Organizational Development
Organizational development represents an area of research, practice, and theory focused on generation and expansion of knowledge and efficiency among people (employees) for the accomplishment of greater success in organizational performance and change. Originally, the basis of OD was the realization that structures and processes in organizations affect the behavior and motivation of workers, but more recently, the scope of OD has expanded towards the function of aligning organizations with complex and rapidly evolving environments (Anderson, 2011). OD features planned interventions based on knowledge in behavioral science. In this context, OD’s main functions include promoting organizational learning, transforming organizational values and norms, knowledge management, and enforcing efficient organizational strategies in identifying problems, planning actions, negotiating change, and evaluating progress (Anderson, 2011).
Organizational learning concerns the mechanism of creating, preserving, and sharing knowledge across an organization to influence continued competitiveness, profitability, and efficiency in an evolving environment. Knowledge management features the capture, development, sharing, and effective use of organizational knowledge in a multidisciplinary approach to influence achievement of organizational objectives through productive and committed use of knowledge.Other functions include positive management of conflict, enhancing workers’ motivation, commitment, and productivity, encouraging a culture of confronting problems rather than avoiding them, and enhancing the quality and efficiency of interpersonal and organization-wide communication and cooperation (Anderson, 2011).
I feel that the most important issue that HR managers, organizations, and employees face today concerns the challenge of preserving the relevance and competitiveness of their activities and strategies in a highly evolving world. Intensifying globalization and technological development in modern times have expanded the scope and scale of threats to the productivity, sustainability, and relevance of traditional HR, organizational, and employee performance strategies. This has necessitated continuous reevaluations that are costly but critical for organizational performance.
References
Anderson, D. (2011). Organization Development: the Process of Leading Organizational Change. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications