Is OD a Part of HRD or HRD a Part of OD

Is OD a Part of HRD or HRD a Part of OD: a view

T. V. Rao

I thought this controversy is no more.

Several years ago I was invited by Dr. B. L. Maheshwari the Founder of the Centre for Organization Development to consider joining it as its Director. 

That was the time I was doing three main jobs: Chairman of the Post Graduate Program at IIMA, President of ISABS and also was in the thick of setting up the National HRD Network. ISABS facilitated the work of HRD Network by agreeing to offer a HRD Facilitators lab jointly with NHRDN. NHRDN was not known in those days and it is the magnanimity of ISABS that has facilitated NHRDN to launch its HRD Facilitators program. That was also the time the Indore Management Association launched the Indore chapter of NHRDN as a part of Indore Management Association. When I approached some people in Indore to start a Chapter of NHRDN they said, “We have a strong Management body here and why is there a need for starting another body? We will do it as a part of IMA”. I have readily agreed. That was the time HRD Network was launched in south by the Madras Management Association thanks to Dr K. M. Thiagarajan. Russi Modi inaugurated it and the NHRDN at Ahmedabad for which K. K. Verma and Anil Khandelwal were active leaders launched the ISTD, Ahmedabad chapter on NHRDN platform. There was a lot of collaboration among these bodies at that time at local chapter levels. Te questions were not asked. In fact a full issue of HRD Newsletter was devoted to HRD and OD. IIMA called its program HROD program when it offered the same for HR Facilitators and NHRDN called it HRD.

In my innocence or eagerness to promote HRD, I suggested to Dr. Maheshwari that if I have to join COD and lead it as its Director, my vision will be to make it a HRD lead institute and I would use it as a centre for HRD and Applied BS. He said I may do anything I like except changing the name of COD to CHRD or Centre for Applied Behavioural Science.  Thank God that I never asked Dr. Maheshwari to change the name of COD for me to join it!  Sometimes I wonder why Dr. Maheshwari called it Centre for Organization Development. Dr.B.L.Maheshwari set up the Centre for Organization Development (COD) in 1980 with three core values: strong client orientation, high standards of quality and an Informal Growth & performance oriented work culture. In fact Dr Maheshwari was neither a member of ISABs nor trained at NTL to the best of my knowledge. However he has done a lot to promote OD in his own way through his centre. The COD library is filled with the photographs of a number of OD stalwarts. He used largely Management by Objectives as an OD tool in his early years and latter he and the COD have done a lot of work on Organizational Culture, Performance Management, Managerial effectiveness, Coaching, Quality circles and such other areas and in a variety of sectors. The work of COD makes it clear that you need not be an accredited OD Facilitator to do solid OD work. I hold this view to HRD, Applied Behavioural Science and even Management. There have been many successful Managers who manage their firms well and they don’t have an M B A.

The answer to whether OD is a part of HRD or HRD a part of OD is in our minds and it depends on the perspective we use. I wonder sometimes why the same question is not asked with Management as a filed.  Is Management (Professional Management or all categories of Management) a part of HRD or HRD a part of Management? At National level Management is a part of HRD. The AICTE which governs Management Institutes, Engineering colleges etc. is a part of the HRD Ministry. At Institutional level HRD is a discipline and is a part of OB or HRM and OD is taught as a part of  OB or HRM. In L&T OD was conceptualised as paart of HRD and yet some years the Vice-President to whom HRD was reporting was called as Vice-President Personnel & OD. In organizations where there is no OD the question does not arise. Some organizations have separate OD cells. For example HMT several decades ago had an OD cell. In L&T no less a person then Udai Pareek recommended in as long ago as 1975 recommended OD to be part of HRD. The intention was to have HRD also undertake OD work to facilitate organizational learning. Some organizations have called their training facility as HRD Institute.  

In my view OD is not a function. It is a process, it has technology and it follows a set of values and it should remain so. I would not even want OD to become a discipline or a function. When you make anything a function in a country like India where means have a knack of becoming ends and the original purposes get quickly forgotten, I don’t recommend any one to jump and create new functions and new structures. (For example Anna Hazare movement started as movement to curb corruption a strong Lokpal is supposes to be a means to curb corruption. No on e has ever seen if Lokpal will have the real capability to curb correction. It is a pious hope of all of us. But now corruption has gone to the background and Lokpal bill has become a matter of debate and corruption continues quietly to do its work while we all debate Lokpal).

Sometimes I feel that making a discipline as a function does more harm to the discipline and its development than letting it be. The same thing happened to HRD in some organizations. There are HRD Managers not knowing whether they represent Human Resource Development or Human Resource Department. The main job of some of them is to get right agency to handle their HR through a process of outsourcing. They spend their time standardising the outsourcing practices like floating tenders to get HR services at low cost  than to offer HR services themselves. This is a clear consequence of establishing a department and giving it a mandate. I dread the ay OD becomes a department as we will have another tender floating and consulting hunting department. It was not the intention of Udai Pareek. And the first HRD Manager in the country Dr. Dennyson Pereira  has been both a member of ISABS and an NTL trained persona and has done real good OD work by taking up diagnostic studies and carrying out a number of real OD interventions in OD. He did all this as part of HRD.

 I think the issue is unnecessary. The answer to whether OD is part of HRD or HRD is part of OD depends on the need, convenience and your approach. You could be right either way and argue well your case. Both can be treated broadly as philosophies, processes, value driven disciplines, functions and departments etc. For me recognising that OD as a process and respecting it is of paramount importance and making it a function is doing disservice to the field of ever growing field of OD. It has body of knowledge and it is a wide open field. India is a proud nation. While Kurt Lewin and team developed OD is the west India had CD in the east. The Community Development programs in India started as long ago as Independent Indian started or even before had the same principles in them as OD principles: people participation, facilitation by an external facilitator trained in the respective field (agriculture, health, education etc.), with the support of the top management (village Pachayats and other influential leaders) and sued a variety of interventions.  HRD is as old as civilisation and civilisations grew as a result of people developing themselves through a variety of activities and actions including learning and development and not because of HRD Departments as they did not exist in those days! 

Draft Note for enlisting newer members to the ODIndia Sangam

35 people met in Bangalore on 9 April 2011 at the Wipro Sarjapur Road campus to deliberate on what a forum for OD in India could do and how it may be alike or different from other professional bodies. We let the spirit of volunteerism, informality and discovery sway over and gave ourselves time to pick ourselves up from a fairly spirited togetherness. While a sense of the proceedings are on the blogsite (http://odspace.blogspot.com/) created by the youthful amongst us, we have miles to go. Some of us could not make it then, and we think it is time for us to be together at least virtually, till the time a next face to face meeting arises. Plans are on the anvil for 2012, as also for 2013.

Would you like to be kept abreast of how this OD India Sangam is evolving? Let Vishy know at "Vishy (Viswanathan Sankara)" <vishy.sankara@gmail.com>, so that he could put you on our google group mail list. We've a lot to gain from your active presence in this community too. 

(Add your personal notes here….)

Forming the Intent for an ODIndia Network

Meeting of ODIndia Sangam on 7 Dec, 2011 at Citrix, 23, Residency Road

Present : Dr. TV Rao, Prof. KB Akhilesh, G Vishwanath, Dr. Pallab B, Dr. Gopal Mahapatra, G Vishwanath, Dr. Mary Mathew, V Kartikeyan, George Kunnath, Joseph G

Most thankful to Dr. Pallab in making our meeting happen.

 Formalisation of an India Network would be necessary to transact business of a conference it would appear. More of course is to be reflected from the membership of our forum. Quick highlights for our community to capture.

1.       Prof. Akhilesh would like us to firm up details of 2013 conference date, so that IISc can host the AODN conference. He has consented to be the Conference Chairperson.

2.       G Vish and Joseph G will prepare an approach note by Dec 15^th so that the following can get outlined.

a.       Proposal to AODN for the 2013 conference (needs to be sent to AODN by month end Dec 2011)

b.      Derivative Concept Note to enlist support from a potential Conference Director

3.       Conference Structure beginning with those present above as the Steering Committee that will be expanded to meet a multi-pronged approach.  Kartikeyan V, G Vish will help in outlining a conference structure deliberation.

4.       An approach Note for professional bodies like AISABS, ISTD, AHRD, Sumedhas, SHRM, NHRDN, NIPM to be outlined by Dr. Rao.

5.       In order that we model an inclusive approach, we will need to conduct our meetings as ODers ourselves. George Kunnath reflected deeply the need to involve the participant in experiential mode for real 'conferencing' to happen for the OD community.

Dr. Gopal highlighted the need to look at customer for the conference – namely – Consultants, In-house Practitioners, Academicians and Students.

6.       ODIndia Sangam needs to look at aspects beyond the conference, and the build up to the conference. E.g. Nature of involvement of academic institutions and professional bodies in India.

7.       A workshop on writing OD Cases may be offered so that content from India can be documented in 2012.

CALL FOR INDIAN OD CASE STUDIES

FIRST CALL FOR  INDIAN OD CASE STUDIES

Rupande  Padaki,  Joseph George, Gopal Mahapatra and Mary Mathew

The role documented OD activity in India will play is immeasurable.  Documented OD activity will serve as a resource useful in consulting, teaching, research and knowledge acquisition.  This call aims to motivate members of the ODINSANGAM to contribute written OD case studies they have witnessed, been actors in, heard about.  Case studies can be successful ones or even more interesting, experiences of failed OD efforts. In other words both success and failure stories are most welcome.  Case studies of OD in an Indian context, with Indian actors, in Indian organizational climates and settings are welcomed.  Case studies of foreign multi-national OD experience in India, are also solicited.  All case studies must be originally written by the author/s. 

The general definition of OD given by French and Bell, 1999 can be used as a guideline.  They define OD as follows:  “…. a long-term effort led and supported by top management, to improve an organization's visioning, empowerment, learning, and problem-solving processes, through an ongoing, collaborative management of organizational culture, with special emphasis on the consultant-facilitator role and the theory and technology of applied behavioral science, including participant action research" (French & Bell, 1999). 

 In the long run an edited book on OD case studies will be published and sequels evolved.  Rich OD data on the Indian experience is rare to find. This resource base will have use for both Indians and global change managers alike. 

The following are the guidelines for OD case study submission:

(a) Aspects to note when writing your case study:

Clearly written case studies highlighting the nature of the change that was / is being managed are encouraged.  Indianness in the theme is essential, however cases may well be on a MNC in India, and experiences if any on Indians practicing OD in Indian companies abroad.  Cases on OD successes and failures are equally welcome.    Care must be taken to elaborate  the process in each case study.  The process can be described as follows:

(i)      Planning for change, level of change, individual, group, organization, other, include the industrial sector, functional area if necessary

(ii)    The nature of change will describe the element being changed like, behavioral, structural, process, culture, technology, customer, skills, etc

(iii)  Other interventions like quality movements, HR interventions, cultural change also qualify

(iv)  The characters being addressed in the case must be described: namely the client system, the interventionist (change agent) or the top management of the system.  

(v)    The method of intervention used, for example the diagnostic tools used, the process for diagnosis, target behaviors for change or elements of change, assessments of facilitating and restraining factors, feedback and procedure used for the feedback process, feedback reception, the design of the intervention, the actual intervention,  sub systems involved, evaluation of change, feedback process, success or failure.  Difficulties encountered.

(vi)  Any theory used: for example, action research, systems theory, OD theories, group dynamics and process consulting

(vii)Any hint of philosophies or schools of thought used, like use of science, socio-technical approach, sociology, radical humanism, functionalism,  behaviorist.

(viii)                     The outcome of the intervention, impact and effects, long and short term

(ix)  Learnings and insights from the case study

Whilst these guidelines are essential to maintain uniformity and quality, minor deviations around the guideline is permissible. 

(b) Style guide to follow when writing your case study:

All case studies must have an abstract and main case study.  All abstract must not exceed 250 words.  The following guideline must be followed:

This is the title of your OD Case study and it has a font size of 14 using Times Roman

This is the abstract of the case study.  This abstract must make clear a summary of the process described in (a). The font size for the body of the abstract is size 12 and Times Roman.  Kindly restrict yourself to 250 words. This abstract will be used to screen your case study and assess if it fits and is suitable for the OD database.  In case it is found lacking feedback will be provided. The case studies will be reviewed by Dr Rupande Padaki, Gopal Mahapatra, Dr Joseph and Prof Mary Mathew.  The deadline for the abstract is July 25^th.   Kindly email the case study to marymathew24@gmail.com   All emails bearing your abstract must carry the subject heading “OD Case study”.  Authors will be members from ODINsangam for now, with co-opted co-authors where necessary.  All abstracts must have “key words” below them.  Key words will be small phrases describing the sector of your case study and anything you wish to highlight. Key words will evolve organically and be used to index case studies over time.  Kindly use, Times Roman 12 and italic, for key words. Once all case studies are received we will send you an email with details of how to go about writing your main case study.  Nevertheless, note that the style guide for the main case study will be the same as is in your abstract (namely, font style, size, headings, text).  The main case study must not exceed 10,000 words. The probable time line for the full paper will be October 25^th, 2011. Enjoy!

Word count: 257

Keywords:  Industrial sector, highlight, main issue, main actor

Important Disclaimer:  All authors please note that, abstracts and main case studies must have a disclaimer stating that "The author/s of this case study is/are responsible for permissions from the organization whose name is being mentioned in the OD case study”, alternatively the name must be camouflaged. Also, state that, “To the best of my/ our knowledge, my/our  case study does not contain plagiarism or any kind nor does it contain any form of self plagiarism”.

(c)  Screening process:

The screening of case studies will be done in two stages.  First, the abstract will be reviewed by four reviewers as mentioned above.  Once, the abstract is accepted, there will be a call for the full paper.  Second, the full paper will be further reviewed and comments provided by the same team of reviewers for revisions if necessary.  Following the style guide is mandatory.  The abstract and full paper will be screened to assess if the guidelines mentioned in points (a), (b) and the disclaimer are strictly followed.  Irrespective of the time duration of the OD exercise in weeks, months and years, and the complexity of the case, the length of the case study must not be more than 10000 words and less than 5000.  Short case studies that lack OD content as mentioned in the guidelines will not received high reviews, neither will cases longer than 10000 words.   Plagiarism and self plagiarism of any kind must be avoided. For any queries/clarifications please write to marymathew24@gmail.com

We look forward to your submissions !!!

***

Language in thoughtless Inaction:

Language  in thoughtless Inaction:

Eversince  I had attended  a month long  NLP course @ the feet  of venerable NLP  Guru ,  Jesuit Priest and Indo American ( IMV he is more Indian than many who are born, bred and brought up here)  Dr.Richard Mchugh,   I  was interested in language constructs. My good friend  and trainer   Daniel Pacheco  who  is also into NLP ( he  studied under maverick Richard Bandler)  used   to say that anythhng  people say  has 3 meanings.  Stated, understood and hidden. And I would hasten to add most often we miss all 3 of them.
S.I. Hayakawa’s  classic book “ Language in thought and action” just reinforced that belief.  It
is a small book , written some 70 years ago.  That wonderful book offers  invaluable insight into how language affects human thought and conditions behaviour, and addresses the question of how
language should be sued  to achieve cooperation and understanding  than  confrontation.

A few days back  TIME magazine published an interesting  article  two  well meaning ladies who live
in  Mexico.  It  was reported , “ The survival of an endangered language may depend on two people --
and all they want to do is ignore each other. Manuel Segovia and Isidro Velazquez, the last speakers of a language called Ayapaneco, live less than half a mile away from each other in Ayapa, Mexico. But no matter how precious the cultural implications of keeping their language alive are, they are not
going to speak to each other.”

The Guardian notes that, “It is not clear whether there is a long-buried argument behind their mutual avoidance, but people who know them say they have never really enjoyed each other's company.”

Btw, Ayapaneco is one of many dozens of indigenous languages remaining in Mexico, many are on the verge of extinction. Regardless, linguists are still attempting to preserve the language despite the lack of communication between the last two fluent speakers, who no longer converse with
anyone regularly in their native tongue. When Segovia, 75, and Velazquez, 65, both die, their language will pass away with them.

Still, Daniel Suslak, a linguistic anthropologist, sums up their relationship succinctly: “They don't have a lot in common."

Senator Hayakawa's main point is that, we need to pay focus on how we use the language, since it is language  humans use in order to think, and since language has such an extraordinary power to influence others and ourselves.

Then when what happens  when we cease to use a language. Do  we stop thinking ?  or how do we influence others ?

It is said  that “By age four, most humans have developed an ability to communicate through oral
language. By age six or seven, most humans can comprehend, as well as express, written thoughts. These unique abilities of communicating through a native language clearly separate humans from all animals.”

The animal that comes closest to producing anything that even vaguely resembles human speech is not another primate, but rather a bird.

For instance, a famous African gray parrot in England named Toto can pronounce words so clearly that he sounds rather human. Like humans, birds can produce fluent, complex sounds.  Infact I do remember during my childhood, my cousin  had  a myna, which could utter a few words.

One of the big ‘success’ stories in looking at the human-like qualities of non-human primates is a male bonobo chimpanzee known as Kanzi. Kanzi was born 28 October 1980, and began his long journey to learn to ‘speak’ as a result of the training provided for his mother, Matata, via a
‘talking’ keyboard. Matata never did master the keyboard, but Kanzi did. Through many years of intense training and close social contact with humans, this remarkable animal attained the language abilities of an average two-year-old human. By age ten, he had a vocabulary (via the keyboard) of some two hundred words. In fact, Kanzi was able to go beyond the mere parroting or ‘aping’ of humans; he actually could communicate his wants and needs, express feelings, and use tools.


One of the examples of Kanzi’s behavior is In an outing in the Georgia woods, Kanzi touched the symbols for "marshmallows" and "fire." Susan Savage-Rumbaugh said in an interview that, "Given matches and marshmallows, Kanzi snapped twigs for a fire, lit them with the matches and toasted the marshmallows on a stick."

The biggest tragedy  is  while those animals make a sincere attempt in mastering the single most differentiating factor between them and humans (  language),  we humans cease to communicate.

For example  Jaylalitha and  Karunanidhi ?  Or  Mulaym Singh and Mayawati ? 
 And aren’t we really happy that  many others do  talk in Tamil and Hindi ?  

Going Nowhere Furiously?

I post another link here for those who may find it worth reflecting on.  http://bit.ly/l2hyZi  Feel free to comment on the same, as it means a lot to those who embrace the lives and professions we do.

My take on the book Tell-Tale brain by VS Ramachandran

Living in Groups: Saluting the Brain : Ramachandran VS (2010) The Te...: "When babies are born, we’re happy if the weight of the infant is about 4 to 6 pounds. Adult brains that r..."