1. Constancy
2. Commitment
3. Compression
4. Complacency
There are four basic rules in brainstorming. These are intended to reduce social inhibitions among group members, stimulate idea generation, and increase overall creativity of the group.
by: Therese Ong
Creative problem solving is the mental process of creating a solution to a problem. It is a special form of problem solving in which the solution is independently created rather than learned with assistance.
Creative problem solving always involves creativity. However, creativity often does not involve creative problem solving, especially in fields such as music, poetry, and art. Creativity requires newness or novelty as a characteristic of what is created, but creativity does not necessarily imply that what is created has value or is appreciated by other people.
To qualify as creative problem solving the solution must either have value, clearly solve the stated problem, or be appreciated by someone for whom the situation improves.
The situation prior to the solution does not need to be labeled as a problem. Alternate labels include a challenge, an opportunity, or a situation in which there is room for improvement.
Reference: Richard Fobes, The Creative Problem Solver's Toolbox: A Complete Course in the Art of Creating Solutions to Problems of Any Kind (1993)
Solving Problems Creatively and Analytically
by Joanna Ng
A Model Of Problem Solving
Step 1: Define the Problem
Step 2: generate Alternative Solution
Step 3: Evaluate and Select and Alternative
Step 4: Implement and Follow up on the Solution
by Joanna Ng
Methods for Collecting Data
Questionnaires
Questionnaire is one of the most efficient methods to collect data. This kind of method can obtain large volume of data in a short amount of time, thus is more inexpensive. There are also a lot of surveys and questionnaire available. The result and responses obtained from questionnaires are also helpful because it can be quantified,thus organizations can use this data to assess their performance.
Interviews are more flexible compare to questionnaires because it is more direct. In this case, this is very useful because the personal views of the employees about the organization can be extracted during an interview that’s why interview is considered as a source of rich data. Because interview allows data collection on a range of possible subjects; it is very adaptive. The process of interviewing can also build relationships and this is helpful because this helps employees be more open and comfortable in sharing their feelings about the organization.
This rapport can also be disadvantageous because interview can then be bias and his can distort the data. Interview is also very time-consuming and expensive. The rich data interviews provide can also be a disadvantage because it makes coding and interpretation difficult.
Interviews can be done individually or by group. Group interviews though can sometimes restrain other people from expressing their views or feelings.
Observations
In the observation method, the OD practitioner simply observes the behaviors of the organization and its members. The practitioner looks around in the work area. There is participant-observation where the OD practitioner completely involves himself into the group and becomes a member. The more detached version would be just observing. The OD practitioner would record the behaviors of the members through videotapes or film and study them.
The problem with observation though is that practitioners are the data collection tool so there’s a strong possibility for personal biases and this can distort the data, which unlike in questionnaires and interviews the practitioners gather data from the respondents through surveys and questions. Another problem is the sampling because practitioners should know how, where and when to observe.
Unobtrusive Measures
This method is helpful because data and information are gathered from company records. It is unobtrusive because it collects data from secondary sources without the much need of the members’ participation, thus being free from respondent and practitioner biases. Company records can say a lot about an organization. For example, company has their reports on the patterns of their sales. From this they’ll now when they have the highest and lowest sale of the year.
The problem with this though is the limited data company records and reports provide. Because most company records production performance based on group or by department but individual performance data are not recorded. This limits the consultant in drawing valid conclusions.
Despite, data gathered from unobtrusive measure is useful for preliminary diagnosis of the possible problems of the organization. This is useful for other methods such as observation and interviews.
Reflection
I got these information from our notes and the reading, Collecting and Analyzing Diagnostic Information. In my personal view, I would say that interview and observation works best for me. Because I like doing interviews because it’s personal and you get to see the reaction of the people in response to your question. You get to listen to the respondents answers right away and you’ll know if it’s useful or if you still need to extract more. I like forming questions for interviews although most of the time I just formulate basic or general questions and just go with the flow of the interview. I prefer individual interviews because group interviews like focus group discussions (FGD) sometimes forms tension among the respondents because of their conflicting views. And I think it’s hard to work and concentrate in such an environment.
I also like the observation method because I simple like observing. In my opinion, there are so many thing you’ll know about a person just by mere observation same as in organizations. According to the readings, there are two types of observation: participant-observation which is the attached one and the other is the detached one. I believe in participant-observation because as we’ve tackled before in our THEORYC (Communication Theories) class, people are inclined to the
Overview of Interventions
by Joanna Ng
According to wikipedia.org, “Organization development (OD) is a planned, organization-wide effort to increase an organization's effectiveness and viability.“
According to www.citehr.com:
Organization Development Interventions (ODI) techniques are the methods created by OD professionals and others. Single organization or consultant cannot use all the interventions. They use these interventions depending upon the need or requirement. The most important interventions are,
1. Survey feedback
2. Process Consultation
3. sensitivity Training
4. The Managerial grid
5. Goal setting and Planning
6.
7. Job enrichment, changes in organizational structure and participative management and Quality circles, ISO, TQM
Reference: http://www.citehr.com/3596-organization-development-interventions.html
Effective Interventions
Designing Effective Interventions
Data collection is also important in organizational development. Data gathering is a process of collecting data. This is to obtain all the information needed in order to achieve the goal of the OD.
In planning to collect data, OD agents should seek the answer for the following questions:
There are also some characteristics of communication assessment:
Independence: assessors should be qualified and have an independent characteristic
Professionalism: in order to have a good communication process, there’s need for professionals who understand the details of the organizational dynamics and who also have the expertise both in analysis of communication and in the general process of consultation
Diagnostic thoroughness: an assessment is a diagnostic process that collects important data to be used in constructing a realistic description of the actual organization
Skilled evaluation: requires the identification of some criteria to be used in judging the adequacy of current communication
Tailored design: these are the methologies and criteria for evaluation. These should be tailored to the specific organization.
Current time frame: the communication assessment should also have time-bound snapshot of the organization over a particular period of time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_collection
http://www.balancedscorecard.org/Portals/0/PDF/datacoll.pdfBlodin method is one way to define a system and its boundaries. What is a system therefore? A system is an integrated whole made up of parts or fun
ctions that are interrelated to one another to accomplish a common organizational goal.
The Blondin method is a focused technique in observing a system. It has the following parts that look intensely to each part/function of a system:
1.Focal system: the system of your concern (Could be any part of an organization that you want to focus on)
2.Sub-system: any parts of members of your chosen focal system
3.Macro-system: larger system/organization to which your focal system belongs
4.Related system: other system or organization that is outside your focus system which may be inside or outside of your larger system
5.Mega-system: This is where the community at large whe
re your focus system belongs to.
Open Systems Theory
By: Kathy Chang
Organizational development is a planned system-wide change by using behavioural science and humanistic values, principles, and practices in order to reach a greater organizational performance, production and effectiveness. One of the organizational development (OD) processes involves the process of input-throughput-output. This process is called the open systems theory.
A system is a structure or organization of a whole that is made up of parts or functions. These parts or functions are interrelated to one another and to the whole organization which makes them work in their own parts/functions or as a whole to accomplish a specific mission. The OD framework sees organizations as an open system because organizations are interrelated to other components outside its boundaries such as their allies, constituents and stakeholders.
Inputs are the raw resources from the environment that go into the system. The necessary resources that a system need in order to produce a product or services are people, materials, technology, and time. Once these inputs are already inside the system, they will now undergo the throughput process. This is where the transformation happens. For example, a raw material such as cotton goes into a factory which is our system. The cotton will be placed to machines and labourers to transform it to a cotton shirt. After the transformation, the finish product will now be the output of the system. These finish product will again be sent back to the environment. In order for resources and finish products to go in and out of the system, the system should have permeable boundaries from the environment. Concrete examples for these are gates, doors and windows.
THROUGHPUT
http://managementhelp.org/systems/systems.htm
http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/small/Op-Qu/Organization-Theory.html
Diagnosis
By: Kathy Chang
Diagnosis is a process of assessing the functioning of the organization, department, group or job to discover the sources of problems and areas for improvement. It is also a process of understanding how the organization is currently functioning and it provides the information necessary to design change interventions. The process should be between the organizational members and the consultant to collect valid information, scrutinize it and to form conclusion for action planning and intervention.
Problems in Diagnosi
· Client trust
· Client participation
· Client bias
· Consultant bias
· Data-handling bias
· Top management bias
· Jump to cause
I was to able to make some research about data collection. It is better to have a case history of the organization before observational data collection. The case history should cover the followings:
ACTION RESEARCH MODEL
This action research model is a cyclical process. As I’ve learned in class, this process is based on research in order to expand their knowledge about the problem. Their awareness of the problem will help them solve and improve the things that do not go well with the organization based on their research or past experiences.
“Action research is a systematic approach to investigation that enables people to find effective solutions to problems they confront in their everyday lives. Action research focuses on specific situations and localized solutions. It is usually used to identify issues to do with practice and to improve ones service. The primary purpose of action research is to provide the means for people to engage in systematic inquiry and investigation to ‘design’ an appropriate way of accomplishing a desired goal and to evaluate its effectiveness, usually by a means of qualitative research. Action research is a collaborative approach to inquiry or investigation that provides people with the means to take systematic action to resolve specific problems. It does not resolve all problems but provides a means for people to get a handle on their situations and formulate effective solutions to problems they face in their public and professional lives (Stringer 1999).”¹
action research process involves these steps
1. Identifying the problem with discussions with the client.
2. The OD practitioner then settles on what information should be gathered through the use of interviews, questionnaires, performance data and process observation. Then they further make a diagnosis on this through observation. The diagnosis will be then presented to the group to identify what part of the research needs improvement.
3. After everything has been approved by the client, the planning and action process is done. The implementation of new rules and procedures, work behaviors, and others will take place.
4. Since it is a cyclical process, data will be gathered even after the implementation. This procedure will be done if there are still problems or mistaken diagnosis present in the findings.
This action research model is commendable since this process scrutinizes and examines every flaw present in the organization. The collaboration within the OD practitioner and the client helps a lot because both their opinions matter the most. The evaluation procedure in this model is vital since errors and miscalculations can still be present in the organizations. They should evaluate and diagnose if the proposed solution is the preeminent solution of all.
Reference: ¹http://labsome.rmit.edu.au/liki/index.php/Action_research
3. Empower action
4. Involve people in the process
Refreeze
1. Anchor the changes into the culture
2. Develop ways to sustain the change
3. Provide support and training
4. Celebrate success!
Reflection:
If these practical steps would be followed, the organization and its members will be efficient. Organizations should consider this model as a stepping stone to an enhanced and improved future ahead of them.
One thing that I really agree on with this article are the ways in sustaining change wherein there are leadership support, reward system, feedback systems and the organizational structure. In my opinion, creating the reward system will inspire the members of the organization to work better since there is an incentive from all their hard work. Therefore, they would be able to sustain the change, also there would be a balanced and better organization close enough to reach their desired reality.
Reference: http://www.consultpivotal.com/lewin%27s.htm
By: Vina Almeda
Unfreeze
1. Determine what needs to change
2. Ensure there is strong support from upper management
3. Create the need for change
4. Manage and understand the doubts and concerns
Change
1. Communicate often
2. Dispel rumors
3. Empower action
4. Involve people in the process
Refreeze
1. Anchor the changes into the culture
2. Develop ways to sustain the change
3. Provide support and training
4. Celebrate success!
Reflection:
If these practical steps would be followed, the organization and its members will be efficient. Organizations should consider this model as a stepping stone to an enhanced and improved future ahead of them.
One thing that I really agree on with this article are the ways in sustaining change wherein there are leadership support, reward system, feedback systems and the organizational structure. In my opinion, creating the reward system will inspire the members of the organization to work better since there is an incentive from all their hard work. Therefore, they would be able to sustain the change, also there would be a balanced and better organization close enough to reach their desired reality.
Reference: http://www.consultpivotal.com/lewin%27s.htm
By: Vina Almeda
An organization must be prepared for any change which is about to occur. This process is known as 'unfreezing' and involves the investigation of resisting forces. Any premature unilateral or authoritarian increase in driving forces for change will, according to the Lewin model, be met by an equal and opposite increase in resisting forces.
No change will occur unless there is motivation within the organization to do so. If there is no motivation, it must be induced. This is often the most difficult part of any change process. Change not only involves learning, but unlearning something that is already present and well integrated into the personality and social relationships of the individuals. It is for this reason that an organizations culture can often act as a resisting force to change.
Practice: The following methods are often used by managers and OD consultants to unfreeze an organizational system:
Developing new attitudes, beliefs, values and behaviours based on new information. Once the resisting forces have been investigated, understood and minimized, the change can be implemented. Resisting forces are reduced and driving forces increased. Doing so adjusts the position of equilibrium towards the desired balance position.
Practice: There are three main approaches with which change may be implemented:
Change, or OD, is seen as a process of rational persuasion whereby the benefits of the change are logically explained to those who are influenced by it.
This approach also assumes employees are rational individuals, but acknowledges the existence of socio-cultural norms within organizations. It challenges established values, beliefs, attitudes and norms and re-educates employees into the new techniques of working.
This method of change involves a process of the imposition of legitimate authority. Feedback may be denied and no alteration to plans may take place as a result of resistance. This approach simply forces through change by authority.
Practice: Methods used by managers and OD consultants to lead change:
For a change to become routine and accepted into the day-to-day practices of an organization, the organization must go through the final stage of refreezing the organizational system. A variety of strategies may be adopted to achieve this, including new rules, regulations and reward schemes to reinforce the change process and maximize the desired behaviors of staff or employees.
Reflection:
This change model process creates the need for change in order for the organization to be a better one. In my opinion, this process will help the organization and its members change on how they view things. They will be able to come up with more efficient outcomes and they will be able to attain their objectives more effectively. There would be certain situations wherein there is no problem occurring within the organization. Yet there would be alternatives and solutions that will fit best to the given situation rather than the previous alternative.
Reference: Whole article from-- http://www.unfortu.net/~rafe/links/change.htm
NATURE OF PLANNED CHANGE
By: Vina Almeda
Organizational Development is directed in bringing about planned change in order to increase the organizations’ preferences, also it is generally initiated and implemented by managers often with the help of an OD practice. Planned change can be used by organizations:
NOTE: The planned change process can vary depending on the change situation.
Change in the organization can be accomplished through these four steps:
1. Entering
2. Diagnosing
3. Planning and Implementing
4. Evaluating and Institutionalizing
In order for change to happen one must enter the common grounds of the organization to facilitate and see the problems and possibility for change. You understand the problems of the organization and determine possible solutions for it. Then, the diagnosing process is done. In this part of the process, one runs a diagnosis on the alternatives that will fit best according to the problems. You focus on how and why the problems occurred in order to have a better understanding of the problem. Data gathering is also done in this procedure.
The step of planning and implementing the alternatives follow after. They propose changes that will work best with their objectives and as well with their mission and vision. The last step is the evaluation of the alternatives implemented. It will be evaluated on how the alternatives fit with the policies and procedures of the organization. They will further decide if the changes done will be sustained or eradicated.
In my opinion, change is fundamental in every organization and its something that its members should cope with. Change normally enables an organization to work better. Whether it is an incremental change, if it will increase the effectiveness of the organization, then they should consider these methods and procedures.
Reference: Notes from class discussions and reflections
