7/29/2019 Interpersonal_Week.pdf
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MANAGING ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE
Dr Richard Winter
MNGT2035
InterpersonalInterventions
Organisation Development & Change 12-2
Week 8: Questions
What is meant by socio-technical systems(STS) theory? How is it relevant to humanprocess interventions?
What is a T-group and what are its threemain goals?
How does the Johari Window improve
interpersonal consultation? What is meant by process consultationand what kinds of questions facilitate thisprocess?
Organisation Development & Change 12-3
Week 8: Questions
What are the characteristics of a team
and how can teams be classified?
What is meant by team building? Give
an example of a typical team building
intervention
Organisation Development & Change 12-4
Socio-Technical Systems (STS)
A work organisation is a complex socio-technicalsystem. STS theory originated at the TavistockInstitute in London and underlies many work design,employee involvement and team-basedinterventions.
Whenever people are organised to perform a task,there are always two interdependent partsoperating: the social part (relationships between
people) and the technical part (the tools,techniques and methods for task performance). Inaddition, this STS is open in relation to itsenvironment.
Organisation Development & Change 12-5
Socio-Technical Systems (STS)
A project group is set-up between members of thedesign and marketing team. The task of the teamis to improve product reliability (reduce productrecalls). The team reports to the Director ofCustomer relations this is the teams externalenvironment.
The team is more likely to reach its goal if itworks well as a team (supportive relations) andexchanges support, information and workmethods (high task performance) referred to asjoint optimisation.
Organisation Development & Change 12-6
What are T-Groups?
T-groups (T for training) are unstructuredsmall-group situations in which participantslearn from their own actions
T-groups evolved from the laboratorytraining research of Kurt Lewin (1945)
T-groups focus on the what, how and why ofinterpersonal communication.
T-groups are used by consultants to helpmanagers learn about the effects of theirbehaviour on others
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Organisation Development & Change 12-7
Goals of T-Groups
To increase understanding aboutones own behaviour and thebehaviour of others (sensitivitytraining)
To increase interpersonal diagnosticskills (diagnostic skills)
To support coaching and increaseability to transform learning intoaction (group action skills)
Organisation Development & Change 12-8
Sensitivity training
Aim is to: (1) encourage participants to
recognise the effects of their behavior
on others (e.g. by developing good
observation and listening skills) (2) get
participants to know themselves (e.g.
by asking others for feedback) and toshare aspects of themselves to others
(self-disclosure)
Organisation Development & Change 12-9
Diagnostic skills
Encourage participants to perceiveaccurately relationships between eachother
The focus is on recording/observingwho is taking an active role in thediscussion (and who is not and WHY)
How satisfied do participants feel inthe group discussion?
Organisation Development & Change 12-10
Group action skills
Encourage participants to select and act out
(role play) behaviors required by the
situation to learn from the experience
Aim is to support coaching/counselling skills
Common interventions are role plays, team
building meetings, adventure games
Organisation Development & Change 12-11
Johari Window
Technique for illustrating the quality ofinterpersonal communication identifiers apersons interpersonal style ofcommunication
Process consultants use the model to helppeople process data about themselves interms of how they see themselves and howothers see them
Interpersonal communication judged more
effective when there is fit (congruence)between how we see ourselves (private face)and how others see us (public face).
Organisation Development & Change 12-12
Johari Window
Unknown to Others Known to Others
Known toSelf
Unknownto Self
HiddenSpot
OpenWindow
Unknown
Window
Blind
Spot
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Organisation Development & Change 12-13
nknown to Others Known to Others
Known toSelf
Unknownto Self
OpenWindow
Improving CommunicationsUsing the Johari Window
Reduce
Hidden AreathroughDisclosure to
Others
Reduce Blind Spotthrough Feedback fromOthers
Organisation Development & Change 12-14
Process Consultation
A set of activities on the part ofthe consultant that helps theclient to perceive, understand,and act upon the process events
which occur in the clientsenvironment. (See Application12.2)
Organisation Development & Change 12-15
Process Consultation
In process consultation, theconsultant observes individuals andgroups in action helping them learnto diagnose and solve their ownproblems
Often used in conjunction withteambuilding, self-directed work
teams, quality circles, and otherinterpersonal interventions
Organisation Development & Change 12-16
Process Consultation: How is it
Done?
Consultant observes the
communication processes between
individuals and workgroups
Interventions used such as listening,
probing, questioning, clarifying,
reflecting, synthesizing andsummarising
Organisation Development & Change 12-17
Process Consultation:
Key Questions
How well do group members seek and giveinformation? Ask questions? Summarize? Listen toothers?
How well do group members perform groupmaintenance roles such as compromising?Harmonizing? Supporting?
How well do group members solve problems? Makedecisions?
How well do group members deal with power and
authority issues? How well do group members exercise leadership?
Organisation Development & Change 12-18
Characteristics of a Team
Two or more members
Members contribute their respective
competencies (knowledge, skills)
Members actively exchange information and
support towards shared goals
A team identity distinct from individual
members
Structure is explicit, task and goal oriented,organised and purposeful
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Organisation Development & Change 12-19
Types of Teams
Groups reporting to the same manager
Groups involving people with common goals
Temporary groups formed to accomplish aspecific, one-time task
Groups consisting of people whose workroles are interdependent
Groups with no formal links but whosecollective purpose requires coordination
Organisation Development & Change 12-20
Team Building Activities
Activities Related to One or MoreIndividuals
Activities Oriented to the GroupsOperations and Behaviours
Activities Affecting the GroupsRelationship with the Rest of theOrganisation
Organisation Development & Change 12-21
Team Building Meetings
A set of diagnostic activities designed to
understand the current structure, process,
and effectiveness of the team (i.e. task
and relationship areas)
A set of relationship activities design to
address and improve a specific aspect of
team functioning (e.g., meetingdeadlines, sharing information)
Organisation Development & Change 12-22
Team Building Activity
Typically held from 1 day to 3 days and off-
site where all team members can focus on
the purpose of the meeting
Often senior manager welcomes the team,
restates purpose of meeting and introduces
consultant
Consultant facilitates a discussion of teamfunctioning and then gets team engaged in
an activity (e.g. Four Faces of a Team)
Organisation Development & Change 12-23
Team Building Activity
Consultant reviews the findings of the activity,summarizes the data and clarifies the issues teammembers need to consider (e.g. teams may havestrong internal functioning but are not satisfyingneeds of customers external function is poor)
Team members work through ways to improve theirperformance
The team makes an action plan including who willdo what specific task and when
Follow up meetings are planned to ensure actionplans are being carried out.
Organisation Development & Change 12-24
Intergroup Team Building
Aim is to build the working relationship
between two teams. Works well when
teams depend on each other (i.e. high
task interdependence). Instead of
improving working relations within a
group (as like a family team), you
focus on improving relations between
teams.
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Organisation Development & Change 12-25
Intergroup Team Building
Step 1: Managers of the two teams believethat the working relationship between theteams could be improved decide to involvea consultant in the process. Group decides tohow and when to set up an interventionmeeting
Step 2: Managers meet with their respectiveteams to get input and get some idea ofwhat might be accomplished at the meetingwhen it is held
Organisation Development & Change 12-26
Intergroup Team Building
Step 3: Managers give a brief introduction and outlinefor the meeting. The consultant, acting as a meetingfacilitator, lays down a few ground rules (e.g., nopersonal attacks, break-out rooms, timing)
Step 4: The consultant introduces a few processquestions for each team to answer (what are thethings about the other group that you think they do
well?, what are things you would like to see theother group do differently that would improve yourworking relationship?)
Organisation Development & Change 12-27
Intergroup Team Building
Step 5: The teams are given flipchart
paper and sent into separate break-
out rooms to answer the questions
Step 6: The teams return with their
responses. No debate is allowed.
Questions can be asked to clarify whatthings mean so everyone has a clear
understanding.
Organisation Development & Change 12-28
Intergroup Team Building
Step 7: The teams return to their rooms to: (1) discuss whatthey have learned about how they are perceived, and (2) builda list of issues that need to be resolved. They prioritize thislist.
Step 8: The teams return and share the lists once again witheach other. The consultant encourages members to come upwith a combined list of issues that need to be addressed and toprioritize this list. They set up action plans, make assignments,and set deadlines for resolution of the issues. The teamsdecide on a follow-up meeting.
Step 9: A follow-up meeting is held to assess how things are
going and to make any corrections to stay on track until goalsare achieved.
Organisation Development & Change 12-29
Summary
Interpersonal interventions aim to helpindividuals and group members assess theirsocial interactions (diagnosis) and devisemore effective ways of working together(relationships)
Process consultants observe groups andpeople in action they are skilled in helpingpeople diagnose the causes of their problems
and helping them learn to solve their ownproblems
Organisation Development & Change 12-30
Summary
Team building consists of a series of plannedactivities to help groups improve the waythey accomplish tasks (task focus) and tohelp group members get along with eachother (relationship focus) teamperformance maximised when the socio-technical system is jointly optimised.
A key focus of team building is to enhance
members interpersonal and problem solvingskills