Organizational Effectiveness: Bridging theory and practice, from classroom to boardroom

As I navigate between my day-job in the corporate world and part-time college faculty opportunity, I was inspired (and encouraged) to share some Organizational Effectiveness learnings.

This week, the lesson was on the evolution of effective organizational practices over the decades, and the role of business ethics and core values in an OE/OD practitioner's work. In the end, there's no rocket science here. It's the 'tale as old as time' story, except for business audiences. Some of the models below have been replaced by newer, evolved versions, but the lesson remains.

This week's TL;DR is:

1. For best organizational or team results, a leader needs an equal balance of both a high concern for results AND a high concern for people. (Blake & Moulton, 1962)
2. The 'right' culture is a requirement for success. The trouble is figuring out the kind of culture you need, to deliver the results you're looking for. If a company's business strategy and culture are not in alignment, either the strategy or the culture needs to change. (Business Week, 1980)
3. Organizations are an inter-connected system, and driving change needs to take this into account. Many companies fail in change efforts, by changing 'the people' in place, but not the structure, or system. (Senge, 1990). In this context, changing the players alone will not significant alter the outcome of the game.

The take-aways?

• People should matter as much as the results you're seeking.
• The kind of culture you build needs to be congruent with your goals.
• When leading change, address systemic and structural issues as well as people matters.

Looking to read more on the topic? Here are a few references:

Anderson, D. L. (2020). Organization Development: The Process of Leading Organizational Change (5th ed.) Sage

Senge, P. M. (1990). The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization.

Blake, R. R., Mouton, J. S., & Bidwell, A. C. (1962). Managerial grid. Advanced Management - Office Executive, 1(9), 12–15.

https://blog.vantagecircle.com/organizational-development/