Contracting

Entering and contracting Entering and contracting are the initial steps taken in the OD process, and is considered by many as one the most important steps of the process. The entering and contracting step will be utilized to set the pace and lay the foundation for the practitioner client relationship. They involve a preliminary evaluation of the organization's opportunities for development, while establishing a collaborative relationship between the OD practitioner and the members of the client system. A major component of entering and contracting is to make a good decision about how to carry out the OD process. The contract allows the parties involved to explicitly set the direction of the project and how the process will take place. The OD contract will generally address three key areas: setting mutual expectation or what each party expects to gain from the OD process; the time and resources that will be devoted to it; and the ground rules for working together and the stating of what are the proper roles of all the parties involved including the practitioner. In this process, a mutual agreement is established between the OD practitioner and the members of the client system in how the OD consultant will work on the problems within the organization. Hence, during entering and contracting, the organization's problems and opportunities for growth and improvement are discussed between these two parties. During this process, the limitations are set on how the consultant can execute the different phases of the OD process.
The entering and contracting step is extremely significant because it constitutes the initial activities of the OD process. It sets the parameters for the phases of planned changed that follow: diagnosing, planning and implementing change and evaluating and institutionalizing it. Developing the OD contract focuses on making sound decisions that establish the groundwork for the future success of the project.
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