challenge and thrives on pressure. This member possesses the drive and courage required to overcome obstacles.
• Monitor-Evaluator: A sober, strategic and discerning member, who tries to see all options and judge accurately. This member contributes a measured and dispassionate analysis and, through objectivity, stops the team committing itself to a misguided task.
• Team Worker: The “Team Worker” is concerned to ensure that interpersonal relationships within the team are maintained. They are sensitive to atmospheres and may be the first to approach another team member who feels slighted, excluded or otherwise attacked but has not expressed their discomfort. The Team Worker’s concern with people factors can frustrate those who are keen to move quickly, but their skills ensure long-term cohesion within the team.
• Company Worker (1981) / Implementer (1988): The “Implementer” is the practical thinker who can create systems and processes that will produce what the team wants. Taking a problem and working out how it can be practically addressed is their strength. Being strongly rooted in the real world, they may frustrate other team members by their perceived lack of enthusiasm for inspiring visions and radical thinking, but their ability to turn those radical ideas into workable solutions is important.
• Completer Finisher: The “Completer Finisher” is the detail person within the team. They have a great eye for spotting flaws and gaps and for knowing exactly where the team is in relation to its schedule. Team members who have less preference for detail work may be frustrated by their analytical and meticulous approach, but the work of the Completer Finisher ensures the quality and timeliness of the output of the team.
• Specialist (1988): Belbin later added a ninth role, the “Specialist”, who brings ‘specialist’ knowledge to the team.

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Source : Wikipedia (Meredith Belbin)