Apple: individual and group process interventions - Essay Example

Individual and Group Interventions Introduction Cummings & Worley (2008, pg. 151) define the intervention process as, “a sequence of activities, actions, and events intended to help an organization improve its performance and effectiveness.” The intervention process is an aspect of organizational development that functions to improve specific aspects of the company’s corporate structure as a means to improve this efficiency. Interventions can be directed towards a general change in the corporate structure or designed for specific departments.

There are a number of notable features that constitute an effective intervention. In addition, the intervention process, in addition to addressing general and specific department efficiency concerns, also functions to address more the more specific concerns of both individual, which is human process, as well as group process interventions. This research essay examines the characteristics of effective individual and group process interventions in terms of the Apple Organization. It also suggests specific individual and group process interventions for the Apple Organization.

Apple Cummings & Worley (2008, pg. 151) note that the effective aspects of interventions are determined by, “ (1) the extent to which it fits the needs of the organization; (2) the degree to which it is based on causal knowledge of intended outcomes; and (3) the extent to which it transfers change management competence to organizational members.” In terms of Apple, Inc. this effectiveness emerges in two distinct intervention processes: group process and individual process interventions. Apple, Inc.

is unique in that the corporate model is based around periodic market introductions of cutting edge technology. Recently the debut of the iPad radically altered the marketing approach of the company. (Ha, 2010) In response to these product releases the since the early 1980s Apple, Inc. has made a number of progressive and successful interventions as a means of responding to both the active changes within the information technology market, as well as internal marketing and technological development changes.

(Freedman 2010) In terms of group process interventions it’s necessary for the Apple Organization to consistently undergo a thorough organizational development process. The changes that will be made function to understand the demands of the market and alter the technological development direction of the company to address future market needs. While determining the corporate vision for the future is a challenging task, the group intervention process must be closely integrated with this for future company success.

In some regards, this intervention process is also an individual intervention. While motivation at Apple, Inc. isn’t a pressing issue, frequent directional changes in marketing and IT need to be instituted in order to meet market demands. On a group process scale this might involve instituting short-term employee contracts, to bring in a variety of technical skills on a short term basis to meet the changing technological demands. In terms of individual intervention this involves developing creative means by which the employee marketing and technological development departments can be restructured to meet the necessarily changing demands of the market according to the corporate vision.

Clearly, the overarching challenge is developing this vision of the future, but with Apple, Inc. it necessarily means that individual interventions needs to be made commonplace in radically altering the very means that creative collaboration occurs. ReferencesCummings, Thomas, & Worley, Christopher. (2008). Organization development & change [with online access code]. South-Western Pub.Freedman, R. & Vohr, J. Apple Computer, Inc. New York University. Retrieved Online on June 10, 2010 from http://www.stern.nyu.

edu/mgt/private_file/mo/rfreedma_ca/apple.pdfHa, Anthony. (2010) ‘How is Apple Marketing the iPad’. Venture Beat. http://venturebeat.com/2010/01/27/apple-ipad-commercial/