7LD01 Organisational Design and Development

7LD01 Organisational design and development

Organisational design and development is a specialist unit in Level 7 Advanced Diploma in Strategic Learning and Development. The unit focuses on explaining the principles of organisation design and their significance in promoting organisational success. Learners gain insight into the different aspects contributing to change in organisations and focus on examining the organisational structures, systems, and processes put forward at work. In addition, the changes affect people and their working lives in the organisations. Learners, therefore, learn how to develop and implement strategies effective to support development at work.

Learning objectives

The following are the specific learning outcomes that underpin the completion of this unit:

1. To understand the theories that underpin organisational design and development
2. To understand organisational design options and how they link to organisational objectives
3. To understand how organisational development approaches support the achievement of organisational goals and objectives.
4. To understand the need for change and strategies to implement change effectively.

Learning outcome 1

Theories underpinning organisational design and development

Different schools of management thinking relate to different practices surrounding organisational design and development. The theories that the learners will have to study and learn include behavioural science theory, motivation theory, social psychology theory, system theory, organisational psychology theory and learning theory. The learners also get insight into the concepts of organisational values and cultures. These help determine how organisation design and development enhance organisational performance by using different organisational paradigms and metaphors.

Organisational design and development

The learners in this unit need to be conversant with the organisational internal, external and economic issues that impact organisational contexts. These issues help learners identify the context of change in the workplace and seek to determine the kind of decisions made to enhance organisational growth and success. In addition, learners in this perspective learn about the broader views relating to organisational strategy and structure. Understanding the internal and external organisational issues promotes organisational agility.

The value of organisational design and development depends on the kinds of decisions made to support people practices. Learners should learn to focus on making organisational decisions with positive outcomes for the people and the organisation. Through effective organisational design and development strategies, people professionals relate with high engagement levels, high retention rates, and a platform where employees relate well with customers.

Variables and limitations are impacting organisational design and development include the organisational size, context and geographical structure to which organisations operate. In addition, the nature of business culture is a limitation that prevents the implementation of strategies effective in promoting organisational success. The limitations examine how the different kinds of employees engage in using data and data visualisation to make different kinds of decisions to influence the nature of work.

Stakeholder management is an approach that focuses on identifying the roles and responsibilities of the different organisational stakeholders to creating a positive organisational design and enhancing organisational growth. Leaners in understanding stakeholder management have to rely on the contractual relationships that stakeholders make with organisations, which is vital in creating high levels of responsibility and accountability in the workplace. Furthermore, establishing relationships with stakeholders enhances trust in the workplace, promoting integration to enhance organisational design and development.

Learning outcome 2

Organisational design options

The organisational design options seek to evaluate learners’ responsibility in managing the organisational structures and engagement in strategic planning. The options available within organisations help find out whether meaningful structures are used to achieve organisational goals and objectives. Leaners understand organisation design structures that include flat, hierarchical, integrated and matrix structures. Understanding these structures would allow the learners to understand the reasons behind the different cultures developed within the different organisational options.

Learners understand the approaches to implement the organisation design options for the achievement of organisational success. Among the approaches would be the systematic transition process and influencing and evaluating the transition process. Another approach is the iterative cycle that focuses on optimising the organisational culture for change and the urgent delivery of organisational goals and objectives.

Organisation design relates to a high-performance work system, and learners should understand the reasons for change at work and create changed structures that focus on improving organisational goals and objectives. Learners should also understand the role of knowledge workers in promoting human considerations for improved organisational aims and objectives.

Learning outcome 3

Approaches to organisational development

The organisational development theory focuses on examining tools practical to differentiate between the different roles and responsibilities that the employees complete at work. The learners need to understand organisation development as a future-focused theory that focuses on examining the organisation’s future in promoting organisational success.

Learners become aware of the data visualisation concept, which examines the presentation and use of data in telling stories and making strategic choices at work. Learners need to understand the quality of data and how the data can be used reliably. The learners also learn how to use data and how to analyse situations to manage different organisational situations. Data helps employees and employers make decisions with positive personal, professional, team, and organisational levels.

Learning outcome 4

Responses to organisational change

Learners should understand that when focusing on organisational development, changes need to be implemented, and different approaches need to be considered to enhance effective management to change. The learners get insight into the challenges that organisations face and evaluate the areas in the organisation that need change. The learners understand the coordination that the individuals and teams in the workplace need to have at the different organisational levels to create and adapt to change in the workplace.

Learners understand the theories to change, including Kotter’s change management model, Kurt Lewin’s change model, Kubler Ross change and ADKAR. The learners have to understand the limitations and strengths associated with implementing each of the change management models. There is a need to understand the approaches to managing change, considering the emergent and social movement approaches that employees should be aware of when making the decisions to change.

Resistance to change and implementing employee engagement

Learners in completing the unit get to learn about the possibilities of employees becoming resistant to change. In order to deal with these, the employees need to be resilient and be ready for possible changes. People professionals and managers take responsibility for creating an environment where they can lead and manage change, and at the same time, understand people’s emotional and mental responses to change.

Additionally, professionals should allow employees to voice their concerns and become involved through the change process. This creates opportunities for employees to be considered consultants and be engaged in the change process.

Finally, learners should learn the skills and behaviours that people professionals need to support organisational development. They also learn how they can personally acquire the skills to enhance their personal and professional development. These are aspects that contribute to increases self-awareness and the development of an opportunity for skills development.