Organisational development

Guidelines for selecting intervention methods

My model for organisational development, based on The Logic of Feeling, serves as a guide for determining intervention methods that fit in with the organisation’s phase of development, and with the nature of the issue. I named my model the Logic of Will, Discipline and Communication. The three driving forces of will (internal steering of the Natural System), discipline (external steering of the Social System of rules) and communication (integration by the Communicative self -steering System) can produce six types of obstacles in organisations. Each type of steering can be too weak or too strong. The table below shows how each obstacle can be recognized, the type of approach to deal with the obstacle and some examples of effective intervention methods.

As consultant and researcher I can help to determine what type of approach and interventions fit a specific situation. The outcome of this analysis has consequenses also determines the role of the consultant in the proces for change or development. See also vision on the role as consultant.

 

 

Obstacles	Symptoms	Approach	Methods focusing on:
Stagnation due to lack of will	Fear, uncertainty People do not feel at ease, do not dare to take initiatives	Reinforce internal steering: ensure that people feel at home and get more will	Personal performance Team building Ecology of the workplace Working conditions Recruitment and selection
Agression due to too strong will	Aggresseve energy A lot of political games Acting without thinking	Decrease internal steering: improve relations and manage aggression
Chaos due to lack of discipline	Anger, confusion Little cohesion due to lack of rules for collaboration Agreements are not made or are not fulfilled Constant reinvention of the wheel	Reinforce external steering: professionalize organisations, develop discipline	management development geared towards discipline HRM-systems employments conditions and salary structure on the job training simulations auditing tools and procedures
Bureaucracy due to too much discipline	Oppression, rigidity Excessive organisation, desire to steering everything Much analysis and productions of ‘paper tigers’ but excisting norms and systems rule	Decrease external steering: get more flexible, debureaucratization	Management training focusing on communication and reflection Intervision Involve environment gaming
Depression due to lack of communication	Depression People are in fact invited to share ideas, but feel that they are not taken seriously Communication and reflection do not result in new insights Collective agreements are in fact made, but are executed differently or not at all	Reinforce communicative self-steering: develop capacities for reflection and communication	Develop servant leadership Learning History Large Scale Interventions Non-traditional meetings
Disorientation due to too much communication	Fustration, grief, it’s something different every time Lack of a directing vision A lot of consultants in and out, one change project after another	Interactive vision development, promote creativity and decision making skills	Visions for the future with Large Scale Interventions Empowerment Visitation

The Logic of Will, Discipline and Communication

The model with the table results from thorough reflection and extensive practical experience. I have written an article about this model with the title ‘Detecting and approaching obstacles for collective learning’, published in the international scientific journal Challenging Organisations and Society. reflective hybrids^®