Organizational Design, Diagnosis, and Development

Session 13

Organizational Diagnosis, III

Survey Feedback & Design of Interventions

Objectives

• To understand how data collection and feedback can be used to change behavior in organizations

• To examine the data collection - feedback cycle

• To consider steps in feed back data

• To survey various interventions and data needed for their design

MEASUREMENT GENERATES ENERGY

• Focuses energy on area of data collection• Sanctions and rewards are implied• Evaluation enhances performance• Explicit rewards may be offered• Measurement can be counter productive

– leads to inaccurate or no information– leads to misdirected energy

FEEDBACK

• Defined -- information regarding actual performance or the results of the activities of a system.

• Enables correction of errors

• Not automatic in a social system

• OD function can facilitate the feedback process

HOW DATA COLLECTION EFFECTS BEHAVIOR

data collection perceived accuracy

power group’sinvolvement

motivation

perceptionsof data

productivebehavior

unproductive behavior

FEEDBACK MODEL

Input Process Output

Feedback

MOTIVATING EFFECTS OF FEEDBACK

• Through disconfirmation

• Through intrinsic reward expectations

• Through external reward expectations

• Through cueing

• Through learning

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

• Powerful groups need to be included and employees need to perceive this.

• Data must not be used in a punitive fashion

• Perception of data must be as accurate and valid

• Feedback has to be used in a constructive fashion

DATA COLLECTION FEEDBACK CYCLE

• Planning to use data

• Collecting data

• Analyzing data

• Feeding back data

• Following - up

EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK

• Relevant

• Understandable

• Descriptive

• Verifiable

• Limited

• Controllable

• Comparative

FEEDBACK MEETINGS

• Process issues

• Validating data

• Accepting responsibility

• Problem solving

APPROACHES TO FEEDBACK MEETINGS

• Family group

• Survey guided

• Subordinate group

• Peer group

• Intergroup

EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS

• Readiness for change

• Capability for change

• Cultural context

• Abilities of the change agent

HISTORICAL DATA

• Background of the organization

• Immediate circumstances of the problem

STRUCTURAL DATA

• Formal organization (chart, job descriptions

• Goals

• Tasks

• Technology & environment

• Financial & personnel information

• Policies & procedures

FUNCTIONAL DATA

• Communication systems

• Organizational knowledge -- how do you get it

• Organizational culture & climate

• Reward systems

ATTITUDINAL DATA

• Leadership• Coworkers• Customers• Work & Organization• Competition• Suppliers• Host community• Regulatory bodies

RELATIONAL DATA

• Time -- view of past, present, future

• Meaning of work

• Authority & power

• Key people & groups

STRATEGIC INTERVENTIONS

• Necessary data– historic– structural– functional– attitudinal– relational

TECHNO-STRUCTURALINTERVENTIONS

• Necessary data– historic– structural– functional

HUMAN RESOURCE INTERVENTIONS

• Necessary data– functional– attitudinal– relational

HUMAN PROCESS INTERVENTIONS

• Necessary data– attitudinal– functional– relational

Backwards & Forwards

• Summing up - Today’s session reviewed how to use survey feedback to influence change and the techniques of collecting and feeding back survey data. As a preview for considering interventions, we examined appropriate data for varying types of interventions.

• Looking ahead - Next time we consider the management of change.