Between learning something new and taking a few calculated risks is a field called innovation, and this is somewhere that most organisations want to be. In order to balance risk-taking with potential gains, the Organisational Development Process must embrace the importance of effective leadership and the art of collaboration between leaders and the workforce.

An effective leader in an organisation must be action-driven and self-aware in order to maximise organisational performance, revenue and profit. In order for the outcomes of the Organisational Development Process to be realised the workforce must be committed to and engaged with the organisation’s long term objectives.

The nature of any organisation is complex, challenging and in a state of constant change.  While processes, policies, tools and structures are all essential in facilitating change it is the individual and personal change that takes place in an organisation that will determine how efficiently, smoothly and productively change can be incorporated.

The Organisational Development Process and Human Resources

For an organisation change needs to be sustainable, but in order for that to happen, all the people working within the organisation need to be ready to embrace it.

Because of the social, cultural and environmental factors that impact on employee performance and receptivity to change effective leadership is a vital skill to facilitate employee change. Engagement and effective communication between management, senior leadership and employees can have a significant impact on the ease with which change can be employed. In order for this to happen management needs to adopt a plan to leverage on the skills that are already available and the work and activity that is currently being done.

While some companies will conclude that introducing change to existing policies and procedures is more efficient than starting from ‘scratch’ the process still needs to be sensitive to the workforce and how the change will impact on productivity and job satisfaction.

The Importance of Training and Development in the Organisational Development Process

The role of leadership is to find ways to enhance the strengths of the workforce and to improve the areas that are weaker. Internal restructuring, change management policies and procedures and Training and Development processes all need to be considered to enable this to happen. Offering Training and Development platforms is a way to introduce change in an accessible and sometimes gradual manner, to improve employee responsiveness and to offer support.

Offering incentives and rewards often helps to align the personal needs and growth plans of the individual with the objectives of the organisation and can ensure that all parties have their needs met. In a time of economic difficulty rewards programs certainly can enhance employee output, as the organisation shows it is prepared to give back to the individuals who co-create its success.

While it is undeniable that the people who will facilitate the organisational development process are those employed by the organisation, a fresh approach is often all that is required to look at the same issues in a different light. Stan Horwitz is a Master OD Practitioner with over 20 years of experience in businesses and organisations of all shapes and sizes. Find out how Stan can help your business to implement change in a meaningful and sustainable way, to improve your organisational development process.