Organizational Development

"The mechanics of running a business are really not very complicated when you get down to the essentials. You have to make some stuff and sell it to somebody for more than it costs you. That's about all there is to it, except for a few million details . . . ."

Organizational development is the on-going process of increasing an organization's effectiveness. An effective organization is one that is designed to achieve its business goals. Conducting OD activities is the primary job of the leaders and the people who support them, including managers and internal or external consultants. Typically, senior leaders are responsible for reading the business environment, knowing the organization's core competencies, and then shaping the organization as needed.

There are many kinds of interventions (or actions) that can be selected to increase an organization's effectiveness. An intervention can be defined as a single action (or a series of actions) that adjusts the goals, processes, relationships, policies, procedures, skills, or culture of the members of an organization in response to particular changes in the business environment. The intention is to select interventions that are logical solutions for the root issues and to improve the ability of the organization to compete or to deliver its services successfully.  The following represent two typical interventions:

Evaluation Studies

When an organization experiences issues such as lack of sales performance, customer service problems, or cross-functional tensions between departments or divisions, we can design interventions consisting of questionnaires, interviews, or group discussions to surface the fundamental problems that are precipitating the concerns & issues in relevant areas. Concord Consulting, in conjunction with senior management, will design the most appropriate process to define the root issues with which management must deal. Concord will provide a comprehensive report summarizing the situation analysis and providing management with recommendations and courses of action.

Organizational Design

As an organization experiences growth & expansion together with increased competition in their marketplace, it is not uncommon to have specific jobs and roles within an organization experience considerable change. The organizational structure that once served the organization when it was providing a specific level of volume & service may no longer be effective for an increased volume & level of service. Concord Consulting can evaluate the existing organization structure, roles, and responsibilities, and provide recommendations on a more effective organizational structure and revised job roles and responsibilities.

For a discussion of how we can aid in your organizational improvement initiatives, concerns about your current & future organization design, or how other types of interventions may better suit your organization's needs, please contact Concord.