Conversations around Organisational Development have been around for many years, with publications in the Harvard Business Review dating back to November 1963. The Human Resource field has always been interested in how to approach an organisation in an ever-changing society and world. Throughout the years, organisations had to ensure that they adapt in order to survive and operations are conducted in a manner that is not only sustainable in terms of profitability, but also retains the top talent within the business. It is clear that the concern still remains, how do you overcome inaccurate identification of main areas to focus on, and stay afloat with current trends, without disrupting complete business operations, with SEMCO Style being a brilliant example thereof.
Most of us are familiar with the term, you cannot manage that which you cannot measure, yet only a handful of organisations are willing to pay the big bucks to accurately determine where they have fallen behind in the company and what areas need refocus or critical attention. Often, as reported in the March 2019 edition of the Harvard Business Review, business still make these critical, cost associated decisions based on their gut feeling. If you are a holistic individual, you might argue that trusting your gut is currently a hot topic, but research has yet to determine if your gut can direct the focus on an entire organisation.
It is also often believed that Organisational Development in its entirety can only be done if it is implemented throughout the whole business and affects each business area. This myth can be busted with adequate determination of what areas are the cause of discomfort to employees and hindering effective business operations. Not only saving the business thousands of Rands, but also allocating the asset of time efficiently.
Whether you are currently in on the trend or not, on April 23rd, 2018 the HumanResourcesedu rightfully reported that OD is a hot new topic and that an adequate understanding of what this implies will save all professionals from a buzzword hell that awaits in this realm of our industry. Some main sited reasons for the renewed focus on developing your organisation is related to the aging workforce and the slow retirement of employees, whilst the youth is flooding into the market. Competition can no longer be considered as your next-door neighbor as we are currently in an era where global competition is a reality. Personal technology and outsourcing are two other forces that are driving organisations to reconsider their current status quo and their adaptability to these realities.
Trends identified in a response to the arising issues are highlighted by Business to Community as a great focus on cross-functional and cross-generational teams. Combining a diverse array of viewpoints in a single team impacts positively on innovation and could ensure that skill transfer takes place in a natural way. At face value, this trend seems easily implementable, however from Unframeds’ experience this requires clearly clarified roles, responsibilities and decision-making authority. Clear lines of communication should be established within the business to ensure that the barriers to effective teams are adequately managed. The natural trend to follow is that of sufficient succession planning, Unframed has emphasized with our clients that by the year 2030 all the Baby Boomers would’ve hit the age of 65 and if not manage and planned for, a big gap will be left in the organisation with many skilled and experienced staff entering into retirement. Our succession planning approach is holistic in nature and customizable to your business as identified through an adequate needs analysis.
Globalization and the increase in utilization, as well as, integration of technology into organisations are showing to increase the complexity of companies. To effectively manage and adapt to these phenomenon, skilled professionals are applying cutting edge and modern techniques in their approach to change management as traditional approaches never anticipated such a global market with instant access to information. Further, technology allows businesses to operate at a speed once foreign to the human brain and to remain relevant, the Organisational Development approach should speak the language of the 4th industrial revolution.
Considering the onset of change in Organisational Development as well as the resulting trends, businesses are encouraged to apply introspection into their employee approach as well as operations to ensure that they remain in front of the pack and not left behind, dealing with buzzwords that they cannot apply. At Unframed we ensure our approach and focus remains on trend and up to date, so that our clients don’t have to pay the price for outdated techniques and implementation plans. Not only do we understand the implications of this new research, we foresee it and ensure that action plans are in place to manage it. That is what partnering with skilled professionals could do to your business.
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