WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Organizational development is concerned with the planning and implementation of programmes designed to enhance the effectiveness with which an organization functions and responds to change. Overall, the aim is to adopt a planned and coherent approach to improving organizational effectiveness. An effective organization can be defined broadly as one that achieves its purpose by meeting the wants and needs of its stakeholders, matching its resources to opportunities, adapting flexibly to environmental changes and creating a culture that promotes commitment, creativity, shared values and mutual trust.

Organizational development is concerned with process, not structure or systems – with the way things are done rather than what is done. Process refers to the ways in which people act and interact. It is about the roles they play on a continuing basis to deal with events and situations involving other people and to adapt to changing circumstances.


Organizational development is an all-embracing term for the approaches described in this chapter to changing processes, culture and behaviour in the organization. The changes may take place within the framework of an overall programme of organization development (OD). Within this programme, or taking place as separate activities, one or more of the following approaches may be used.