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Part 1Role of OD Consultant

An Organization Development practitioner applies behavioral science to address issues within an organization to align capability and strategy, intervening in systems to help individuals work together to achieve their goals (Park, 2019). Participating in the simulation was an eye-opening experience. Playing the role of an OD practitioner provided an opportunity to interact with individuals to offer suggestions on improving communication. The challenges encountered during the simulation were reassuring each team member it’s okay to have an opinion. However, constructive criticism is to help team members to view the issues from a broader perspective.

Discussion of OD’s Assessment Strategies and Tactics

The key members that participated in the simulation struggled to communicate without pre-judgment. For example, Hugo is fearful and controlling. After all, he feels the company overlooked him because he doesn’t have a degree. He micromanages his subordinates and does not engage with his senior-level management. Hugo displayed a defensive posture during most of the simulation. Grant wanted to build a closer working relationship with Hugo. However, Hugo limited communication with Grant unless on a need-to-know basis. Finally, Linda is a people person who is energetic and has ideas to grow the business. Linda was passionate about creating a positive environment. However, she feels Hugo is controlling her ability to make more decisions regarding the marketing campaign.

The team is dealing with an authoritarian leadership style, and exemplified when a leader dictates policies and procedures decide what goals are to be achieved, and directs and controls all activities without any meaningful participation by the subordinates (Purwanto et al., 2019). The goal is to ensure Hugo completes the “360 assessment” and provides the team with tactics that offer solutions to create a dialogue among all stakeholders—brainstorming with stakeholders to improve morale and encourage the sharing of information in the decision-making process.

Another option offered is to shift the focus from the work aspect to a personal relationship. People are less likely to comply when they feel left out of the process. It’s okay to have accountability. However, making the process visible to all stakeholders will establish an open dialogue. Also, it builds confidence in team members and encourages sustaining change. Team members want to learn new concepts and share ideas. The team has data to communicate with management to support its recommendations for corrective or preventative actions that might include training or additional operational supports. Developing training sessions that encourage all stakeholders to participate enables team members to be assigned more control over marketing campaigns (Warrick, 2016).

Part 2 Pros and Cons of Simulation

There are several pros and cons to the simulation. First, the simulation provided a real-life experience that allows the OD practitioner to gain first-hand knowledge of tools and devices to resolve conflict (Lindenberger Group, 2017). The simulation provided immediate feedback from participants. Secondly, the simulation allowed the OD practitioner to learn new skills through observations. Once the participants in the simulation were able to express their concerns, the OD practitioner used that data to offer suggestions build on the input and make changes that benefit the team.

The cons of simulation include not have enough time to gather data from every team member. Although the simulation provided insight into leadership, members of the marketing team had no representation. The data collected was gathered from second-hand communication. Also, conducting a simulation is expensive to build. The simulation design has to understand the awareness of all factors involved (Hood, 2010).

Learn and Gain from Experience

The simulation displayed how one’s perception of interpreting information could alter the culture of an organization. For example, When you communicate, your team members should understand the information shared is good and bad. Constructive criticism is not to be looked at as someone attacking you personally, but instead allowing you to see what behaviors are restricting production. Leadership’s interaction with all team members is essential for change. Defining and communicating success metrics and results of your progress provide transparency.

Reflection

During the simulation, I provided Hugo with a broader view of the importance of completing the 360 assessment. I reminded the management team that change occurs only when the team can see the big picture and accept the task assigned. Now it’s okay to delegate authority to other leaders. Trusting your team to make decisions that will improve the profitability of the marketing department is essential for growth. The one aspect that needs improvement is developing more open-end questions to engage team members to share more ideas of improving communication and other team members in the decision-making process. Also, build a relationship that promotes essential changes and encourages dysfunctional groups to make the intervention successful.

References

Hood, L. (2019). Real-world Applications of Simulations Retrieved from http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Real-world_Applications_of_Simulations

Lindenberger Group (2017). 8 Top Benefits of Training Simulations in the Workplace Retrieved from https://lindenbergergroup.com/8-top-benefits-training-simulations-workplace/

Park, R. (2019). What is an Organization Development Practitioner? Retrieved from https://www.roffeypark.ac.uk/knowledge-and-learning-resources-hub/what-is-an-organisation-development-practitioner/#:~:text=An%20organization%20development%20practitioner%20applies,together%20to%20achieve%20their%20goals.&text=OD%20addresses%20this%20issue%2C%20backed,behavioural%20science%2C%20and%20human%20values.

Purwanto, A., Wijayanti, L. M., Hyun, C. C., & Asbari, M. (2019). the Effect of Transformational, Transactional, Authentic, and Authoritarian Leadership Style Toward Lecture Performance of Private University in Tangerang. Dinasti International Journal of Digital Business Management, 1(1), 29-42.

Warrick, D. D. (2016). What Leaders Can Learn About Teamwork and Developing High Performance Teams from Organization Development Practitioners. Performance Improvement, 55(3), 13–21. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1002/pfi.21559