other thots

3 Beginnings of Organizational Development

Living in the era of blossoming trees, we often have mislead in understanding the whole picture and fail to retract from where is everything originated. High rises and multiple facet of organizations, implementing hybrid and complex development concept and frameworks ended up us with ambiguity and perplex of what underlying entity that contribute to organization success. In McLagan’s model, what define the state of successful competitive organization: productivity, quality, Innovation and human resource fulfillment. These are powerful element and great catalyst form to shift their state to readiness to change.

Bob Marshak explained that Organizational development, relate it the concept of growing tree. OD has progressing on long and winding journey and now has reached at the peak of organizational framework complexities. In more structural understanding, OD has grown from its roots to foundations and subsequently branches. Currently OD at its blossoming state and bear the fruits of sophistication in organizational practice. But what has been the roots that allow such lush blooming of organization? According to Kurt Lewin 3 beginnings, what has been the initial underlying core element of OD are value, method and principles. Derived from these 3 beginnings, over timely OD has shift from deficit focus thinking to positive-focused thinking where organizations are more interested to ponder on what really works and what is most effective. OD at blossoming stage no longer advocate of finding the main problems but focus on period of high enthusiasm and how to create sustain engagement and positive feelings.

My reflection on the organization where I served, military also inevitable to be part of parcel of OD blooming state. From regimental top down orders and instructions, we have emphasized on charismatic leadership that uphold to win heart and mind of our subordinates. Even in our directive and structural culture, nevertheless we still welcoming participation of ideas and illuminate group dynamic. In new military generation upbringing, even how far we have move to newly form of identity, we still always going back to our basic, our 3 beginnings: value, methods and principles.

On urgency, heart and mind.

I always have this notion: Mind is the prime minister and the heart is the king. Although prime minister does most of the works, but the king will be the authoritive deciding power. That is a human nature, mind do the thinking which the cognitive part, but the behavioral part do the doings. Thinking may have some trigger to our feeling but the heart is predominant black box the remain mysterious to ponder. Kotter urged for organization leader to hit the feeling part rather the thinking part of employee. He denoted that in most firms, 90 % manager only focus for cognitive reason but only 10 % have initiatives to ignite the emotional part.

During Malayan Emergency campaign (1948 to 1960), my country fought guerrilla war in pre-and post-independence. Winning the "hearts and minds" of the people has become enshrined as a pivotal component of counter-insurgency warfare ever since 1952 when General Sir Gerald Templers declared it would be the key to success in fighting the communist. We did it successfully and this shinning paradigm of heart and mind was considered most applicable in fighting counter insurgency warfare.

Is there urgency for change? Real or spurious? According to Kotter false urgency make people become resistance to change. Change for sake to change solely a disastrous kind of urgency to organization. Urgency for change must first rooted from effectiveness (do the right thing) and follow by efficient (do the thing right).  The urgency for Malaysia in 1957 to gain his independent from British empire was the conscious move and urgency to reunite multi races and cultures at that time which now become the fruits of social everlasting social integration and harmony.