Personal, Interpersonal and
Group Process Interventions in
OD
OD Interventions
OD interventions are plans or programs comprised of specific activities designed to effect change in
some facet of an organization.
They all are geared toward the goal of improving the entire organization through change
Organizations that wish to achieve a high degree of organizational change will employ a full range
of interventions, including those designed to transform individual and group behavior and attitudes.
OD interventions are “sets of structured activities in which selected organizational units (target
groups or individuals) engage with a task or a sequence of tasks where the task goals are related
directly or indirectly to organizational improvement” (French & Bell, Jr., 1978).
Characteristics of OD Interventions
It is data-based and experience-based, with emphasis on action and goal-setting
Structured activities
It frequently uses work teams as target groups
It is based on systems approach to organizations
It is based on a normative, re-educative strategy of changing
Families of OD Interventions
Diagnostic Activities
Team-building Activities
Intergroup Activities
Survey-Feedback Activities
Education Activities
Techno structural Activities
Families of OD Interventions
Process Consultation Activities
Grid Organization Development Activities
Third-Party Peacemaking Activities
Coaching and Counseling Activities
Life and Career Planning Activities
Planning and Goal Setting Activities
Interpersonal Interventions
Interpersonal interventions in an OD program are designed to enhance individual skills,
knowledge, and effectiveness.
The interventions are aimed at helping members of groups assess their interactions and
devise more effective ways of working.
Group Interventions
Group interventions are designed to help teams and groups within organizations become more
effective.
The benefit of such interventions is that members often communicate problems of which their co-
workers were unaware.
These interventions are aimed at the process, content, or structure of the group.
Sensitivity Training
Sensitivity training refers to one of the organizational development techniques which through
counselling methods works on increasing employee well-being, self-awareness of an individual's own
prejudices and sensitivity to others.
Sensitivity training helps employees to be more sensitive and accepting of the existing diversity in
the workplace.
It enhances understanding between members of the organization and enables building good
interpersonal relationships with other team members.
It educates members about constructive behavior which will benefit everybody working in the
organization through developing acceptable and correct behavioral and emotional actions.
Sensitivity training teaches people to engage in perspective-taking so that it is easier for them to
appreciate another point of view and come to a mutual understanding.
The Indian and Western forms of ST differ in the content, process, and the underlying
philosophies.
The emphasis of this training is not upon learning facts, but upon gaining an understanding of
feelings, gestures, attitudes and emotions, i.e., sensitivity to oneself and others.
Goals of Sensitivity Training
Focuses on being sensitive and aware of the feelings of others
Emphasizes on personal relationships and remarks
Focuses on personal growth and interpersonal effectiveness
Improve the functioning within a group
T-Groups/Training Groups
Unstructured group with no formal agenda
Consists of about 8-12 members and a professional trainer, who acts as a facilitator for the group
Actions, Reactions, Interactions and Concomitant feelings are data for the group.
Outcomes of Sensitivity Training
SELF
Increased awareness of own feelings and its impact on others
Increased awareness of others’ feelings and its impact on self
Increased interpersonal competence
ROLE
Clarity about organisational role
Change in attitude towards others’ role
ORGANIZATION
Organisational improvement through group training
TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS
Transactional Analysis (TA), a framework for analyzing interpersonal relations and transactions, and
use in OD as an educational intervention.
The focus is on the individual and the major benefits accrue to individual, namely, enhanced
individual functioning. But TA has also been used as a technique for team building.
TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS
Developed by Eric Berne psychotherapy in the 1950s.
Transactional analysis is a technique used to help people better understand their own and other’s
behaviour, especially in interpersonal relationships.
Objective is to provide better understanding of how people relate to one another so that they may
develop improved communication and human relationship
TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS
Huse describe TA as focuses on such areas as the structure of the personality (structural analysis), the
way in which people interact (transactional analysis), or the way in which people structure their time
(time structuring), and the roles that people learn to play in life.
THREE EGO STATES
• People interact with each other in terms of three psychological positions or behavioural pattern,
known as ego states.
• Person’s way of thinking, feeling and behaving at any time.
- Parent Ego State
- Adult Ego State
- Child Ego State
PARENTING EGO STATE
Incorporates the attitude and behaviours of all emotionally significant people who serve as parent
figure.
There can be two types of parent ego states :
Nurturing Parent Ego State
Critical Parent Ego State
Nurturing Parent ego state includes the nurturing side and can be soft, loving, and permission
giving.
The Critical Parent includes part of our personality contains the prejudged thoughts, feelings and
beliefs that we learned from our parents.
ADULT EGO STATE
The Adult ego state evokes behaviour that could be described simply as logical, reasonable,
rationale and unemotional.
Characterized by problem-solving analysis and rationale decision making.
Identified by verbal and physical signs which include thoughtful concentration and discussion.
CHILD EGO STATE
The child ego state is associated with behaviours that appear when a person is responding
emotionally.
Gained from one’s experiences as a child.
Characteristics of child ego include creativity, conformity, depression, anxiety, dependence, fear
and hate.
ANALYSIS OF TRANSACTIONS
Transactions can be:
Complementary – when two people’s ego states are sympathetic or complementary to one
another.
Crossed - a crossed transaction is one in which the sender sends message a behaviour on the basis
of his ego state, but this message is reacted to by an unexpected ego state on the part of the receiver.
Ulterior - two ego states within the same person but one disguises the other one. Berne says that
we can communicate on two levels.
There is the social message – what we say, and the psychological message – what we mean.
SCRIPT ANALYSIS
According to Eric Berne,” a script is an ongoing programme, developed in early childhood under
parental influence which directs the individual behaviour in the most important aspects of his life.
A script is a complete plan of living, offering prescriptions, permissions and structure which
makes one winner or loser in life.
HOW TA RELATED TO OD
Lyman Randall, an OD and TA practitioner with American Airlines, defines OD from a TA
perspective:
organization development is an evolving set of specific activities designed and implemented to
achieve the following:
a. To maximize Adult-Adult tractions between individuals.
b. to give an Ok to participate in transactions with others
c. to identify and untangle quickly crossed transactions between people.
d. to maximize authentic encounters (intimacy) between individuals.
e. to develop administrative systems, policies, and work climate that support the preceding
objectives.
