The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

We present here our experience of an Organizational Development (OD) effort in an

unusual setting. Conceptually, OD is expected to cover the entire system. However, this is
a normative statement. Instances of OD activities encompassing the entire organization
are rare; in actuality, OD directly involves the upper management and hopefully
generates systemic changes which permeate through the rank and file. Presented here is a
case in which every member of the organization was directly involved in the programme.
Most OD experiences derive from enterprise organizations. In these, as also in various
non-enterprise organizations, bonds between members are essentially based on economic
relationships. In this case, however, the bonds were ideological.

The total span of the OD programme was two years. The organization involved
was a voluntary service agency, which we shall call International Services (IS). This was
an international organization, providing services in only one specialized field. It operated
six geographical sectors across the world.

This paper is based on an OD project conducted by the Behavioural Science

Centre (India). The project planning group consisted of Somnath Chattopadhyay,
Manohar S. Nadkarni, and Udai Pareek. The facilitators in the basic laboratories were
Abad Ahmed, Sujit Bhattacharjee, Somnath Chattopadhyay, N.K. Jaiswal, Gordhan
Kathuria, Prayag Mehta, Ed McGrath, Manohar S. Nadkarni, Udai Pareek, and Pandit
Patankar. The facilitators for the internal resource development laboratories were Ken
Benne, Somnath Chattopadhyay, Manohar S. Nadkarni, and Udai Pareek. The project
director was Somnath Chattopadhyay.

THE SETTING

The governance of the organization was conducted structurally by the Central

Coordinating Authority (CCA), with a chief. The CCA coordinated the activities of the
six sectors. Each sector also had a chief, who was guided by the Board of Sector
Representatives (BSR). Each sector was divided into divisions. Each division had a
divisional chief with a Board of Divisional Representatives (BDR). Each division was
further subdivided into local units (LUs). Any member of the organization was really a
member of an LU. The members of an LU elected their chief. All these chiefs were
members of the BDR, all divisional chiefs were members of the BSR, and all sector
chiefs were members of the CCA.

The organization was committed to its ideology and served the ideology by
working for the people. All over the world, this organization was known for its service to
humanity in distress. It also ran a number of specialized institutions. Initially, they
concentrated upon individualized care in the institutional framework. The activities of all
these institutions were not performed by members of this organization only. Many other
people of different backgrounds were employed in the institutions. 1

1
* Modified and reproduced with permission, from Managing Organizational Change, Somnath
Chattopadhyay and Udai Pareek (eds), Oxford & IBH, New Delhi, 1982, pp. 274-319.
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

The sources of income for the organization were charity, gifts, endowments, and
the like. Institutions managed by them generally had two systems: free service and paid.
The payment charged was linked to the paying capacity of the person. These were non-
profit institutions; money collected from payments was spent on the running of the
institutions.

The CCA had a clear structure and authority pattern. Its administration was
guided by a constitution. At the end of every six years, the constitution of the CCA was
reviewed to see whether any changes were necessary. We had the impression that the
organization chose bureaucracy as their method of administration. Power was extremely
centralized in the hands of the chiefs at each level, the communication flow was almost
one-way from the top down, decisions were taken at the top in each level, and members
were expected to follow, implement, and work according to them. There were a number
of implications of this system which could be easily visualized. A few years ago, there
was a special review of the CCA constitution and drastic changes were brought about.
Essentially, the changes centred around a more democratic, participative management. At
that time, the CCA took a close look at the organization and redefined its objectives,
mainly in terms of greater emphasis on total development orientation.

Following the new provisions in the constitution and the proposed management
system, a number of controversies arose. A feel for some of the controversies could be
had from the excerpts of two letters which were published for international circulation.
'It's like ... "My, my. Doesn't the organization have such a lot of problems, and so many
members are troubled and insecure! We really must do something about itwe must get
expert help"...We have strong faith indeed in the almighty expert! The differences that
divide us, that cause endless misunderstandings, that make it virtually impossible to
implement the new constitutions are, in my opinion, irreconcilable?

The other point of view was:

With regard to the experts, I admit that we have a number of our own in the organization
... We often reject them together with their message ... Outside experts also have the
advantage of objectivity. I know that what problems we have are no greater or less than
those being experienced by many other ... committees today. However, I feel that to just
live with the problems without doing our best to find solutions is shirking our
responsibility.

Controversies and differences of viewpoints, often blended with reasons and intense
feelings, filled up every LU meeting during the following two years. Some of the
differences were voiced loud and clear; some were muffled and whispered. To some, the
new trend was the reviving breeze that energized and liberated; to some it was the
dreaded storm that uprooted everything that came in its way and left behind only
destruction. There was utter confusion. The confusion, however, did not lead to any
sharp, organized polarization.

During this period, the organization realized that changing the constitution per se
was not enough. Operationalizing the new constitution needed a series of activities.
Accordingly, a concerted effort in terms of a new scheme (we shall call it plan of
renovation, or PR) was thought up and discussed. The spirit of and the expectations from
PR were necessarily vague. Its unstructuredness and ambiguity matched the uncertainty
that followed the new constitution. One of the tasks of PR, we understood, was to remove
the fear and apprehension of rootlessness, supportlessness, and shifting anchors, that
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

were inadvertently generated as a consequence of the new constitution; to reduce the

level of anxiety and channellize it for creative problem-solving; and, most importantly, to
find out ways and means not only to operationalize the new constitution but stimulate the
desire to live with all changes. No one was very clear about the objectives of PR, the
ways and means of achieving them, the barriers and blocks it would face, or its results.
One decision was, however, takeninstead of taking directions from the central
authority, each sector should find its own answers.

Around this time, we were invited by one sector to help it formulate and
implement PR. Before we describe our entry, it would be worthwhile to consider a few
details about our client sector.

The Client System

The sector geographically comprised two countries and had two divisions, each division
having several local units. Numerically, this sector had the largest membership in the
organization.

The number of members and consequently the strength of the LUs was evidently
not equal. The numbers depended upon convenience, availability of regular work, or
special work assignments. Migration from one LU to another, dictated by the
requirements of work, was quite common.

Life in the LU was marked by austerity and plain livingthis also meant group living.
Domestic activities were shared by members on the basis of competence and
accommodation. Every morning, after breakfast and after completing domestic chores,
they went to their workplace. At the end of the day's work, they came back to the house
again for tea, relaxation, cooking, dinner, studies, meditation, and sleep.

Guests came quite oftenmembers from other countries or from other LUs
who might stay for a few days. Callers from outside communities visited occasionally in
the afternoons or evenings. The members were not socially insulated from the external
community but, at the same time, had set up for themselves an implicit boundary on
social mixing at home. Their involvement in their ideological work and their work
schedules made them economical with time. Besides food and shelter, the LU provided
them with a small allowance for personal necessities, which included the simplest of
clothes and sandals, toothpaste, and books. One could buy anything one liked within the
budget limit. We did not see anybody complaining about the modesty of the allowance
far from it. Their acceptance of plain living had developed ease, grace, and simplicity.

To become a member of the organization, one had to apply to the chief of the LU.
If one was a minor, explicit permission of the parents was necessary. The candidate was
not immediately accepted as a member and was required to spend quite some time in
learning and training. If the applicant chose a particular vocation with which the society
agreed and if that vocation required the person to pursue academic studies, the member
was free to do so. After the candidate had passed through the final phase of training and
had had a taste of what membership of the organization would mean, he or she had to
make promises and pledges at three stages. After the third stage, which was the stage of
final commitment, the person became a full member. A member had the freedom to leave
the organization, although psychologically it was a difficult option to exercise.
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

The requirements of membership and the constitution of the society were what
one abided by and upheld respectively. One left the parental home and no longer
identified oneself with the old familiar relationships but found a new home with the other
members in a bond of comradeship. The members were required to lead a communal life,
live simply, be loyal and obedient, not marry, and observe celibacy.

The sector had, at the time of this exercise, 188 members, mostly below the age
of 50. There were only 11 members above the age of 50. The majority were in their 30s
(79), followed by those in their 20s (51) and 40s (47). It was obvious that younger
members were more in number than the older. But if one divided the range into three
young (below 30), middle-aged (between 30 and 39), and older (above 40)one got a
real feel of the forces behind the composition. The number of those in these three
categories were 51 (young), 79 (middle age), and 58 (older), respectively. The impli-
cation was that none of these three groups was a 'minority': each had sufficient strength.
Only if one group joined with another did the third became a minority. The organization
could thus be divided into two age camps of almost equal strength with 35 as the median
age.

The members ranged from one who had just joined the organization to one who
had spent 38 years with it. The quartiles fell on five years, 10 years, and 15 years, that is,
about one-fourth of the members had spent five years or less with the organization, about
half the members had spent 10 years or less with the organization, and about one fourth
had spent 15 years or more.

In terms of vocations, the nursing profession had the highest numbers, followed
by midwifery. Many of the members were also in education, public health, or
administration at various levels. Some were also students. Members came from 13
different geographical backgrounds: eight countries and five different parts of one
country.

To gain some insight into their interpersonal orientation styles, we subsequently

administered the FIRO-B (Schutz, 1958). The scores showed that the members of this
organization did not have extremely high (7, 8, 9) or low (0, 1, 2) scores except on
control dimensions. It seemed that they had a tendency not to express control. Their
desire to be controlled by (to receive instructions, ideas, and decisions from others) was
higher than then-need to exercise control. By and large, the data showed that the
community as a whole was a psychologically mature group.

ENTRY OF OD

One fine morning, N came up the narrow stairs of the Behavioural Science Centre
(India), or BSC(I), office. She discussed the purpose of this visit with the executive
director of the BSC(I) with one of the authors present. N enquired about our willingness
to help her organization.

We wanted to know more about the organization and what the organization
expected us to do. Thus followed a series of discussions. N had already contacted the
other author, who was not living in Delhi at that time. In the beginning, he was not too
keen to enter into this contract. While the idea of effecting OD in a voluntary service-
oriented organization was attractive, the hesitation over helping an ideological group (and
the possibility of consequent conflict in values) was dominant.
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

Our client solved the dilemma beautifully. N said, 'We are asking you to help us
not in our ideology. We seek your help in the areas of your competence and expertise.
When a patient goes to a doctor he does not enquire about the religion of the doctor or his
values or attitudes towards life.' So the dilemma was resolved. We were struck by N's
openness and we must acknowledge how much we enjoyed a relationship which was both
professionally and personally stimulating and rewarding. We learnt a great deal ourselves
and our respect for the organizationand more than that, the individuals whom we came
to know so Wellwas greatly enhanced.

When these discussions were going on, one of the authors was invited by the
apex body of the organization to participate in a three-day international meeting in
Europe to work out the dimensions of PR. At the same time, the director of BSC(I)
returned to India from his foreign consultancy assignments and joined the authors in the
initial explorations.

For the sake of convenience, let us call ourselves A, B, and C. A and B had
several meetings with N, the contact person for the organization. The main purpose of
meeting with N, and with a few other members, was to understand the organization.
There were a few meetings between A, B, and C to discuss the planning of the project.

On the basis of these meetings and discussions, B prepared a working paper on

the project, which was then analysed and discussed by A, B, and C.

The Working Paper

The working paper consisted of four parts dealing with:

Our understanding, at that time, of some of the key issues involved
A conceptual framework developed to formulate interrelations
Certain hypotheses, assumptions, and propositions that were to be the basis of the OD
programme design
An outline of the intervention plans
This working paper was designed for a hypothetical local unit (LU) where a
hypothetical member (M) lived. Edited extracts from the working paper are presented
below:

Some key issues Member M does not have any problem as such. M is secure, adequate,
carrying out his or her duties honestly to the best of his or her abilities, and fulfilling the
organizational mission. The main issue, however, is for M to deal effectively with the
changes occurring in the environment and shifting his or her three anchorsideological
life, professional life, and missionary life.

The role constitutes a crucial issue in the renovation plan. The behaviour that M
expects from his or her own self and what others expect from him or herthat M fulfil
himself or herself in belonging to an ideology, and to a particular order and as a
professionalwill not be the same as it used to be with the changes occurring in the
environment. The changing environment also demands a critical outlook, a questioning
spirit. The significance, meaning, and impact of these issues have to be seen in the
person, in the organization, and in the community for all the areas of functions.

The conceptual framework Member M is seen as an individual (self), a person

committed to an ideology, a member of a task force (work organization), and a member
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

of a community. His or her observed behaviour is a result of forces operating on him or

her from within and without. It is not one value, or even one set of values, but different
sets of values that are operating in M's forcefield at any given point of time. Also
operating are different sets of expectations and need dispositions. These act, interact, and
react until the individual finds some kind of a balance, an equilibrium, which determines
his or her behaviour.

But with the introduction of 'change', the 'peaceful', 'stable' equilibrium will be
disturbed. Change will affect all thesevalues, expectations, needs, and the overall
climatesimultaneously but in different magnitudes. In order to accommodate and adjust
to the new associative network, resulting in a newer equilibrium, different behaviour will
be required. The individual may face barriers to changing his or her behaviour, to pass on
from his or her observed behaviour of today to his or her required behaviour of tomorrow
according to him or her. The barriers are likely to bring forth at least four major concerns.
These concerns may be of
essentiality,
relevance,
congruence, and
authenticity.

In each of these areas of concern, the member may ask himself or herself, 'Now
that times have changed, how essential am I to myself?', 'How essential am I now to my
organization, to my community?', and 'How relevant are these new demands?' He or she
will have a number of such questions. When these questions are handled properly and the
blocks and barriers removed, the gates are opened for a movement towards self-
actualization.

Some hypotheses From the perspective of the above conceptual framework, intervention
designs were developed. In developing the designs, the following hypotheses were used:
It is possible to examine knowledge and its linkage with behaviour.
Such an examination can be made at both the rational as well as emotional levels.
Suitable hypotheses for the personal, organizational, and community levels can be
framed by an individual, who can gather data regarding his or her behaviour in each
dimension. He or she can analyse these data and accept or reject the hypotheses he or she
has framed with regard to his or her behaviour patterns.
Confrontation of issues leads to development of one's understanding of the latent issues
involved. This develops his or her insight, which may provide him or her with added
strength and adequacy in dealing with his or her problems.
When the latent issuesanxiety, fears, apprehensions, etc.are brought to the surface
and shared with others, perceptions of issues change and become more realistic. It is then
possible to sort out how far the fears are real or unreal and how far they are personal or
general, individual or systemic. Such sorting out may help in energy mobilization.
The sharing of feelings of anxiety and inadequacy reduces the levels of anxiety and
inadequacy.

Some assumptions The next phase in the design for the process facilitation was to
consider a set of assumptions. It was assumed that:
With the changes occurring (as seen above) in the framework, the organization, and
more particularly, any 'local', is willing to critically consider a strategy for dealing with
changes.
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

There is a certain degree of eagerness to move from the curative to the preventive
perspective in a new professional area.
There is a certain degree of eagerness to develop a critical and yet constructive outlook.
Each individual has enormous potential for growth and unlimited resources for securing
strength.
There was another set of assumptions regarding the methodology of intervention:
Sensitivity training will be used only when required.
The programme should be based on laboratory training (a separate note on laboratory
training was given).
The learning will be experience based. An attempt will be made to create an atmosphere
in which the participants can generate and share their experiences. Experimental learning
will have greater pay-off than direct teaching.
The individual himself or herself is the main actor in the learning situation; the trainer
will take the role of a facilitator only.
The training strategy will be one of unfreezing, movement, and refreezing.

Some propositions The following propositions were made for the training:
Changes are more likely to occur when the setting dramatizes the importance of
working intensely on certain issues and lifts them out of the routine of everyday life,
thereby creating an in-group feeling among the participants.
The more reasons an individual has to believe that he or she can, will, or should
change, the more the organized attempts to change are likely to succeed.
The more thoroughly an individual explores his or her personal orientations, styles,
apprehensions, etc., and relates them to self-actualization, the more likely he or she is to
experiment and change.
The more an individual can confront his or her usual style of interpersonal interaction,
the more he or she is likely to change.
The more an individual can perceive and experience the new attempts at change as
consistent with the ideal self-image, the more likely that changes will be sustained.
The more the self-confrontation in a face-to-face group and the more the climate
supports such confrontation, the more the individual is likely to develop insight into his
or her behaviour.
The more a group develops a climate of support with a norm of unhesitatingly giving
feedback to each other, the more likely it is that the learning will be deep and sustained.
The more intense and persistent the interactional meetings are, the more likely it is that
the learning about the self will be deep and enduring.
The more an individual perceives that change in his or her behaviour (e.g., being more
confronting) is required by the demands of his or her career and life situation, the more
he or she is likely to experiment and accept the change.
The more an individual can perceive and experience the changes attempted as
consistent with the prevailing cultural values and norms, the more likely it is for the
change to be sustained.
The more an individual can examine the dynamics of events in everyday life, the more
likely is the internalization of his or her learning.
The more an individual can link his or her newly developed insight into personal and
interpersonal dynamics to action, the more likely that change in both behaviour and
action will occur and endure.
The more an individual commits himself or herself to achieving concrete goals in life
consistent with the new insights, the more likely the change is to get stabilized.
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

The more an individual records his or her progress towards achieving goals to which he
or she is committed, the more the accepted change is likely to influence his or her future
thoughts and actions.
Changes are likely to occur and persist if they are a sign of membership in a new and
continuing reference group.

Within a few days of our presenting the working paper to S, the sector chief, there
happened to be a divisional meeting. S thought that it would be a good idea if the
working paper was discussed by the members of the divisional committee. To help them
go through the working papers as well as to have a dialogue with the committee, S
invited us to attend the meeting. Half a day in the two-day meeting agenda was reserved
for the purpose. A and B attended this meetingthey presented the paper afresh to the
members and then answered questions raised. The main stand taken was that of
tentativeness both in terms of the contract as well as the proposal.

Incubation Period and Contracting

The committee requested us to prepare a shorter version of the working paper which they
wanted to circulate to all the members of the organization before a decision was taken. So a
simpler version of the working paper was prepared and submitted.

There was complete silence for almost six months. It was decided by the organization
that the decision to implement an OD programme would have to be taken not from above but
by each member and that the decision of each member would be communicated upwards.
This then became an issue by itself. A system that usually followed the norm of decision-
making from the top was now required to reverse the norm and initiate a new practice. The
result was indecision.

At the same time, an important process began: A good deal of questioning started.
Questions were raised not only on whether to accept or reject the working paper but also on
the various norms and practices associated with the governance of the system. Such questions
were raised by the members individually, in small groups, and in the LUs. All the LUs were
buzzing with these questions. It may be noted here that the consultants did not actively
generate the process, but the task performance (of discussing the working paper) made this
process almost inevitable.

We were satisfied with the process. We clearly indicated that we were not at all eager for
a hasty decision. We could wait. During this phase, S showed a great deal of leadership,
courage, determination, and above all, a sense of positive patience. She was under strong
pressures. Some people were eager to start OD; others were reluctant to have anything to do
with it. To some it would be a process of rejuvenation; some thought it would be a sure road
to chaos and confusion. So we waited.

After a period of six months, we thought it would be necessary to churn things up a little.
First of all, it was necessary that a final decisionyes or noemerge and that the members
should have the success experience of being able to arrive at a decision. In order to facilitate
the process, we offered to meet the representatives of the houses for a couple of days. So a
two-day programme was arranged.

A and B conducted this programme. The programme was attended by representatives of

all LUs. In this programme, we evolved a situation where the members could discuss the new
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

constitution, the emergent issues facing them since the introduction of the constitution, the
meeting, the implications of PR and societal changes, adaptability, etc. We presented various
aspects of change: how we face issues of change, what change means to us personally and
professionally, and how we cope or fail to cope with the demands of change.

We gave a demonstration of laboratory training in micro form and presented a possible

outline for the OD programme and its financial implications. We made it clear that the
members, should not feel obligated to call us in for OD work and should have a wider choice
of consultants.

After this programme, the representatives went back to their LUs and vigorous discussion
ensued. We did not hear anything, one way or the other, for two months until most of the LUs
became ready to participate in the OD programme and it was sensed that the entire
community of members might, by and by, choose to participate in the programme. Finally, a
draft contract was prepared, which was readily accepted. We waited for another three months,
by which time a few more members expressed their willingness. Very few remained
undecided; those who remained undecided said that they wanted to wait and see what
happened in a few labs before they made up their minds. But as a policy they had no
objection if the community went in for OD. At this stage we thought our entry phase was over
and we started planning the interventions.

INITIAL DIAGNOSIS
Meaningful planning of interventions could be done on the basis of our understanding of
the organization. The main task in understanding an organization is to sort reality from
illusion. Several methods are available for organizational diagnosis. However, we did not
follow any of these standard methods. As stated earlier, based on our preliminary
interviews with a few key persons, we prepared a working paper. We clearly mentioned
to our client that the working paper was based to some extent on our limited
understanding of the organization and mostly on our general understanding of OD.

To gain a thorough understanding, we did the following:

Visited a few LUs and saw the normal way of life there
Observed some of the formal meetings, both at the LU level as well as the division
level
Acquainted ourselves intensively with the organizational process in the members
workplaces.
Visits to the LUs were informal. Sometimes these were in response to their requests,
sometimes on our own initiative. During the visits we talked freely about a number of
things. We had no particular question in mind, yet we had so many questions! We were
aware of our ignorance of the organization. So we sat there for long, lazy hours with cups
of coffee in hand, talking and listening. We imbibed, slowly and quietly, the life that
easily flowed in the house. And we did not take any notes!

We went to their formal meetings on invitation. Our role was that of a learner rather than
that of an observer. We were interested in the content of their discussion as well as in the
processes of discussion and decision-making. Sometimes we also took part in the
discussions, despite our limitations.

We observed their functioning at work quite thoroughly. We undertook an organizational

diagnosis of the workplace and analysed the role of the members of the BDR. With all
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

this data and understanding, we agreed amongst ourselves that we had developed enough
insight to help us go ahead with planning the interventions.

The process of initial diagnosis we undertook was rather unorthodox. The nearest
standard method to our approach was the anthropological method of observation. Our
view is that too much reliance on instrument-generated data tends to shadow the holistic
nature of the client system. Attention tends to be given to the quantitative picture and the
consequent interpretation of data.

INTERVENTION PLANNING

Some of the parameters of intervention planning had been presented earlier in the
working paper that we discussed with our clients and these remained unchanged even
after the initial diagnosis, although we were ready to change them if needed.
In the actual planning of the interventions, the issues that we considered were:
The unit with which the intervention was to be used
The overall objectives and the specific objectives of interventions
The type and nature of the interventions
Phasing, sequencing, and linkage of the interventions.

There are usually extreme positions taken in the planning of interventions. While
some consultants may use their general insights and experience in working with (he client
system and evolve a strategy based on their intention, some others plan out everything in
detail (we do not know whether they plan the number of sugar cubes required for coffee
at 11.30 a.m. sharp!). However, we took a somewhat intermediate position. Although the
individual facilitators in our project group had a wide variety of styles, we considered it
necessary to plan interventions only up to a point, beyond which planning became futile.

The unit of intervention The basic element in intervention planning is the question
whether or not it can be totally changed, or whether the change has to be viewed by
delineating the various systems (or sub-systems) that together constitute the organization.
These systems (or sub-systems) may be concerned with the technological process, the
economic process, or the human process. At the initial stage, we decided that both the
technological process and the economic process were out of bounds for us. First, there
were very few so-called technological processes involved in the organizational

life, though in one of their workplaces, the hospital, the technological processes played a
key role. The other technical part of their life emerged from their religious orientation.
We left that part aside also as it was beyond our competence. We felt that the new
constitution was itself a strong intervention in the organizational process. Any further
interventionfor example, structural changeswas more likely to be dysfunctional at
that stage. We therefore concentrated our efforts on the human system.

One can conceive of different levels of interventions in the human system. We

conceived of four levels (see Pareek et al., 1972; Pareek, 1975). We thought that
interventions could be directed towards the elements of the human system: person,
interperson, intragroup or team, and interteam or the total human system of the
organization. By person, we meant the uniqueness of the person with his or her personal
characteristics and qualities, skills, knowledge, motives, needs, values, attitudes, ways of
thinking, expectations, ambitions, fears, strengths, and weaknessesall of which were
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

his or her own. It is that aspect of human existence that allows each one of us to have a
distinct identity. The interpersonal aspect was meant to focus on the transactional world
created by two people who together might or might not constitute a group. The relevance
of the intra-group was with reference to group life in each house of assembly. The inter-
group element referred to the interrelationship amongst all the houses forming the
community of the entire division. From our initial diagnosis, we were convinced that
interventions had to be directed towards each one of these four elements of the human
system.

The Objective

In planning the interventions, we raised several questions about each of the four elements
mentioned earlier, with an eye to their present state and the future expectations from
them. We realized that our objectives in the interventions would not be to provide
answers to these questions (did we even know the answers!). The main overall objective
of the interventions would be to help people bring these questions up to the surface;
confront them; and evolve, through their own strength, the answers to the questions they
formulate individually and in groups; and help them to increase their effectiveness as
individuals, groups, and a community.

The specific objectives would, therefore, be to help them move towards the positions they
valued and become self-actualized, to help them function as optimally as possible, and to
help them use freedom and responsibility in being relevant to the world and its needs
today. These three objectives included other objectives, such as:

Developing an orientation of alertness concerning what is happening in the organization

and why it is happening. This would presumably strengthen both religious motivation and
concern for others.
Fostering a tendency to help others and receive help from others (interdependence of
growth).
Instilling comfort with discussing things, including differences, openly (openness).
Working towards continual growth.
Developing tolerance and flexibility at all levels.
Creating awareness and improving sensitivity to one's own strengths so that better
utilization of resources for the community takes place.

The type and nature of the interventions Using two dimensions whether the
intervention is focused on the statics of the organization or on its dynamics and whether
it is itself structured or unstructuredwe get a typology of interventions (see Pareek,
1975). We do not prefer any one intervention to any other. We believe that one or the
other intervention may be useful, depending upon the needs of the client system as well
as the presence of certain conditions within the organization such as its flexibility, reward
system, risk-taking capacity, ability to tolerate ambiguity, availability of internal and
external facilities, and so on. Based on our understanding of these conditions in the
organization, we thought that unstructured interventions directed both towards the
dynamics and the statics of the organization would serve our purpose best.

Phasing, sequencing, and linkage The nature of the task and the objectives of the
programme were such that the interventions had to target the living systems. For
example, all members participatedafter their participation in the basic lab (see below)
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

in organizational diagnosis of their houses and in preparation and implementation of

action plans.
Before our withdrawal, stabilization and consolidation of the effort for change had to
be planned. This would technically be an attempt to refreeze and would obviously be the
last input. Accordingly, the interventions were attempted in the following order:
Basic laboratory
Internal resource development
Organizational diagnosis
Review laboratory for internal resource people
Stabilization
The entire OD programme was to be completed in a period of 1215 months. The basic
laboratories were to be provided within the first six months, followed by internal resource
development. It was planned to have organizational diagnosis after four months and
continue the practice thereafter. At the end of the year, the review laboratory was to be
conducted. And after the review laboratory was over and the internal resource persons
went back to their respective houses, the terminal phase was to start.

The following are brief descriptions of the interventions, notwithstanding the obvious and
understandable difficulties of verbalizing unstructured interventions

Basic Laboratory
The basic intervention was a five-day laboratory. All the members of the organization had
the opportunity to participate in such a laboratory. In all, 15 basic laboratories were
conducted and all of these were completed within six months.

Structure of the laboratory

The programme for each laboratory varied, depending on the need of the
members of that particular group, with certain common foci. The schedule of a typical lab
is given in Table 1. The laboratories started with a micro lab session for the specific
purpose of unfreezing. This was followed by a number of forms that the members filled.
These included six TAT pictures, FIRO-B, and the self-anchoring ladder. Data from these
were later fed back to and used in the groups. This was followed by L (Learning)-groups,
or what are also called T-groups. Generally, two sessions of L-groups were followed by a
short concept session on the conditions of learning. This was followed by further L-
groups with concept sessions on congruence, defensive behaviour, and feedback. The first
two days saw intensive L-group activity. At its height, the L-group activity usually
climaxed into a marathon L-group on the second night.

On the third day, a number of structured exercises were done and data from the
instruments were discussed in detail as feedback. New groups were formed and a case
was used to discuss the sources of behaviour and how role play emphasized empathy.
Structured exercises were conducted on perception and motivation. A panel discussion
was held on PR Towards the end of the third day, participants moved towards refreezing
activity, the main item being working on action plansnew groups working on the
diagnosis of the problems facing their LUs, prioritizing these problems, and developing
action plans. This was followed by a fantasy exercise which was designed to bring up the
gestalt of the members' existence in terms of time, that is, past, present, and future, both
for the individual and the organization. This was followed by the last L-group on action
plans*, individual plans, and personal work commitments.
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

The lab usually ended with a review and evaluation of the lab. A basic lab was of four or
five days' duration.

Micro lab
This was intended to start the unfreezing process as well as to introduce the participant to
the new situation. Micro labs were generally structured as a quick succession of events,
each event being of three to four minutes' duration and requiring the participants to
interact in dyads, triads, quadrads, or pentads. Verbal exercises required the participants
to share with other member(s) in their groups their perceptions, feelings, information
Table 1 A Sample for Basic Laboratory
Day Session 1 Session 2 Session 3 Session 4 Session 5
8.00 a.m.- 11.00 a.m.- 2.00 p.m.- 7.30 p.m.- 9.30 p.m.-
10.30 a.m. 1.00 p.m. 4.30 p.m. 9.30 p.m. 11.00 p.m.
1 Micro labform Leadership L-group L-group L-group
filling Concept
2 L-groupconcept L-group Exercise on Data feedback,
feedback and perception collaboration L-group
defensive exercise and trust (marathon)
behaviour
3 N-groupPR Case: Concept Exercise on L-group Fantasy
panel
of conflict motivation and feedback exercise,
expectations, discussion of
action plans feedback
4 L-groupaction Individual action Life goals exercise,
plans plan personal commit-
ment, review, and
evaluation closing
about themselves, etc. The movement in the micro lab was from person to group to
community life. Two non-verbal exercises which were quite common were the trust walk
and a presentation on the community. The last item was performed as a joint decision and
action effort of about 10 participants. From time to time, activities were halted and the
participants were given time to reflect upon the meaning and implications of the
preceding items. The micro labs were conducted as community sessions.

Personal structured data As mentioned earlier, instruments were used for the purpose
of giving feedback on the data. One of the forms required the participants to state what
they expected from the programme. The responses related to the self (more self-
knowledge, self-acceptance, more self-confidence, reduced oversensitivity, increased
listening, seeing others' strengths, and self-discipline), the community (openness and
sensitivity, learning to recognize one another's strengths, increase in individual respon-
sibility, mutual understanding and love, greater participation by all, a better climate, and
mutual support and help), and solving problems (practical guidance to problems,
choosing better leaders, and working out definite changes in the community).

As already stated, FIRO-B and six cards of TAT were used by the participants to write
stories. The concept sessions were very short and mostly grew out of the needs of the
groups. Themes included conditions of learning, feedback, defensive behaviour,
sensitivity, congruence, authenticity, levelling, collaboration-competition-conflict, role-
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

role, analysis, motivation, motivating others, helping relationships, working effectively in

groups and

Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

in organizations, effective membership behaviour and leadership functions, and dynamics

of planned change.

The basic skills emphasized in the laboratory for practice were mainly effective
speaking, effective listening, giving and receiving feedback, giving and receiving help,
confrontation, and action planning.

Several exercises were incorporated in the programme to facilitate the process of

movement, specially in acquiring new knowledge, and developing insights, attitudes, and
skills. Structured exercises were focused on perception, trust and mutuality, self-
motivation and motivating others, planning and communication, decision-making, and
life and society goals.

Panel discussion of PR About the third day, a panel discussion used to be arranged on
plan renovation. Generally, the panel was constituted of one representative from each L-
group. Each member put before the community his or her own ideas as well as the ideas
of other members of his or her L-group on PR. A single chair was used for any member
of the community to occupy when stating a point for the consideration of the panel. On
the whole, the discussions brought out in the open many hidden agendas, fears,
apprehensions, as well as hopes about PR. The session was usually followed by a period
of free time, in which the discussion continued in small groups of twos and threes.

Action plan As stated in one of the propositions in the working paper presented earlier,
we strongly believe that behavioural changes are better sustained in the context of actual
action. Resolutions, howsoever pious they may be, tend to remain in ether, losing their
vigour and becoming mere wishes or fantasy, if they are not reinforced continually by
commitments in the work sphere. Accordingly, we place a great deal of emphasis on
action plans. Work on action plans was started towards the end of the third day, followed
by night assignments, which was again followed by considerable time spent on this on
the fourth day. Essentially, the action plan module started with a concept discussion on
the dynamics of planned change. For the exercise of action plans, participants worked not
in L-groups but in new groups composed on the basis of geographical proximity of their
living quarters, often coming from the same house. Each participant prepared two action
plansone for the LU and one for himself or herself.

The following steps were involved in preparing action plans for the houses:
Preparing a master list of all problems of the LU as perceived by the members of the
LU present in the new group
Prioritizing the problems on the basis of three criteriaurgency of the problem,
feasibility of action, and minimal requirements in terms of external resources
Selection and definition of a specific problem
Dynamics of possible causes
Forcefield analysis of the problem
Devising alternative strategies for solutions and selecting one of the alternatives
Planning the action steps, including the time when an action is expected to be
completed
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

Anticipation of difficulties
Consideration of help needed and planning for the help

These plans were presented by the planning module to the whole group in the
community session for critical review and, later, revision. After revision, the group
committed themselves to working on the action plan on their return. Strategies to involve
other members of the house (who were not present) were also discussed.

Evaluation At the end of the programme, the whole experience was evaluated. Different
methods were used. Typically, the participants worked in six groups to discuss the various
aspects of the programme and presented their conclusions to the community. For
example, six groups were formed for the following aspects:

Insight into self and planning for self-development: L-group, including marathon
group; FIRO-B; individual plans and commitment; micro lab data feedback
Learning to understand others: L-group; case; perception exercise
Developing a climate of collaborative work in the houses: exercise on trust; exercise on
motivation; N-group
Understanding community problems and preparing to deal with a problem: action
plans; fantasy; N-groups; panel
Developing conceptual understanding of interpersonal, intra-personal, and group
processes: exercises; concept sessions
Management of the programme (including facilities, kind participants, and nagging
trainers!)
The programme ended with songs on commitment and energizing the learning obtained
with the transferring it for the good of all. Usually, it was a very intensive programme,
highly packed with events both at the rational as well as the emotional level. The working
day started at 8.00 a.m. and often closed in the small hours of the following day.

The programme was designed to be intensive. The intensity of the experience, though
very exhausting, was highly stimulating. Never for a moment did it seem boring to any
participant or trainer. The credit for this may partly be given to the designer of the
programme. However, the keenness and eagerness of a group of individuals who had
dedicated their life to a purpose, with their high degree of motivation and commitment to
the programme, was a unique experience for any consultant. To each trainer, this
programme became extremely involving and satisfying, an experience from which we
believe we learnt as much as die participants did.

Organizational Health Survey

At a much later stage and as a part of an intervention to help the members develop some
skill in organizational diagnosis, we undertook a survey with the help of the members.
We believe that interventions themselves are not enough, in the OD facilitation process.
What happens during the intervening phase between two interventions is also important.
To sustain the momentum gained in the basic laboratories, we thought that an
intervention would be necessary at the level of each LU. This took the form of
organizational diagnosis. This was one of the OD interventions.

Unit health survey This intervention was named the unit health survey. This exercise
required the would-be facilitator to enter into a dialogue to assess the health of the LU.
What was meant by 'organizational health', the characteristics of a healthy organization,
and the action steps to be followed were explained in a letter written by the coordinator N
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

and sent to each house. In the absence of a facilitator, it was decided that any person
nominated by the LU could undertake this exercise. The following are extracts from the
letter sent. A list of characteristics of healthy and unhealthy organizations, adapted from
Fordyce and Weil (1971) were appended to the letter.
'You may like to undertake a survey of the health of the LU you live in. (We are not using
the word 'Health' in the way medicos use it often, [sic] Would we prefer WHO's
definitionmental, physical, and social well-being, considering the house like an
organism? Well, we mean by health here[sic] organizational health).'
'Examine the strengths of the LU, its weakness too; its problems and prospects; what are
the diseases, if any?'
'How is information shared in the unit? How does "news" about events, persons, or work
flow? Who talks to whom? Are there regular patterns?'
'How are decisions made in the house? Are there regular patterns in the way of [sic]
decisions regarding activities, events, etc., involving all/most/some of the members of the
units?'
'Who are the influentials in the unit? Who do not have much influence?
Whose words, decisions and ideas carry maximum weight? Is there any pattern in which
influences are exerted in the house?'
'How do members feel about the unit? Are they proud of their LU?
Do they enjoy living therewith the work, the company, the facilities?
Would they like to move out to another house?'
'How are relationships? Strained? Neither good or bad? So? Is there a close bond of
affinity? What are the attitudes of members towards each other and towards the house?'
'These and similar other [sic] questions may help you determine the present state of
affairs in the house.'

The procedure suggested is as follows:

Step 1: Interview as many members (one at a time) as you can. Devise your own way
of interviewing; for example, you may prepare a questionnaire, or a schedule, or
just a plain dialogue.

Step 2: After step 1 is over and you are sure you have understood different points of
view sufficiently well, arrange small group discussions to discuss the issues mentioned
in the objectives above. A small group may comprise three-five [sic] persons. Have a
number of small groups, if the LU is not too small. You may change the
composition of the group. You may spend a few days for this part of the
programme.

Step 3: Organize a conference of all (most) [sic] members of the LU. List all issues
raised. Evolve a consensus of the issues. Let the house group the issues under a few
broad headings. Under each heading let the LU prioritize [sic] the issues. Finally put
the headings and issues under them in order of priority.
Some LUs may spend more time in step 3 [sic] than in step 2. You may like to
evolve your own method which suits your time, place, and people. You are welcome
to do so.
Remember to keep a record from step 1 through step 3 [sic]. Keep records of
individual interviews, small group meetings and the LU conference.
The survey helped in integrating the various action plans prepared by the members
for the LUs during the basic labs, as described in a later section. We hoped that the
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

organizational diagnosis itself would throw up important issues for the LUs and
motivate the members towards their management.
The following picture came out of the survey regarding the organizational climate:
There was lack of involvement of members in making decisions in the
community (or, all members did not participate in making decisions in
the community).
There was a felt absence of an atmosphere of complete trust, openness,
and acceptance in which the most timid might feel free to speak.
There was a feeling of inadequacy in some members.
There was a lack of sufficient information.
There was a fear of hurting and being hurt.
There existed a feeling among members that small groups would be the
answer to all the problems, while at the same time realizing that this
was not physically possible.
Communications did not always get through, though there had been
improvement in this area.
Members did not feel entirely free to express their feelings and opinions.

After describing the process work in detail, one LU wrote, '. . . in the months that
followed we continued to handle conflicts openly. Our [sic] action plan being activated
we have now moved into another one'. We found in our survey that the greatest attention
needed was in our communication. We lacked skills in communication. We are now
working for improvement in [sic] ways of communicating with each other. . . .After
collecting the responses, it was read to the community and priority was given then [sic].
We needed to start working. Development of mutual trust and openness was agreed upon
as the first need. A weekly meeting where we could openly talk out [sic] and clarify
certain issues that might cause or might have caused some tensions, was suggested as a
means and the idea was heartily welcomed. This weekly gathering was carried on
regularly and was found to be producing the desired effects. It was also an opportunity
for learning more and understanding one another. This was adapted accordingly in daily
life. Tensions were reduced as the members had [a] chance to speak out things [sic]
openly. Proper participation in [the] LU was another point for improvement. A change for
the better came about. Those who remained quiet usually started breaking the monopoly
of the vocal ones. Evaluation of our efforts followed.'

INTERNAL RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (IRD)

In the plan of process facilitation, it was conceived that the role of the external
consultants should be self-liquidating. In order to do so, it was decided that a self-
supporting system would be developed within the organization. This included:
Developing a group of persons who might acquire the expertise to become agents of
change from within the organization. They might be termed internal change agents,
internal resource persons, or internal facilitators. The term, 'internal facilitators' was most
acceptable to the organization.
Developing, from amongst the internal facilitators, a few who had some knowledge of
the behavioural sciences further in terms of acquiring more knowledge and expertise in
application through higher education and training.
Contracting young behavioural scientists to work full time within the organization, in
close liaison with the internal resources, on problems requiring the application of the
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

behavioural sciences. This was a suggestion made to N for putting up for consideration
before the governing board.
We discuss here the programme for the development of the internal resources.

Selection of Internal Resource Persons

Selection of internal resources turned out to be a very potent intervention in itself. In

almost all the LUs, many a battle was fought in the open and under cover; armistices
were signed; peace was made, broken, and remade. An intense confrontation process
came into operation. Many a tear was shed and much laughter rolled in, literally.

What were the issues? To answer that, let us examine the content, the process,
and the implications of the intervention. Content-wise, it was a straight taskeach house
would select a person whom they would regard as an internal resource.

As soon as the task became apparent, a reply was sent to the consultants,
however, which said 'nothing doing'. The parallels of this behaviour in laboratory
situations are too frequent to require elaboration. When the consultants did not relieve
members of their responsibility to do the task and the task had to be done, three courses
were open: confront the situation and do the task as conscientiously as possible; avoid the
situation, and express bottled-up emotions in an indirect fashion; or, instead of doing the
task properly, distort it and go through the motions and rituals of doing it. All these things
happened.

At a certain stage, when the organization communicated to us that they

understood the position we had taken and asked us for help in selecting the resource
persons, we agreed to join them in evolving certain criteria that might be used in the
selection.

To understand these dynamics it would be helpful to go through the letter that

caused all the furore. Some extracts from the letter are quoted below:

'Please keep in mind that it is important that these members who are to participate in
Phase 2 (internal resource development phase) participate in Phase 1 first. That is, the
internal resource persons chosen by each local unit should be chosen from amongst these
members who will attend the third series of the laboratories or who have already
participated in Phase 1 first and the second series of laboratories. 'The consultant team
has made some suggestions for us to consider in choosing the participants for phase 2.
They should have a knack of working with person [sic] as opposed to material things;
should enjoy working with people; should be interested in examining the dynamics of
situations; should enjoy tinkering with ideas, and what would happen if the elements of
the experience were varied? [sic] They should, of course, above all, be willing. The team
emphasises that we should keep in mind that we are not looking for a leader type, but for
someone who is sensitive to others, is often heard in the house, matters [a] great deal in
the house in terms of his views, and who at the same time doesn't want to be in the
limelight. The community should consider what this selection means to those who are not
selected and might wish to be.

'The community must realise and accept the fact that in terms of the future group process,
this member will be expected to be a 'facilitator' of discussions and interpersonal
relationships, and their selections [sic] means a commitment on the part of the
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

community to support him in this role and not to resent his interjecting himself when he
feels he can be helpful. So, be prepared to select the one amongst you whom you feel you
can best accept in this role.
'The one who accepts the responsibility must realise that for a period of approximately
six months he will be expected to have time (not away from the work situation) for
readings and exercises assigned by the consultant team. He must be prepared to
participate with the consultant team in one of the Phase 1 sessions scheduled in the near
future. He should be able occasionally to free himself to gain experience by working with
the consultant team with groups outside the society. 'He should be free to place his
priorities in the community and its life and plan on sticking with his local assembly for a
minimum of one year. He need not have any background at all in the social science [sic).
'We'd appreciate knowing the names of those chosen for Phase 2 just as soon as possible
the consultant team wishes to send them some material for study before the June
experience. Plan renovation needs prayerful supportespecially at this crucial stage.
Let's join together in one huge Hear, Oh Lord, the sound of our call.'

One of the latent concerns was whether the resource persons selected would
become too powerfulby the fact of their selection by the assembly and by the advanced
expertise generated out of specialized trainingand replace, in effect, the chief of the
LU. This did disturb the existing power equations. The entire issue of power distribution
came under scrutiny. Backed up by experience from the basic laboratory and the
members' newfound energy for verbalizing, sharing, opening up, and owning, there was
vigour and strength enough to deal with the issue. However, the task became very
involved and difficult indeed.

The list ultimately did arrive, but only just before the start of Phase 2. The list
contained 21 names, which included one facilitator from each house and a few more
members who could look after the process facilitation for special tasks at the corporate
level.

Structure of the Internal Resource Development Programme

The basic programme was a 10-day laboratory. The schedule of the laboratory, which
appears in Table 2, indicates the programme structure.

Table 2 Schedule for the Internal Resource Development Laboratory

Day Session 1 Session 2 Session 3 Session 4 Session 5 Session 6
8.30 a.m.- 10.30 a.m.- 12.00 p.m.- 3.00 p.m.- 4.30 p.m.- 8.00 p.m.
10.00 a.m. 12.00 p.m. 1.00 p.m. 4.00 p.m. 5.30 p.m. onwards
1 Micro lab
2 L-group L-group Concept session Plan of the lab YCT L-group
on self-
awareness
3 L-group Planning the PCSFeedback Interpersonal YCT L-group
module communicatio
n
4 C-group Diagnosis PCSteam Collaboration YCT L-group
Building and helping
5 C-group Module 1 PCSdecision- Observation YCT L-group
making skills
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

6 L-group C-group Change and Free Free Free

human values
7 C-group Module 2 PCSdata for Intervention YCT L-group
Hidden agenda intervention for change
8 C-group, Module 3 PCSplanning Facilitating YCT L-group
PCS and commitment
authority
And leadership
9 C-group Module 4 PCSmanaging Facilitator's YCT L-group
conflicts role
10 C-group Action Open Open Review and
plans
closing
Some of the concepts are explained as follows:

Consultant-client group (C-group) The structure of the C-group was that of a group of
21 participants, further divided into three small groups of seven persons each. The
objective was to provide an opportunity to develop skills of giving and receiving help and
other associated skills such as listening, communicating, interviewing, understanding,
and building empathy.

One person (X) from the group would be the help receiver and another person
(Y) the help giver. A third person was the process observer. Each member played each
role in turn. The role of the trainer was to intervene at an appropriate time to focus
attention on the process. The content was a real-life problem which X confronted.
The session would end with a critique by all the members of the subgroup.

Participants concept session (PCS) In this session, participants were required to present
different concepts. The objective of the session was: (a) to create the confidence that they
could present concepts and (b) to develop knowledge and understanding of the theoretical
constructs necessary for any meaningful role in a concept session. Generally, three
members worked together for this session. The trainer provided them with some help. But
they themselves designed their session plan, studied the content to be presented, made
thorough and elaborate notes, and prepared the necessary audio-visuals to present the
concepts. The presentation was often shared by the three-member group and the
questions after the presentation were taken up interdependently by the group members.
The various concepts the members presented were: feedback, team-building, decision-
making, hidden agendas, data for intervention, authority and leadership, planning and
commitment, and managing conflicts.

Your choice time (YCT) This part of the schedule provided for any activity that the
participants or the trainer wished to do. Surprisingly, to none of the participants did it
mean free time. It was mostly used for study, consultation, writing the lab diary, small
group (dyad/triad) meetings, or resolving some issue that bothered participants in the
'here and now'.

Module This was a small group working from planning to implementation of a small
intervention project. The group was subdivided into four modules. Each module was like
a group of consultants working on a problem. Each group diagnosed the need for
intervention, collected data for it, planned the intervention, and then implemented it.
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

After all this was over, the group's activity was reviewed in a critique where the trainer
joined the other members in sharing their observations with the community.

Faculty concept session (FCS) Besides PCS, there were also FCSs, that is, concept
sessions provided by the faculty. It was considered necessary that, unlike in a straight
laboratory situation where the maximum emphasis is on experiential learning, the
advanced laboratory for facilitators should provide a conceptual base for the experiential
learning as well. The concept sessions provided by the faculty were on self-knowledge,
interpersonal communication (with role-playing), collaboration, observation skills,
change, human values, facilitation, and the facilitator's role. Many other concepts were
discussed in lecture forms at the appropriate time, once other activities brought about
sufficient experience that needed backing up by the relevant concepts.

L-group The last event the day was the L-group, held after dinner but continuing till the
small hours of the morning. Every night, the session turned out to be a mini marathon.
With the gentle breeze combined with the silently dancing leaves of the coconut trees, the
chirping of crickets, the wavering lights from the lamp and the candles, and the dancing
shadows on the wall,, all that was sombre and melancholy in life danced with the joy and
peace of being. It was a memorable experience indeed!

Reinforcement Lab
The reinforcement lab (RL) was held nine months after the internal resource development
laboratory (IRDL). It was intended that all the facilitators who

The Organization

participated in the IRDL would also participate in the RL. All the facilitators had
expressed their desire to attend the RL, however. As a matter of fact, they wrote to the
coordinator (N) expressing their desire and indicating the time when it should be held.
Accordingly, the programme dates were fixed. But when the laboratory started, it was
seen that about five or six participants from a single district had not turned up. The reason
mentioned was that a concurrent programme was being conducted at that very time.
Something was amiss. The dynamics of the situation were rather involved and we will
discuss this later.
The reinforcement lab was quite unstructured. The participants were familiar
with the trainers, having participated in the basic lab as well as in the IRDL. They knew
the norms and values of the laboratories.

The content of the programme essentially revolved around the role of the
facilitators: the skills needed in performing the role effectively and in identifying and
resolving their dilemmas facilitators while working in their LUs.

The first part of the programme focused on sharing their experience as facilitators
in the respective houses during the preceding nine months. The following are some
excerpts from what they narrated:
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

'...After the facilitators' programme, I was full of enthusiasm to put into practice what we
had learned. On the other hand, on my return to my community, I did not see nor feel any
positive response or interest from the group. Somehow this affected me and I withdrew.
Our community was very fluid. The climate was one of restlessness due to many factors.
At one point when the confusion was too much, I thought the group was ready, made an
intervention, applying the forcefield analysis. When I came to the specific point of what
we wanted to work [for] as a group, the response was silence. I took that silence for the
group not being ready and therefore, did not push. Later on, seeing all the complications I
gave up the idea of introducing a planned and directed action plan. I, therefore,
concentrated on being a support, a classifier, and helping the individuals and the group to
become aware of certain things going on in the group. I also concentrated on providing
feedback on a one-to-one basis as and when the occasion arose.

'I was operating on the principle that unless the individual was freed from his
inner conflicts, there can be no group action. But suddenly events took an unexpected
turn. In one of the meetings of the LU, the entire group on their own came out and
expressed their discontent at a lot of things and explored as to why [sic] we could do. At
this point I intervened and suggested working on something specific. We started to open
up slowly. The atmosphere made us more acceptance-oriented and understanding, and
problems came up to the surface, one by one. We tried to cope with tensions and
conflicts. At present I feel that we are ready to start new things and venture into new
horizons.

'I feel that I have not done much, nothing concrete, because I did not come as 'a mighty
and gusting wind but rather a gentle breeze. The issues I see as relevant are: (a) the
responsibility of my professional workthe attention, devotion, and the time it requires
versus the responsibility of my facilitation work, (b) durability of rolesas a facilitator
and as a member, (c) my inability to be free to provide feedback to certain individuals in
the LU, and (d) skills required to deal with unpleasant situations.'

Another person:
'I doubt whether this [facilitators and their functioning] works in small community [sic].
To be facilitators requires you to be withdrawn from active participation in the group
meetings so you can observe the process and give feedback to the groupdo process
analysis...When I dropped the facilitator role, everyone was much happier and we could
function much better. A member in authority possessing the skills of a facilitator coming
into a LU on its request might be a good idea. But this "pool" idea might hot work
because it would be a roundabout way...Some goals I set I did achieve...Unforeseen, very
deep conflicts within individuals came to the surface which we as a group could not
handle. One problem was solved (not really solved but was recognised and help is being
offered); but another was there half recognised by the person who is not yet ready to face
it; we are not afraid, we shall give him the needed help as he gradually comes to face
himself. But how can we acquire greater expertise?'

'...When I was elected as the internal resource person, I felt that I was chosen,
against some strong opposition, in a hurry because there was nobody else and because I
pushed myself in. This feeling of mine has, in my opinion, slowed down the process of
change. When I returned, after the IRD programme, I had the LU action plan ready, based
on the data of the survey. The first meeting with the community after my return was to
clarify my roles and to discuss and take decision [sic] on the action plan. We ended this
meeting with what seemed very negative results. The roles remained as vague as they
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

were before, and it was decided to put up all action plans for further study and thought I
felt further rejected. Again, at a subsequent meeting I brought up the issue of the action
plan once again. This led to a lot of emotions. I expressed that I felt I was not accepted
and supported by the community. Support came forth then. About a month later I sought
clarification of my role and presented my understanding of my role. The LU felt that they
could not spell out the role until they knew the action plan. However, I was asked to do
process observations at meetings. As for the action plan, it was decided to do a LU
climate survey once more. Subsequently we did conduct the survey again and on the
basis of the survey, we made some structural changes in the house. Things are moving on,
but now I have to move out of the LU on some specific assignment to another sector...'

The reinforcement laboratory spent most of its time in discussing the issues brought out
thus by the facilitators from their experience in working as facilitators. They themselves
formulated the schedule of the programme. The issues were listed out and prioritized, and
then taken up one after another. The faculty raised questions about the issues and helped
the participants in exploring ways of increasing their own effectiveness. Some conceptual
and strategic issues were also raised and explored. The issues included questions such as:
Should the facilitator work for his or her own visibility? Should the facilitator work with
authority? Is backing by the authority necessary? Does the 'facilitator' mean a 'leader'?

Every day, the facilitators had one extended session on skill practice. Work was
done on skills of communication, collaboration, conflict management, consensus-
building, commitment and involvement, help giving, help receiving, and trusting. The
duration of the laboratory was four days.

STABILIZATION AND TERMINATION

One of the thrusts of the reinforcement lab was to bring in maturity in place of an
exuberance of enthusiasm resulting in over-ambitious planning of action.
Notwithstanding the shortcomings in the original selection of internal facilitators and the
subsequent struggle, after the reinforcement lab we had renewed faith in the strength of
the internal facilitators and their self-confidence was reinforced. We thought it was time
for us to plan our withdrawal. Before we withdrew finally, we thought it was necessary to
attend to a few issues. One of these issues was helping to resolve some conflicts that
arose at the management level of plan renovation. One of us spent quite some time in an
LU to counsel on this issue ''and arrange confrontation meetings between the conflicting
parties. The confrontation proved very useful and resolution was achieved through the
hard work of the conflicting parties.

At almost die same time, the members of the LU had reinforcement and
psychological rewards from odier sectors. There was praise and appreciation (and a little
bit of jealousy also!) that this sector had moved ahead of the other sectors in their work.
In the meantime, an international meeting of representatives from all over the world was
held. One of us agreed to provide process help to the meeting and four internal resource
persons were selected for help. We spent time in planning the process feedback strategy,
and a few days on back-up help to the internal facilitators, who took on the main process
work. Almost everyone in the meeting was highly impressed by the superb professional
work the internal facilitator did. And we were naturally very proud of it.

The central authority was also keeping itself informed about the activities of this
sector and they had witnessed their work and professional competence. Happily, they did
give positive reinforcement A professionally competent person visited the sector several
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

times, met the members almost in every LU, and entered into detailed dialogue in each
LU. His visits had a stimulating effect on the members in their new pursuit.

In our gradual withdrawal process, we made it clear to the organization that we

did not think any other direct intervention was needed now, but that we would like to visit
and help any LUs and the coordinator if it was needed. However, we made it clear that
such requests for help must be channelled through their coordinator and they should
approach the external consultants only when they had done all that they could do to help
themselves. These criteria were set forth to underscore the need for self-help and self-
reliance. We are glad to say they did not need much outside help. They really depended
on their own skills and abilities. A year later, however, we received a request for help in
training a group of members on |; certain specific aspects of management. But that is
another story.

OD INVOLUNTARY ORGANIZATIONS/TOWARDS ORGANIZATIONAL

MATURATION

We have described one long-term attempt to implement OD in a voluntary organization.

Our experience has been very rewarding. We learnt a great deal from this association.
Voluntary organizations have some special features which distinguish them from
enterprise. While these can be regarded as their main strengths, they also pose some
problems. In our experience, these problems can be resolved through effective OD
interventions and their special features can be turned into their greatest strengths. We
would like to comment on three main features.

Commitment In the first place, voluntary organizations work in a climate of

commitment. In most voluntary organizations, the members come together on the basis of
some ideology and a high level of commitment to the goals which they share in common.
This level of commitment is not found in other organizations. While this may be a great
strength of these organizations, this may also create some problems. Since commitment is
the main distinguishing feature of these organizations, individuals may become
manipulative through their high level of commitment to the cause and thereby may
control the organization. If this happens, a great deal of dependency may be generated in
the organizational culture. It often happens that those who start as sources of inspiration
feel that they haveand they may, in fact, havea much higher commitment to the goals
of the organization. This may give them a sense of ownership of the organization, with
the right to direct and control. This may be done in good faith and with noble intentions.
However, this does cause a problem when more people begin to join the organization and
a differential strata of psychological membership begins to emerge. OD in such
organizations, then, has to deal with the problem of dependency.

Extension motivation Another feature of these organizations is that the level of

extension motivationconcern for others and a desire to serve others (Pareek, 1968)is
quite high. Compared to other organizations, the stress on service and working for others
is a great strength of these organizations. However, the stress on service may lead to the
tendency to use oneself for others rather than to work for others without necessarily
sacrificing one's own self.

We make a distinction between self-sacrifice (giving precedence to larger goals

over immediate individual goals and integrating the self with the goals) and sacrificing or
using the self (denying the self in the name of serving the goals by splitting the two and
The Organization Organization Development in a Voluntary Organization

taking the role at the cost of the self). While in the concept of self-sacrifice, an integration
of the self and the higher goals is involved, in using the self, a split and denial of the self
is implied.

This is likely to be the problem in India where denying oneself is a prime value.
There may be two consequences if the self is used for, rather than integrated with, service
to others. On the one hand, it may lead to self-rejection and an escape into the role of a
helper. This may disturb mental health and the individuals working in voluntary
organizations with this tendency are likely to relish self-rejection and escape the problem
of confronting their personal problems with the members with whom they work. On the
other hand, excessive stress on serving others may lead to lack of affection and personal
relationships amongst members of the organization. As a result of these, there may be a
lack of mutuality and collaboration. One problem, therefore, which OD has to deal with
in voluntary organizations is that of working towards rnutuality and collaboration.

Empathy A corollary of a high level of extension motivation is that members of these

organizations may have a high level of empathy. This in itself is a great strength.
However, it may create problems if empathy makes people over-sensitive and may result
in the tendency to avoid hurting the feelings of others. If this happens, people are likely
to try to be 'good' and would generally avoid confrontation. This may create issues which
OD may have to deal with.

As discussed earlier, some of the strong points that these organizations may have are
likely to become problems if the organization does not mature as an organization.
Organizational maturation (and not organizational maturity)a state of becoming and
not of beingis likely to be an issue in voluntary organizations, since their main
emphasis is on service and commitment to goals rather than on organizational
effectiveness. Over-emphasis on such goals may make them insensitive to organizational
issues. It may be important for OD to work towards organizational maturationa process
of developing a rational and empirical approach to the understanding of the problems of
the organization and its functioning and finding a systematic way of dealing with these
problems, working towards a high commitment and positive confronting culture on the
organization. A combination of these two is likely to result in the maturation of an
organization.

For working towards organizational maturation, it is necessary that the

consultants help the organization deal with the problems of dependency, independence,
and counter-dependence and enable it to move towards mutuality and collaboration.

EXERCISES

Questions
Read and reflect on the case in the light of your readings of Part Five of the book. Answer the
following questions:
1. Describe the culture and climate of the organization, giving their indicators.
2. How was diagnosis made in the organization?
3. Which interventions were used to introduce change, and with what effects?
4. Can you call this organization a learning organization? Give reasons.
5. What was the role of the external consultants and how were internal resources developed?