PROBLEMS RELATED TO TECHNIQUES FOR ASSESSING ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT AND DETERMINING INTERVENTION STYLE

Abstract

Organization Development, as widely practiced in schools, is characterised by a diagnosis of organizational problems that is carried out collaboratively by facilitator and client. The design of the Organization Development intervention is presumably based upon this diagnosis. Since Organization Development is a planned, sustained effort to change the organization's culture in significant ways one might expect the diagnostic procedures to utilise systematic techniques for assessing organization culture. Further, these diagnostic techniques should reflect a conceptually unambiguous understanding of the nature of organizational culture and its elements. An enquiry of 83 American Organization Development consultants with experience as facilitators in public schools indicated that only seven reported using one or more of the recognised assessment techniques for which there are published data concerning factor structure, reliability and validity. Others reported utilising various combinations of interviews and paper‐and‐pencil techniques developed for local use. The authors discuss the implications of their findings in terms of Organization Development technology through scientific efforts.

Citation

STEINHOFF, C.R. and OWENS, R.G. (1976), "PROBLEMS RELATED TO TECHNIQUES FOR ASSESSING ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT AND DETERMINING INTERVENTION STYLE", Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 176-186. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb009752