Organisation development provides a framework and means for building high-performing organisations. This approach views organisations as interconnected, open systems and finds ways to balance people, processes, and technology to ensure business growth and success.
But why is it necessary? We all know that we live in a rapidly changing and complex world. This complexity can make it challenging to stay adaptable, as there are many external and internal influences to consider. Our world is so complex that we sometimes aren’t even aware of what affects us unless we take a step back and look at the bigger picture.
To gain a more holistic perspective, we must consider how all the individual parts comprise the whole and the influence of the relationships between parts. In other words, organisations must consider both macro and micro environments. This approach helps us build and maintain thriving organisations in a fast-paced, ever-evolving and interconnected global economy. In this post, we’ll explain organisation development, its value, and how you can learn more about it at SACAP Global.
What is organisation development?
Organisation development provides the tools for assessing and implementing effective change at scale. It is a systematic, evidence-based approach to making organisations more effective and adaptable and improving performance. Practitioners use planned interventions aligned with the organisation’s goals and values to strengthen structures, processes, and employee relationships.
Based on behavioural science, this approach fosters innovation, collaboration, and problem-solving to drive positive change, optimise team performance, and enhance employee satisfaction. Organisation development supports sustainable growth and resilience by using data-driven analysis to implement strategic action.
This approach also works on multiple levels—individual, team, and organisational—to drive lasting change. It investigates socio-technical systems involving people, processes, and technology and how they work together. Integrating it into HR strategy is critical to ensuring alignment and hiring the right people to drive business growth. Organisation development and HR strategies complement each other and can be combined to promote organisational growth and innovation.
Why is Organisation development important?
From a modern scientific perspective, organisations aren’t machines but living systems. Like living organisms, organisations are also affected by greater external forces. Considering organisations from this perspective, we need tools to help us study these larger interconnected systems in context, much like a scientist would study how organisms play a role in larger natural systems, known as ecology.
For example, the open systems theory considers an organisation constantly influenced by its environment and vice versa. This theory can help us learn how organisations function as dynamic, interdependent systems and apply this knowledge to any organisation.
At its core, organisation development aligns with broader organisational goals and practices. By studying complex adaptive systems (like nature), we can use this knowledge for maximum effectiveness. An organisation needs to be adaptable, flexible, and evolve to thrive. Organisations can change and grow by implementing specific models and interventions, including systems thinking.
What is systems thinking?
Systems thinking considers problem-solving holistically. In a research paper titled “Tackling wicked problems in strategic management with systems thinking,” researchers explain how systems thinking can help us solve some of society’s most pressing issues by examining problems from a macro perspective.
“Wicked problems” are problems that have no clear solution, for example, climate change. These problems are infinitely complex because they are affected by multiple variables that are often difficult to study. For example, how do you quantify an organisation’s carbon footprint? While organisations might try to reduce their emissions, could they inadvertently create more emissions in the process?
These questions aren’t easy to answer, and systems thinking isn’t necessarily a panacea for the world’s problems. However, it can help develop more expansive ways of thinking about organisational challenges.
Learn organisation development skills at SACAP Global
At SACAP Global, we’re passionate about providing practical workplace tools. One of our recently launched short online courses, Intro to Organisation Development: Theory & Practice, will help you better understand how to enable capacity development for individuals, teams, and societies.
The course explains models of planned change and techniques for practical implementation. As you work through the course content, you’ll gain insights into frameworks that guide change efforts and help understand resistance to change and how to overcome it.
The course also provides the skills to examine how organisation development integrates with HR strategies. You’ll learn the strategic importance of this approach within the broader HR context and how both internal and external expertise support senior leaders, HR professionals, and managers in building resilient organisations.
You can also “stack” Intro to Organisation Development: Theory & Practice with Organisation Development: Processes & Tools for Effectiveness, another micro-credential. If you complete both and meet the minimum entrance criteria, you can enrol in SACAP’s Bachelor of Applied Social Science Degree programme and apply for module exemption. Learn more about stacking micro-credentials towards a degree.
For information about our other short online courses, browse our course list.