by An OD practitioner is a person who provides professional services i.e. diagnosing systems, developing interventions, and helping to implement them. They refer to at least three sets of people, first those who specialize in OD as professionals and traditionally focus on humanistic values but now include organizational effectiveness and competitiveness.
Second are those who specialize in the field related to OD such as reward system, organizational design, work design, information technology, and business strategy. Third are those people who are managers and administration and gained OD competencies. OD is becoming a general management skill over time.
Organizational Development Practitioners are people who are entrusted with the job to carry out the planned change process in the organization. These are the people with the ultimate responsibility to development and create organizational wide effectiveness through challenging and changing its current practices.
Role Demand of OD Practitioner
The primary goal of OD is to improve organisation effectiveness; therefore the primary role of an OD consultant is to establish helping relationships within the organisation, with and between individuals and groups, to achieve that objective. The way that goal is acted out depends on the nature of the task in hand.
Organizational Development Practitioners are people who are entrusted with the job to carry out the planned change process in the organization. These are the people with the ultimate responsibility to development and create organizational wide effectiveness through challenging and changing its current practices. OD Practitioner normally refers to people who do Organizational Development.
Organizational Development Practitioners are people who are entrusted with the job to carry out the planned change process in the organization. These are the people with the ultimate responsibility to development and create organizational wide effectiveness through challenging and changing its current practices. OD Practitioner normally refers to people who do Organizational Development. These are the people who support in favor of the change initiative and assist others to implement Organizational Development interventions. Normally the Organizational Development Practitioners are either the OD Specialist or Leaders and Managers who bring change in their work domain.
Competencies of an OD Practitioner
Marketing
An effective organization development (OD) practitioner has to be aware of systems wanting to change and be known and available to those needing them. They must know how to match skills with potential client profile and convey qualifications in a credible manner. Their skills are much needed in quickly grasping the nature of the system, determining appropriate decision and processes as needed according to situation and circumstances.
Leadership
Leaders keep members focused on key company values and on opportunities and need for improvement. A leader’s job is to recognize when a company is headed in the wrong direction and to get it back on the right track. The role of OD practitioner is not just being that leader but also training the managers to be the leaders.
Enrolling
An effective organization development (OD) practitioner must build trusting relationships, present the theoretical foundations of change, deal effectively with resistance, help the client trust the process, and help the client manage emotionally charged feelings and collaboratively design the change process.
Problem-Solving
The real challenge is to implement a solution to an organizational problem. OD practitioner must not forget about today’s problems yet focus constantly on the next set of problems. He must not just propose solutions but ensure the correct implementation of these solutions.
Emotional Intelligence
OD practitioner role is emotionally demanding, he must have the capability which influences personal abilities to succeed in coping with environmental demand and pressure. Self-awareness, self-management, empathy, social skills and self-motivation are all needed requirements of OD practitioner role.
Use of Knowledge and Experience
The role of an OD practitioner can be defined on a continuum ranging from client centered to consultant centered. He must not only direct the managers of the organization but also successfully transfer his/her knowledge and experience to the learners. He must attend to all phases of the business and focus on how the organization works with clients.
With the development of new and varied intervention approaches, the OD professional’s role needs to be seen as falling along the entire continuum from client-centred to consultant-centred. At times, the consultant will rely mainly on organization members’ knowledge and experiences to identify and solve problems. At other times, it will be more appropriate to take on the role of expert, withdrawing from that role as managers gain more knowledge and experience. This is no doubt a very crucial role and needs a lot of practice, expertise and a good command over all tools and techniques to attain complete success.
Types of Organizational Development Practitioners
- External OD Practitioners
Advantages
- Brought in from outside so not associated with the system, which makes them less dependent on the system and makes them work independently.
- They are more formal in their approach and since they are Specialist they are more Involved in the process, as this is what they to for living.
- Sees from Different point of view, with Objectivity.
- Greater freedom of operation.
- Viewed by top managers to have more positive influence, as they cannot be influenced with ease, and are not really a part of the organizational structure.
- Less Influenced by power politics of the organization.
- More Independent and Risk Takers.
Disadvantages
- Outsiders are unfamiliar with the organizational culture, Norms, Practices.
- May have difficulty in Obtaining the information due to lack of information on data repository and informal channels of communication.
- Internal Practitioners
Advantages
- They know the Structure of the Organization.
- Familiar with Organizational culture and norms.
- They know the people.
- Have personal interest in making organization succeed.
Disadvantages
- Lack of Objectivity as they may be influenced by the Management
- Lack of Specialized Skills
- May not have necessary power and authority
