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August 4th, 2022

What is Organisational Development?

Organizational development “refers to the context, focus, and purpose of the change while developing an organisation.” Additionally, one recent definition of organizational development states: “Organizational development is a critical and science-based process that helps businesses build their capacity to change and achieve greater effectiveness by developing, improving, and reinforcing strategies, structures, and processes.”

Source:  The Role Of Systems Thinking In Organizational Change And Development. Jonathan H. Westover, Ph.D [online] Forbes

‌If your focus is on developing your organisation to meet strategic and operational objectives, then you’ll know that the achievement of this will only be brought about if your people are on-board.

After all, it’s your people who are the key building blocks in your organisation.

But do all the building blocks slot together, and are all your people working on the right things and in the right way to deliver the changes that will improve your business’s performance?

As Operational Management Consultants having worked on many Organisational Development advisory assignments, we’ve learned that when you make changes to processes if the people involved do not understand why changes are happening, disagree with the need for the change, or believe the wrong changes are being made, then they will become unwilling to adapt.

We have found the Change Equation to be a simple yet highly effective model for overcoming resistance to change. Our infographic offers an overview of how to use it along with tips for success – you can download it at the bottom of this page.

Want to keep up to date with best practices about Lean and Leadership and hear from others in similar continuous improvement and leadership roles about their success stories? Sign up here to be part of our Lean and Leaders community.

Bourton Group LLP the award-winning Operational Improvement Consultancy – read more about our award-winning project here.

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