Organization Development and the Role of Change Agent

Organization development and improvement of work procedures is one of the most fundamental steps in any organization. But, the important point in “organization development” is that, it is a planned and conscious change regarding the development of capabilities and abilities which lead to high performance, effectiveness,efficiency and organizational health. It is based on institutionalizing new values, and creating employees’ confidence in the organization. First, this idea emerged from Kurt Lewin indicating: unfreezing, change and refreezing. Then, Greiner emphasized on development and change as a process of systematic and interrelated change. Later, Levitte designed a model different than Lewin and Greiner. He looked at the organization as a system comprising four parts: organizational functions, structure, technology, and manpower. According to him, a manager should be careful of the effect of each of these factors might have on the other. In short, organization development from these views will follow the study of the organizational problems, diagnosing them, developing plan for improvement and change, implementing the changes and eventually, evaluation and the feedback. Consequently, informing the management about the results.