Purpose This paper aims to report an organizational development (OD) exercise carried out in a prominent non-governmental organization (NGO) that works in the area of rights and advocacy in India.
Design/methodology/approach The exercise was part of the first author’s graduate program, which required the application of behavioral science theory to a live organization under the supervision of her advisor, the second author. The organizational development exercise spread over four months and involved entering an organization, interacting with key participants and stakeholders of the organization both formally and informally, diagnosing issues facing the organization and a mirroring exercise with the management at the end of the intervention to provide feedback.
Introduction
Organization development (OD) work has largely been carried out in business or for-profit organizations. Bargal and Schmid (1992) refer to the paucity of literature on consultation done in developmental organizations. OD in nonprofit organizations provides some unique challenges for the consultant that may not exist in business organizations (Ramos, 2007; Waysman and Savaya, 1997).
Developmental organizations are thought to differ from for-profit organizations in a number of ways (Brown and Covey, 1987). Studies have shown that employees in developmental organizations seek greater autonomy and less organizational control in their work. Since there is a need for flexibility and local discretion in the working of developmental organizations, they tend to be more informal and loosely organized than business organizations (Joseph, 2000; Lewis, 2003). Another often cited concern is the existence of high role ambiguity and lack of clarity about roles and procedures in such organizations (Goldman and Kahnweiler, 2000; McDonald, 1999). In his study of organizational change in a human service organization, Ramos (2007) discusses the poor communication across the various units/programs of the nonprofit. Given that values and ideology play a central role in developmental organizations (Brown and Covey, 1987; Edwards and Sen, 2000; Lewis, 2003; Tvedt, 2006), they are known to attract workers high in motivation, commitment, and satisfaction (Bacchiega The current issue and full-text archive of this journal are available at and Borzaga, 2001; Benz, 2005; Mirvis, 1992). Leadership also plays a critical role in shaping the ideology of these organizations and it has been noted (Markham et al., 2001) that developmental organizations tend to be dominated by a few and an active
a number of leaders.
Schnell (2005) points to the issue of moving beyond the leadership of an organizational founder and the challenges of rapid growth in his case study. The relevance of OD in developmental organizations has been cited variously as increasing the capacity of the social change agencies to cope with organizational problems (Brown et al., 2004), and enhancing the climate or operations of the non-profit agency (Ramos, 2007). Discussing the role of participatory action research in facilitating social change in an Asian developmental organization context, Brown (1993) argues for greater collective reflections of diverse constituencies and participants in order to address social change issues that are complex and loosely organized around various factors and institutions. Using action research and democratic theory to guide forced dialogue, Gustavsen and Engelstad (1986) discuss the role of conferences or workshops as a means to engage organizational participants in an encounter that permits them to experiment with new types of interpersonal processes and promote dialogue in organizational change projects. Speaking of the consultant’s role, Ramos (2007) points out that the organizational consultation process employed could include assessment, feedback, and action planning components. Korten (1980) discusses the three stages of the learning process for a development organization as learning to be effective, learning to be efficient, and learning to expand. Although the role of OD can cut across the three stages, it may be most suited for the second stage, when the organization starts growing and would require the consultant’s help to mature as an organization.
Given the paucity of research on OD in developmental organizations, this paper examines the case of OD in a prominent NGO in the state of Jharkhand in India, where many of the challenges facing a developmental organization are mentioned in the literature and some others, come alive. This was an exploratory study with an attempt to diagnose organizational issues in the NGO during a period of change and mirror back the results of the organizational diagnosis towards improving the working of the organization.
About the organization
Adhikar[1] (which stands for human rights) is a mass-based organization in the state of Jharkhand in India that started in 1985 with the aim of altering society’s power base toward the poor and the marginalized. It has been working alongside socially marginalized communities with the intent to support organized action from within the community against any unjust distribution of wealth, resources, or power. The founder, Mr. Rajan Mishra sought to espouse the ideal of self-determination through organizing people into unions and other collectives. The organization has grown from a few handfuls inspired by Mr. Mishra during its early days to over 200 employees at the time of the intervention. Mr. Mishra currently serves in a prominent position at the Center in the Government of India. He has chosen to dissociate himself from Adhikar so that it is seen as politically non-aligned.
the region into unions. Under the umbrella of the Adivasi Sangathan, other unions evolved over time. Adhikar also works in the area of budgetary analysis and expenditure monitoring of the state government through its wing called Arthik Siksha[3]. There is also a scholarship program that seeks to fund and train local-level leadership, and the emergency response program encompasses relief work at times of natural calamities.
Structure of the organization
Adhikar is structured along with both geography and programs. As the organization has grown, its structure has evolved. The various unions and programs are overseen by different coordinators – all reporting directly to the Managing Trustee, Mr. Mishra. In addition, there are location coordinators in Chaibasa, Ghatsila, and Saraikela, which are districts of the State. There is considerable overlap between program and region. The structure showing differentiation by program and region along with the respective heads are shown in Figure 2.
Methodology of the study
The primary methodology of the study comprised:
The process followed involved closed-room interviews with each of the coordinators, usually lasting for 1-2 hours where the author first introduced herself and elaborated on the nature of her engagement, and sought the views of those being interviewed regarding the organization, its culture, areas of concern, and any suggestions or other comments pertinent to the discussion. All the respondents were assured of the confidentiality of their responses.
The author also visited the field in Ghatsila where she interacted with the field workers and the regional coordinator, Mr. Dubey. During this visit, she sat in on one of the regional meetings, following which she had interviews with the field workers in small groups of four or five. This was done to understand the
organization from the view of the fieldworkers and gain insight into its issues
through their lens.
. Memos and reports. The initial familiarization with the organization and its activities came through a study of the various reports and manuals published. These included annual reports, budget analysis reports of Arthik Siksha, newspaper clippings on Adhikar, and other documents relating to the organization.
. Observations. In addition to the interviews, the author also observed the non-verbal cues, the pattern of interaction, and the nature of relationships among members during her visits to the Adhikar office and the field, which was indicative of the climate of the organization. These observations continued beyond the course of the interviews to the time when she was sitting in on some of the meetings of the coordinators and her informal interaction with organizational members.
. Diagnostic presentation. Towards the end of the engagement, a session was held with all the coordinators present, where findings from the authors’ engagement with the organization were presented to the members in a closed room group meeting. This served both as a mirroring (feedback) activity as well as a forum for initiating dialogue and communication across the various units and members of the organization.
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