Question 1 (35 marks)

Read the following scenario and answer the questions that follow:

ABC Corporation, a global manufacturing company, has been experiencing declining sales and profits due to increasing competition and changing customer needs. The CEO, Mr Smith, understands that the company along with the management a and leaders must adapt to these changes or face redundancy. He hires an organisational development (OD) consultant, Ms Johnson, to oversee the change process; empower managers and leaders to manage the change, help the company navigate the changes, and increase ABC Corporations global competitiveness.

Justify Mr Smith’s decision to hire an OD consultant and explain the traits and behaviours managers and leaders at ABC Corporation must adopt to successfully adapt to the environmental changes and facilitate change management processes in the company. (10 marks)

Assist Mr Smith by profiling the requisite personality traits, experiences, knowledge and skills of an effective OD practitioner who can effectively empower managers to manage the change, help the company navigate the changes, and increase its competitiveness. (10 marks)

A diagnostic report from the OD consultant suggested that ABC Corporation lacked the culture of a learning organisation, resulting in the organisation being slow to adapt to environmental changes.
Explain to the CEO, Mr Smith, the concept of a learning organisation described by Senge (1990), highlighting the five disciplines that serve as the cornerstones of learning organisations.

Question 2 (40 marks)

Read the following scenario and answer the questions that follow:

You are a consultant OD practitioner hired by a large organisation to help improve its organisational development practices. During your initial meeting, the CEO mentioned hearing about a newer approach to OD called ‘dialogic OD’. You are tasked with explaining how this approach differs from classical diagnostic OD as well as providing examples of dialogic methods that can be used in their organisation.

Respond to this request, by advising the CEO on the implementation of dialogic OD practices in their organisation.
Provide any two examples of dialogic methods in your response as well as the differences between the two approaches. (20 marks)

Present to the CEO the ADKAR change management model along with the five elements or objectives that need to be in place for change to be realised.
Explain how this model focuses on change at an individual level and how it contributes to effectively managing the people side of change within organisations. (20 marks)

Question 3 (25 marks)

Read the following scenario and answer the question that follows:

As an internal Organisational Development (OD) Consultant, you face a scenario where you are expected to wear multiple hats, including being a coach, sounding board, and confidant within the organisation. However, you quickly realise the importance of setting clear boundaries in these roles to maintain professionalism and uphold confidentiality. You establish guidelines that emphasise the distinction between your role as a consultant and your personal relationships with employees, ensuring impartiality and objectivity in your coaching sessions. You establish confidential spaces where employees can share their concerns openly, assuring them of your commitment to maintaining their privacy and trust. Through regular check-ins and feedback sessions, you continuously reinforce these boundaries, reminding employees of the importance of separating personal conversations from professional consultations.

Guided by your prescribed textbook as well as the scenario above, and in light of the evolving role and boundaries of (internal) OD consultants within organisations:
Discuss how Internal OD consultants can effectively navigate boundaries as strategic business partners and trusted advisors to managers and executives in the organisation.

Answers to Above Questions on Organisational Development

Answer 1: An analysis of the given scenario indicates that the hiring of Ms Johnson by Mr Smith is highly justified in the given scenario because of a number of reasons. The most important one is the experience and expertise brought in by an organisational development consultant in managing the organisational change. ABC Corporation can utilise their skills and abilities in solving their issues relating to the adaptation to the changing market condition. Other major benefit that justifies the hiring of an OD consultant include:

Get answers on all the questions above on organisational development from the experts of Student Life Saviour South Africa.