Organizational Development

UNDERSTAND

The UW Vision states that "discovery is at the heart of our university." Discovery is also at the heart of organizational development -- discovering leverage points, strengths, and potential among organizations, teams, and individuals.

Successful organizational development (OD) is collaborative and future-oriented. Through OD, organizations can improve effectiveness, achieve goals, build capacity, and creatively manage challenges and change.

OD consultants focus on developing the structures, systems, processes, and people within the organization through a variety of activities, including: organizational assessments, executive and employee development and coaching, mediation and conflict resolution, operational review and process improvement, retreat planning and facilitation, strategic and operational planning, team development and facilitation, and customized training.

ACT

The University Consulting Alliance is group of management, organizational development, and human resource consultants both employed by the University of Washington and subcontracted by UW Professional & Organizational Development.

Services are available only for University of Washington clients.

EXPLORE

Could your organization benefit from working with an OD Consultant from POD?
Frequent YES responses mean an OD consultant could likely help your team achieve its goals.

Is there a sense of unrealized potential at my organization?
Does my organization lack direction due to inadequate structure or guidance from upper management?
Does my organization cling to obsolete products, services, or practices?
Are we experiencing low staff morale or high turnover?
Has the organization grown or shrunk very quickly?
Is it in an "identity crisis," lacking a clear sense of purpose?
Are there conflicts about my organization's future direction?
Has my organization experienced major changes in its environment, such as a move to new facilities?
Has my organization implemented a new technology?
Is my organization bogged down with inflexible rules or directives?
Are there people in the organization who are stopping or hindering progress?
Has my organization's external environment changed dramatically?

~ adapted from Principles of Organization Development, ASTD Info Line

What is an Organizational Development consultant and why would you need one?
The one constant in organizational life is change. Staff, faculty, and students at the University of Washington have dealt with enormous change in the last five years, and organizations within the UW must continue to change to maintain the University's reputation of excellence. An Organizational Development consultant can help you plan your change and minimize risk.

An OD consultant works to bring about positive changes by:

meeting with you to discuss the reasons for the consultation
gathering data about the problem
analyzing the data
reporting the results back to you
suggesting ways and guiding the organization to implement the desired changes

What might an OD consultant suggest as a way to create change?
There are a variety of strategies that lead to change in an organization. They can be directed toward individuals, work groups, or the entire organization. Some commonly-used OD strategies include:

FOR THE ORGANIZATION

vision, mission and values development
goal setting
organizational restructure and redesign
commitment to new programs
commitment to new ways of managing
communication and teamwork skills

BETWEEN EMPLOYEES

values clarification
conflict resolution
norm setting
role clarification and negotiation
improving communication abilities

FOR INDIVIDUALS

job redesign
training and management development
career development
individual observation and feedback
individual skill coaching
serving as a sounding board for decisions
technical skills training
administrative skills training
management/supervision training
decision making and problem solving
project planning and implementation