Organizational Development vs. Training & Development: What's the difference?

You have probably heard these expressions in our workplace while participating in projects, brainstorming ideas with a colleague, or being directly involved in an organizational development initiative for a given area, but you may wonder... what exactly is the difference between the two? Aren't they virtually the same thing? Because they both aim to improve the way an organization works, right?

Turns out that, although both areas do aim to improve an organization's way of working, they do so from different angles, which will be broken down below in detail:

• Organizational Development's objective is to spot areas of opportunity within the entire organization—meaning all of its departments and their intricate operational nature—and, based on where the organization is currently standing, design, develop, and execute new ways to improve what is currently being done to achieve better results, always keeping in mind the organization's main objectives rather than departmental ones (although those could apply as well depending on the type of improvement initiative that could be born from an Organizational Development diagnosis).

You could say then that Organizational Development is a systemic and strategic area that focuses on the macro: from finance to trade marketing, Organizational Development professionals audit and assess every single process that takes place within a department to enhance it to its maximum capacity. This is not only to identify current opportunities and improve them, but also to understand at a deeper level the "why's" behind the way a department is executing x or y process, which can also assist when new processes need to take place that would directly impact the organization as a whole. This is where change management comes in. But that's another topic that will be discussed later on :)

It's also worth noting that Organizational Development is, in essence, a different area from Human Resources. Even though they may work together to drive business goals, and some companies may even blend them as a hybrid area depending on their structure and needs, Human Resources focuses more on the employee-related administrative and operational aspects, while Organizational Development focuses on long-term strategies for improving organizational effectiveness. Let's then dive into Training and Development:

• Training and Development's primary objective is to make sure all collaborators within an organization are fully prepared to execute their functions in a tactical manner; this means that the salesperson needs to know all the steps he or she needs to follow to perform a sales cycle the way the organization's principles dictate, the accountant auxiliar needs to know the quality assurance protocols to follow when receiving invoices, and the safety lead needs to know how and when to perform an earthquake drill according to the available infrastructure.

For this to happen, the Training and Development department counts on qualified facilitators and instructional designers that design, develop, deliver, and monitor results of training sessions tailored to the department and organization's general objective/cultural DNA. This then would mean T&D focuses on the micro: What every single collaborator should know they need to do for the department to function as expected. It is the foundation for Organizational Development to happen in the first place.

At this point, you may be observing that these two, although similar, work differently, which is correct; however, one is not necessarily more important than the other. Although some organizations may not put the required emphasis on capability building, Training and Development is essential to ensure departments run smoothly and as they are supposed to. It is also an aid to Human Resources in identifying areas of opportunity with current collaborators and providing the appropriate feedback, which means that if Training and Development is not well-established, the job for Organizational Development professionals will certainly become challenging.

Now that we know the main differences between the two, let's review the main areas that both departments cover:

Organizational Development:

• Organizational Assessment and Diagnostics
• Process Improvement and Optimization
• Change Management
• Performance Management
• Leadership Development
• Strategic Planning & Alignment

Training and Development:

• Needs Assessment
• Program Design and Development
• Delivery of Training Programs
• Onboarding and Orientation
• Performance Support and Coaching
• Evaluation and Measurement

Organizational Development, as well as Training and Development, are virtually the backbone of successful organization operations. Without them, the organization is not able to grow, is not ready to face changes and challenges in a resilient manner, and is not able to innovate. Without a foundation, any tower can crumble. And it's the worst-case scenario we want to avoid.

Are Organizational Development and Training and Development being executed in your workplace? Comment below!

And also, if you believe your organization needs an operational assessment or its current processes can be optimized, let's connect for a consultation on Clarity.fm to determine how we can bring change to it, the type of change that creates impact and long-term results. Link below:

Clarifty.fm: https://clarity.fm/dorianpasian

#OrganizationalDevelopment #ChangeManagement #LeadershipDevelopment #EmployeeEngagement #WorkplaceCulture