Introduction to Organisational Development

Overview

Organisational Development (OD) is all about using behavioural insights to transform systems and structures to align an organisation’s capability with its strategy. As the craft of OD approaches its 70th year, the skills and mindset of OD have never been more important. In our ever-changing world of work and global pace, an organisation’s ability to respond is key to its success. Practising OD means understanding growth, impact and human systems. Leaders operating with an OD approach are able to build agile and resilient workforces, through ethical and sustainable leadership and culture, whilst having a defined sense of purpose, strategy and direction.

This one-day workshop helps participants understand the OD mindset and use a number of OD processes and tools. The session gives leaders, managers and change agents an opportunity to reflect on a real work challenge and how they can tackle it using OD insights.

Learning objectives

At the end of the session participants will:

  • Have a foundation knowledge of the field of OD
  • Be equipped with some essential OD tools and concepts
  • Be supported in thinking about current work challenges in an OD way

Audience

Senior managers and HR professionals, particularly HR Business Partners and those in a change agent role.

Format

This one-day workshop is highly participative and uses paired exercises and group discussion to apply theory to practice. Discussion and reflection are used to develop learning points and to enable participants to relate examples to their own context.

Participants will be sent a welcome pack in advance of the session which will include some pre-course work as well as asking them to reflect upon their own experiences and challenges in this area, including a challenge they wish to work upon on the day.

Special feature

A tailored version of this programme can be designed in order to contextualise it to an organisation’s specific concerns, issues and objectives. This is an ideal solutions for organisations embarking on a major change programme and concerned to make the process as smooth as possible.

Expert trainer

Clare is an experienced OD practitioner, facilitator and executive coach. She is a leadership development specialist with nearly twenty years’ experience in the Civil Service, wider public sector and other organisations. She has worked with senior leaders across government departments (including the Home Office and the Cabinet Office) to support all aspects of strategic change. Her most recent post, before setting up her consultancy in 2017, was in the National Crime Agency as the Head of OD, L&D and Leadership Capability.

Workshop outline

1 Introduction

  • Welcome, introductions and housekeeping
  • Overview and objectives
  • Participants’ experience and confidence in this area
  • Personal objectives
  • Working effectively together

2 Demystifying OD

  • Defining OD
  • History and values of OD
  • OD in your organisation

3 Being an OD practitioner

  • The OD cycle
  • OD consultancy roles
  • Content and processes

4 OD tools

  • Reading the organisation
  • Understanding filters and lenses
  • Using organisational models
  • The Burke-Litwin model

5 OD thinking about a current work challenge

  • Live consultancy practice / co-coaching
  • Action planning
  • What’s next?
  • Review and close

For a no-obligation discussion about running this programme for your organisation on an in-house basis, just give us a call on 01582 463462.