The latest ideas on how to approach measurement and evaluation of HR activities
Article Type: e-HR From: Strategic HR Review, Volume 9, Issue 4
Understanding the impact of OD
Whether or not organizational development is the term used, most businesses will be focusing time on this in a bid to improve their effectiveness and survive the current recession. This article looks at how organizations can assess whether their organizational development efforts add real value.
There are many working in the field of OD who believe that its systemic nature makes it hard to measure; some hold a worldview that says it is inappropriate even to try. Evaluation is something that is often overlooked,avoided or included only as an afterthought when an OD intervention has already taken place. But as we emerge into a post-recession world, being able and willing to demonstrate the impact of OD on the effectiveness of organizations will be essential if the discipline is to maintain and increase its credibility.
Until now there has been little practical guidance available for practitioners who want to evaluate their work. At Roffey Park we decided to collect examples, not of common practice, but of best practice in the evaluation of OD interventions and in February 2009 set about interviewing 23 experienced practitioners from around the world to find out how they measured their work. Our research participants represented a wide range of approaches and philosophies and included Warner Burke, co-creator of the Burke-Litwin model of organizational change. This research highlights the following key areas that businesses need to consider when evaluating the impact of organizational development efforts.
1. The importance of early conversations
One of our key findings was about the importance of defining what success looks like in early conversations. Having the best conversation you can with key stakeholders will help ensure that you are measuring the right things.
2. Choosing the right tools
Be prepared to flex evaluation frameworks and tools, adapting them to the context and culture of the organization and the unique nature of the intervention. Existing methods may not be up to capturing the complex, sometimes intangible outcomes of OD. It may be necessary to invent your own tools, or get someone in to help you.
3. Do not try to boil the ocean
It is not always easy to come up with a set of simple, tangible measures because of the complexity and unpredictability of OD, but it is essential in order to achieve a meaningful evaluation. It is also important to be able to repeat an evaluation exercise for comparison purposes. An over-complicated methodology may make this difficult or even impossible.
4. Expect challenges
There will be challenges along the way. It can be difficult to manage the expectations of those who want to see quick and tangible results from OD; to overcome skepticism, lack of trust or resistance from participants; to measure the intangible or the emergent; to identify causal relationships among a mass of intervening factors; and to work with practical or resource issues. The evaluation may deliver unwanted news, putting pressure on either your integrity,relationships within your organization, or both.
5. Evaluation adds value
Remember, the effort will be worth it. Evaluation adds value to the OD practitioner’s work in all kinds of ways. Talking about evaluation helps to clarify desired outcomes and informs the choice and design of interventions. Evaluation during an OD intervention helps to keep it on track and to refocus and reassess possibilities, and helps OD practitioners spot and act on unexpected effects. The process of evaluation can enhance relationships and energize and inspire both participants and practitioners. Evaluation feedback can be used to recognize and celebrate change efforts, can help practitioners with their own professional development and can help external consultants win business.
6. Trends and influences on evaluation
Our research surfaced a number of trends in the evaluation of OD, most notably an increasing emphasis on accountability as we move through and out of the recession. The development of good practice in evaluation will make practitioners more accountable and increase clarity of understanding of the value OD can bring to an organization. These changes will lead to increased credibility for OD as a discipline and, in turn, make it easier to evaluate OD interventions.
7. Building a culture of evaluation in OD
At Roffey Park we believe that a change of attitude is needed in OD,acknowledging all the difficulties and complexities associated with evaluation,but looking to see what is possible in a constructive way. OD practitioners need to develop more of a “measurement mindset” and seek training in research techniques as part of their development. Partnering with evaluation experts will help deliver robust results. Ongoing debate within the OD community will also ensure that best practice is shared.
Liz FinneyRoffey Park
About the author
Liz Finney is a senior researcher at Roffey Park Institute in Sussex, UK, and author of Best Practice in OD Evaluation: Understanding the Impact of Organizational Development, (Finney and Jefkins, 2009). Her other research interests include HR business partnering, on which she has published a practical guide to successful implementation, and the impact of board level relationships on organizational effectiveness. Liz Finney can be contacted at: liz.finney@roffeypark.com
