Jerry I. Porras

Dynamics of Planned Organizational Change: Assessing Empirical Support For A Theoretical Model

This study employed meta-analytic procedures to evaluate the potential validity of a model of planned organizational change. Hypotheses derived from this model focus on the relationships among plan...

Evaluation Methodology in Organization Development : An Analysis and Critique

The purpose of this analysis is to present a detailed overview of the current state of evaluation methodology in organization development. A detailed search procedure yielded 35 empirical studies in the OD field for the period 1959 to mid-1975. Each study was analyzed according to (a) research design, (b) data collection procedures, (c) subject characteristics, (d) treatment dimensions, and (e) data analysis approaches. Findings show that the overall quality of OD research methodology was spotty. Research designs were relatively strong with a large percentage of investigators using quasi-experimental designs. An excessive reliance on questionnaires as the sole data collection approach exists. Only a small percentage of studies report using other quantified approaches. Most studies were conducted in one organization or in situations where the Ns for units of analysis larger than the individual were small (< 10). The heavy use of laboratory training intervention techniques was noted, although a strong shift from process to task orientation has occurred in recent years. Over 75% of the studies reported the use of statistical tests of significance. Although data analysis procedures are becoming more sophisticated, the vast majority of studies used very simple analytical techniques. Based on this analysis, a series of suggestions for improvement of methodological approaches to OD research is presented.

Building a Visionary Company

What distinguishes visionary companies? How can they be created? Contrary to much conventional wisdom, visionary companies do not require a high-profile, charismatic leader. Nor are they dependent on a great idea or fabulous initial product. Rather a visionary company is best understood as a particular kind of organization—one which builds in a unique and distinctive vision that is capable of enduring changes in leadership as well as market conditions. In short, building a visionary company is like building a clock, rather than simply telling time.

The Comparative Impact of Different OD Techniques and Intervention Intensities

A wide range of organization development techniques has been developed but little has been done to compare their impact. It is expected that different techniques would affect organizational variables in unique ways. Some techniques would probably be more effective in changing certain variables than others. Similarly, interventions of varying intensities would also be expected to yield different results. This study attempts to assess the OD empirical research literature in an effort to determine the comparative impact of the more common change techniques and varying intervention intensities. Thirty-five empirical assessments of the impact of OD are used as the data source. Eleven hypotheses derived from the OD literature are proposed and tested. The findings indicate that most of the predictions are not supported by the available data. A discussion of the implications of these results is included.

Vision change in a governmental R&D organization : The pioneering legacy as an enduring element

The present research demonstrates how a defense R&D organization wishing to deal effectively with a changing reality developed a vision that accommodated somewhat contradictory sets of aspirations and goals: the old and nationalistic together with the new, economically motivated, and market oriented. The novelty of the claim made in this article rests on recognition of the role of vision in organizational survival and change. Whereas the respective dynamics have usually been portrayed in normative terms, guided by the assumption that vision is a prerequisite for change, the conceptual approach applied in this article challenges the one-sidedness of this view. This new perspective dictates the careful scrutiny of the circumstances under which vision might influence change in enabling as well as disabling ways.

Organization Development in a Large System: An Empirical Assessment

This paper reports the results of a quasi-experimental field study measuring the effects of three Organization Development (OD) interventions conducted in a large, geographically dispersed organization. The OD interventions were designed to improve the climate, leadership, group process, and overall performance of experimental units through a series of activities aimed at providing a philosophical base for change; building effective team relationships and problem-solving skills; and altering the techno-structural and social variables impeding work unit efficiency. A comparison of results from 40 experimental and control subunits (randomly assigned to these conditions) provides the basis for the first part of this analysis. A second comparison was made using those experimental units receiving a relatively more intense treatment. The findings show that the effect of the interventions was largely negative on attitudinal and behavioral variables describing organizational and individual processes. The higher intensity treatment condition generally yielded more negative effects, particularly as perceived by managers. Some outcome variables, however, such as self-actualization and several measures of unit performance, showed an unexpected improvement (given the negative process changes). Attempts are made to explain this anomalous relationship between process and outcome, the differential effects on managers and subordinates, and the generally negative effects of the interventions.

A Historical View of the Future of OD An Interview With Jerry Porras

David Bradford: Jerry, thanks for doing this. Let’s start at the beginning. You have had a long involvement in organization development [OD]. What led you into the field? Jerry Porras: My involvement in OD started at Cornell when I entered the MBA program in the fall of 1966. As part of the core curriculum I was required to take an organizational behavior [OB] course. Up to that time, I’d never really taken a course in human behavior. I was an undergraduate electrical engineering major, and my coursework consisted almost solely of math, science, physics, and engineering. Clay Alderfer had just joined the Cornell faculty fresh out of Yale where he had been mentored by Chris Argyris. He and Tom Lodahl, who had been at Cornell for a while, decided they were going to experiment with the required OB course. So, each week they offered a required lecture the first session and an experiential activity the second session. For the second session we had a choice of either a case discussion group or a T-group.

Precursors of Individual Change: Responses to a Social Learning Theory Based on Organizational Intervention

This research investigated the role of 12 personal characteristics as they predisposed 33 first-line supervisors to change their interactions with employees in accordance with a behavioral modeling training program. Questionnaires were administered to groups of trained and control supervisors both before and after a 10-week training period. These instruments measured perceptions of behavioral change as well as a variety of personal characteristics including self-actualization, regard for others and the self, role clarity, role ambiguity, role conflict, stress, control, competence, education level, job tenure, and company tenure. Eight of these twelve characteristics proved significantly predictive of change for trained supervisors while none were predictive for control supervisors. The pattern of predictive characteristics indicated that feelings of well-being may be more conducive to acceptance of organizational training programs than feelings of need. The results are discussed insofar as they shed light on the behavior change hypotheses of social learning theory.

Assessing Planned Change.

In order for planned organizational change to advance in both theory and practice, there must be a concomitant advancement in the willingness and ability of change agents to assess the change process effectively. This paper explores the current OD assessment milieu and proposes a model to help clarify assessment. Each feature of the model is defined, and charac teristic problems are discussed in light of current methods and theory. As a means of summary, guidelines are proposed to enhance the assessability of potential change activities.

A Field Project Approach To Teaching Od

Teaching Organization Development is a complex and challenging task. Some approach this assignment by concentrating on the conceptual side of the process, i.e., on theories, strategies, values and assumptions. Others emphasize skill development and focus on consultant behavior. A third approach (as described in the accompanying article by Obert) relies on the classroom itself and attempts to establish it as an organization through which to teach OD skills and theory. All of these approaches aim at creating a realistic environ-