Yesterday my friend Laci, whom I haven't heard from in a while, called me and asked how I was doing. After a short conversation, he blurted out that he saw that I had started working with organizational development and interim management, and that he did not understand. Why is there a need for an organizational developer? And does it make sense at all, or is it something like coaching, everyone does it, whether they really good in it or not?
These are very valid questions, and there is a Laci in me who sometimes bombards me with them, too, testing my endurance, commitment and courage.
My answer to him and to myself is that yes, it makes sense, and that just as there are many different organizations, with many different problems and in many different current states, there may be a need for good organization developers in different fields with different experiences and personalities. There are no universal solutions, if a problem arises, you have to find someone who can help you right then and there.
It is also clear where I see my own place in this. There are organizations that, after going through the diagnosis with an organization developer and putting together their action plan, implement it without any problems, but this is not always that easy. Sometimes change fails due to resistance from different teams, sometimes there is simply no capacity to pay attention to it. Moreover, sometimes the problem comes so unexpectedly or it is so big that there is no time to go through the diagnosis process and the workshops, you should intervene immediately and on the spot.
I see myself as useful in these situations. During my managerial career, I never managed remotely, but actively worked with the teams belonging to me, built a controlling system, cleaned production data, created ISO manuals and maintenance plans, so I understand the thinking and problems of all areas related to production, I speak their language. This can be very useful if some kind of process improvement gets stuck because of an internal team's resistance, and it is necessary to mediate, convince, and guide them with professional arguments, but it is also a good basis for me to temporarily join to the organization, if necessary, to work with the team on a daily basis on the current firefighting, and meanwhile, I can help build new processes, systems and collaboration from the inside.
My strength is field work, practice, for me in organizational development, the "hard" side, i.e. the development of physical processes, is closely linked to the development of the people and teams who implement them, so that they are able to use the new processes and cooperate better. I work with less theory, but I'm happy to shovel on the construction site, and together we'll find out where the new walls should be.
Not everyone needs this, and not everyone can work with a woman in her forties with experience in heavy industry/ production as help. And then we haven't even talked about personality, which is either compatible or not.
The goal is that after we have assessed what is needed, we find who is needed, who knows the given task and fits us, our organization, and can provide support in such a way that we can work with them and accept their help. If you don't have this match, it won't be easy, and it's likely that the joint work won't be successful.
That's why it's good that there are many of us with a variety of backgrounds and experiences, and it's possible to make the right choice. So Laci, I think it makes sense and I know that we, me, are needed. ????
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