Linking Organizational Diagnosis to Intervention
In order for a change management initiative to be successful, the interventions must be linked to the diagnosis findings. Individuals impacted by change need to be able to see and feel that the interventions are responsive to the concerns raised. Interventions are a “set of sequenced planned actions or events intended to help an organization increase its effectiveness” (Cummings 151). For change practitioners, designing interventions provides a unique opportunity to evaluate if their models for change function. There are 3 main criteria that help to define an effective intervention: how well does it fit the needs of the organization? Is the intervention based on knowledge that the outcomes are possible? Is the organization’s capacity to manage change enhanced through the intervention? To create an effective strategy for an organization, a change agent must be able to interweave the change situation contingencies and the change target contingencies together to amalgamate the best possible intervention, whether that is a Human Process Intervention, a Technostructural Intervention, a Human Resources Management Intervention, or a Strategic Intervention.
The first step in the intervention process must be assessing the contingencies related to the change situation. Is the organization open to change? If so, then the practitioner can move forward and address the issues presented by the diagnosis. If however, the organization is not ready to change, the first interventional focus must be on increasing that willingness to change. Second, does the organization have the skills, knowledge, and resources to enable them to change? Before an intervention can start, internal capabilities must be assessed and the necessity for training must be determined. The design of the intervention must take into account what the local culture is like, to account for their values and assumptions (Cummings 153). Another large contingency in this process is the aptitude of the change agent.
The first step in the intervention process must be assessing the contingencies related to the change situation. Is the organization open to change? If so, then the practitioner can move forward and address the issues presented by the diagnosis. If however, the organization is not ready to change, the first interventional focus must be on increasing that willingness to change. Second, does the organization have the skills, knowledge, and resources to enable them to change? Before an intervention can start, internal capabilities must be assessed and the necessity for training must be determined. The design of the intervention must take into account what the local culture is like, to account for their values and assumptions (Cummings 153). Another large contingency in this process is the aptitude of the change agent.
References: Cummings, T. G., and C. G. Worley. Organization development & change. 9th ed. South-Western Pub, 2009. Print. Beer, Michael, and Elise Walton. "Developing the Competitive Organization: Interventions and Strategies." American Psychologist 45.2 (1990): 154-61. ProQuest. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. Woodman, R.W. & W.A Pasmore. "The Heart of It All: Group- and Team-based Interventions in Organization Development." Organization Development : A Data-driven Approach to Organizational Change. 2002.