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292

ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT 

PRACTITIONER SKILLS

Exercise 2

You are the leader of a management team about to hire an organization development

 practitioner to conduct a team-building exercise with your staff. The staff generally getalong well, though you feel that the team’s performance could be better. You would like

the OD practitioner to propose an intervention to help the team improve.

In small groups of three to five members, identify the top eight to ten skills or knowl-

edge areas you would want your practitioner to possess. You may add to the list if you

think of a different skill or knowledge area that does not appear below. Compare your

list with that of your team members and discuss the following questions.

Discussion Questions

1. How would you find the consultant that matched your skill or knowledge needs?

Would any of these skills or knowledge needs be the same even if you had a dif-

ferent problem to address?

2. Would you select an internal or external consultant? Why?

3. How would you know if a consultant held the skills you seek? If you were the

practitioner, how would you show that you held these skills?

4. From a practitioner’s viewpoint, would you select different skills to be important to

this engagement? Why or why not?

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Exercise 2. Organization Development Practitioner Skills   293

Interpersonal Skills and Personal

CharacteristicsSelf-Awareness and

Self-Management

Objectivity/Neutrality

Imagination

Flexibility, Dealing With Ambiguity

Honesty/Integrity

Consistency

Building Trust and RapportOpen-Mindedness

Listening

Sense of Humor

Risk Taking

Political Awareness

Persuasiveness

Collaboration

Tact and Diplomacy

Role Modeling

Rational-Emotional Balance

Negotiation

Managing Stress

Organizational Behavior

Organizational Theory

Strategy

Open Systems

Motivation and Rewards

Change Theory

Organization Design

Power

Leadership

Conflict

Organizational Culture

Mergers and Acquisitions

Group Development

Change Management

Change Resistance and

Stakeholder Engagement

Communication (e.g., use of

metaphors, stories)

Consulting Skills

Entry and Contracting

Design of Data-Gathering

Program

Diagnosis

Designing Interventions

Giving and Receiving Feedback

Evaluating Results of Interventions

Data Collection and Analysis

Research Design

Interviewing Skills

Survey Preparation

SKILLS

(Continued) 

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294 PART III.  EXERCISES IN ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE

(Continued)

Data Analysis (quantitative

and qualitative)

Statistical Analysis

Participant Observation

Interpreting and Reporting

Results

Measurement and Testing

Interventions

Strategic Planning

Vision/Mission Development

Goal Setting

Process Analysis and Redesign

Role Development and

Clarification

Restructuring

Coaching and Mentoring

Team Building

Future Search Conferences

Appreciative Inquiry

Quality Approaches

(Six Sigma,Total Quality

Management)

Conflict Resolution

Facilitation Skills

Training and Development

Adult Learning

Instructional Design

Training Delivery Skills

Assessment of Learning

Performance Management

Technology and Learning

Business and Management

Knowledge Areas

Finance and Accounting

Human Resources Management

Sales and Marketing

Information Systems and

Technology

Operations and Production

Legal Issues

General Professional Skills

Public Speaking

Written Communication

Translate Theory Into Practice

Project Management

Ethical Issues for OD Consultants

Cross-Cultural Knowledge