Organizational Change Through Feedback and Research (OD) Efforts

Abstract

Action research was undertaken by a large midwestern utility company. Although 3,000 individuals were in the affected areas, particular atten tion was paid to 300 engineers and technicians. The study was undertaken to learn what would happen to an organization that was undergoing severe reorganizational stresses while attempting to use organization development techniques to reduce those stresses. The OD work included inside and outside consultation with the top executive, team-building activities, attitude surveys and survey feedback, and vertical communi cations meetings. The dependent variables of organizational per formance and process improved during the ten-month test period. The research identified structural changes that may have had some effects, but these could not be isolated because of the multidimensionality of the situation. Additional research is needed to determine what impact the different OD interventions actually have on an organization and to de termine the half-life of those interventions.

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