Action research and organizational development - Essay Example

Action research and organizational development Organizational development is basically driven by change. The aspiration of most organizations is always to realize positive change and make the organization better. In the same way, organizational change is a matter of action which is always a fundamental aspect in the organization. It has been realized that the motivation to change is strongly linked to action and is therefore an important aspect in the general organizational development. In any case, change in the organization has to be effective and permanent.

People are more likely to adopt new ways when they become active in the decisions affecting them. The initial stage of change is always the unfreezing stage whereby a person in the organization will realize the need for change. In this case, a situation within the organization will basically trigger an individual to find a solution to an existing challenge in the organization. In the next step, the change process is actually done in the most appropriate way. However, considering the need to ensure that the best change process is realized, new models of behavior will always be diagnosed and tested in order to provide the best alternative for the challenge at hand.

The third stage is always the refreezing stage where the application of the new behavior is basically evaluated before it is reinforced within the organization. The adoption process follows and the change can subsequently be realized. In this regard, it is seen that action research is certainly a cyclical process of change which is driven by the need to make the organization better at all times. In any case, organizational development can only be realized when action research is pursued and executed in the most appropriate way as a core concern within the organization.

The importance of a change agent cannot really be overemphasized within the organization. The change agent and the client will jointly begin the change cycle through a series of planning actions. At the preliminary stages, diagnosis, data gathering, joint action planning and feedback of results are the core aspects involved in the action research process. In systems theory, it is basically referred to as the input stage as the client system gets acquainted with all the challenges yet unidentified.

It is always realized that outside help might be needed to conduct some of the changes needed. In this case, the need for a change consultant arises. In the action or transformation stage, real actions relating to the learning process are conducted in the form of planning and effecting behavioral changes within the client organization. The third stage in the action research process is the results or output phase and is mostly identified with the actual changes in the behavior emanating from the corrective actions taken in the second stage.

In the same way, evaluation has to be conducted in order to determine the effectiveness of the whole action research process. Data is often gathered from the system in order to determine the progress and make any necessary adjustments. In the case of major adjustments, the organizational development process is normally returned to the first stage of development in order to make the basic changes. It is basically realized that the action period involving real change whereby new behavior forms are determined in order to make adjustments and ensure the learning activities.

The need for organizational change is always an important concern for most managers in the increasingly competitive global environment. It is a question of trying out new behaviors and making them work for the organization in order to create positive change. In the same way, the fundamental aspect in the action research process is the aspiration to realize positive transformation within the organization. In this regard, the change agent must gather a lot of information on the organization before testing hypothesis and measuring the results.

However, it must be realized that the action research process is never pursued in the laboratory as a very rigorous activity. Rather, it is a planned process within the organization that is basically geared towards change. In most cases, action research is intended to set into motion a long-range, self correcting and cyclical mechanism for change within an organization. In the execution of an action research process, it is normally important to observe some rules in order to realize the change aspired.

In this regard, the change agent will always specify some modifications and adjustments to be done in order to realize the change. It is therefore quite important to provide the necessary resources for the action research process to be done effectively. Most importantly, change is not really a onetime affair. It is basically a cyclic process that should always be in motion in order to make the organization better. In this case, the importance of action research is realized. References Beckhard, R. (2004). Organization development: strategies and models.

Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley. Bennis, W. G. (2002). Organization development: its nature, origins, and prospects. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Pub. Co.. Appendix The action research process