Organizational Development Process With safety in mind.
Organizational Development (OD) is the area of organizational change that aims at improving social functioning of organizations (Hodge - 1996, p370). OD is a subgroup of organizational change strategies that uses knowledge of the behavioral sciences for planned interventions into organizational processes with the goal of increasing organizational health and effectiveness. OD change efforts typically focus on improving and facilitating interactions among people in organizations. The goals of OD are to improve communications among workers, to develop norms of trust and acceptance and to move towards collaboration and acceptance. These traits are at the heart of Gellers Actively Caring (1996).
In order to make any organizational change a permanent one, the change process that must address or be implemented at eight separate organizational levels (Theodore - 1998).
The OD process can be applied to any organizational process or program, but we will only be addressing safety programs in this description.
I. Principles of Organization
The initial level of any organizational change must include the review or inclusion of the principles of organization which are planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling. Unless these principles are addressed properly, the organizational change will not have been implemented properly, and it will not last long.
Planning.
The program can be run on a location by location basis or on a corporate wide basis. Prototype arrangements can be set up at different plants based upon the needs of the plant.
Organizing.
Organizing includes setting up the proper reporting relationships between the safety department, the line management, and the upper management. The safety leadership should preferably be at or very near the VP home office functional / staff level.
Directing.
The plant safety officers should have reporting structure to the corporate safety officer, and to the local plant manager (matrix arrangement). Other alternatives exist. The objective would be to have a group which has a coordinated voice in addressing top management, and a coordinated center of knowledge dissemination. It should also have a voice in potentially overriding local line management. There are occasions where line management will actively interfere with safety efforts. Safety is a value not a priority (Geller - 1996,- principle 10 p 367).
Staffing.
Staffing will include the hiring or placing of qualified personnel at the various plants who have safety knowledge and leadership backgrounds. Directing the effort should be made the responsibility of the corporate safety leadership.
Controlling.
Controlling the effort should be through near miss reporting, the end of line injury rates , internal and external safety audits. There are aspects of control which control the line management, and the employees. These are arranged through the reward systems and performance appraisals with the objectives or goals defined in terms of safety program results such as (Geller - 1996, - p316-317):
- improvement percent of positive behaviors or the reduction in at-risk behaviors,
- participation numbers,
- social support
- improvement in safety culture scores,
- reductions in injuries and reduction injury costs.
II. Policies and Procedures
The second organizational level which would be addressed is the policies and procedures level. The policies and procedures for the implementation of safety programs, the arrangement of the internal and external inspection activities, should be outlined and the basic reward and incentive programs should be spelled out in the safety department policy and procedure manuals.
III. Performance Appraisals
The performance appraisals for the plant upper and supervisory management, the corporate executives, the safety department staff and the employees should have rewards or incentives associated with the implementation of the safety program.
IV. Management Development
The plant management, supervisory, upper management, and the corporate leadership should all be given training in the value and implementation of the safety program. They should be shown the bottom line and employee involvement and commitment potentials (Geller - 1996, p333-334).
V. Employee Development
It almost goes without saying that this is an employee based program which will require extensive employee involvement and training. The levels of employee involvement and commitment to safety and to the company will increase if the training, techniques, programs and processes are instituted properly (Geller - 1996, p110).
VI. Intra-Department Communications
This is a necessary part of any organizational process. The communications between the supervisor and the employees themselves is absolutely necessary to create an Actively Caring relationship between the employees. This communication is essential to the operation and success of the process.
VII. Inter-Department Communications
Inter-department communications between, upper management, the safety departments (plant and corporate), the local upper plant management, and the personnel departments are necessary to allow each to understand the position of the other department with arrangements being necessary to accommodate each others needs.
VIII. Individual Training of Upper Management
Without the commitment and understanding of upper management the installation of any organizational change program or process is doomed to failure.
In conclusion, any good safety program which produces a good Safety Culture presents a significant bottom line value to the company. Organizational change is required of every self renewing viable organization. When implementing a safety program / process, like any other organizational change, there a are specific steps which must be taken in order to insure the success of the program. The eight level OD review, analysis, and intervention model sets the stage for permanently and smoothly incorporating a change into the culture of a company.
References:
Geller, E.S. (1996). The Psychology of Safety: How to improve behaviors and attitudes on the job. Radnor, PA: Chilton Book Company.
Hodge, B.J., Anthony, W.P. & Gales, L.M. (1996) Organization Theory : A Strategic Approach (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Theodore, J. D. (1998). Course on Organizational Development - class notes January 5-9, 1998. University of Sarasota, FL
