Questions 1
Team building is typically used in OD to loosen up an over-organized system that is too rigid and bureaucratic. In this case, team building was aimed at providing structure to an under-organized system.
(1) In doing a diagnosis, what factors are important to consider in determining whether a company or team is over- or under- organized?
A company will face a constant struggle to avoid the extremes of under-organizing and over-organizing. All service providers have a built-in tendency to get out of balance organizationally on one side or the other. In the under-organized company, its leaders struggle largely with efficiency: how to get things done. Due to inadequate organizing, company leaders find it difficult to pull the right "levers" and push the right "buttons" to make the organization work.
Signs of under-organization include the following:
* Staff and administrators are unsure which activities they can delegate and to whom they can delegate;
* Members are not sure where they can best serve and "plug in";
* A major expenditure of time and effort is required to get programs adopted and implemented;
* The work load is unevenly distributed—some members and leaders are overworked while others are left out entirely;
* Leaders are slow to discern and respond to the needs of members;
* Members are only dimly aware of congregational goals and not well informed about daily events;
* The company experiences significant overlapping of programs and consequent duplication of effort;
A company unbalanced by too much organization is challenged by effectiveness: what things should be done. Unlike the under-organized non-profit, the over-organized company can move efficiently in getting things done.
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