MS-10 Dec, 2009
MS-10 : ORGANISATIONAL DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE
1. Describe recent trends in work organisations and their effect on employees.
2. Discuss the factors affecting organisational design and their relevance with suitable examples.
3. Describe any two OD interventions and their advantages.
4. Describe and explain the importance of interview as a diagnostic tool.
5. Write short notes on any three of the following :
a) Competencies of change agents
b) Job Rotation and Job Enrichment
c) Inverted Pyramid
d) Work shop Methodology as a diagnostic tool
(e) Managing Resistance to change
6. Read the following case carefully and answer the questions given at the end.
The middle managers of a large firm were told by the corporate human resources office that a group of consultants would be calling on them later in the week. The purpose of the consultants' visit would be to analyze interfunctional relations throughout the firm. The consultants had been very effective in using an OD intervention called team building. Their particular approach used six steps. When their approach was explained to the managers, a great deal of tension was relieved.
They had initially thought that team building was a lot of hocus-pocus, like sensitivity training, where people attack each other and let out their aggressions by heaping abuse on those they dislike. By the same token, these managers generally felt that perhaps the consultants were not needed. One of them put it this way : "Now that we understand what is involved in team building, we can go ahead and conduct the sessions ourselves. All we have to do is to choose a manager who is liked by everyone and put him or her in the role of the change agent/consultant. After all, you really don't need a high priced consultant to do this team-building stuff. You just have to have a good feel for human nature." The
other managers generally agreed. However, the corporate human resources director turned down their suggestion. He hired the OD consultants to do the team building.
Questions :
a) Bring out the main features of this case.
b) What is a team building approach to organization development ? Do you think the managers had an accurate view of this OD technique ?
c) Do you think that the managers had an accurate view of the role of external consultants ?
d) What will be your plan of action in the situation ?
