PEOPLE AND ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

People and Organisational Development

People and Organisational Development

Introduction

An increased emphasis on learning in organizations has enhanced researchers' and practitioners' interest in the dynamics of individual development in the workplace. Three approaches to understanding individual development (behavioral change, self-directed learning, and adult development) are reviewed, and the common elements across these approaches are identified. These elements are used to evaluate six popular individual development practices: 360-degree feedback, executive coaching, developmental assignments, action learning, social support for learning, and communities of practice. This analysis indicates no one practice is a panacea for individual development. Directions for research are suggested and trends that are likely to influence individual development in the workplace in the future are discussed.(Atwater, 2008,35)

Individual Development: A Definition

We define individual development in the workplace as the expansion of an individual's capacity to function effectively in his or her present or future job and work organization. In other words, an instance of individual development is an intra-individual change that results in better work performance, today or in the future. The review of a theory of work performance helps illustrate the potential locus of such changes.

According to Campbell and his colleagues (Campbell, 1990; Campbell, McCloy, Oppler & Sager, 1993; Campbell, Gasser & Oswald, 1996), there are eight components of job performance. Each component is a function of declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge, and motivation. Each of these performance determinants are affected by individual difference variables (e.g., ability, personality, and interests), situational variables (e.g., education, training, and experience), and their interaction. Individual development may involve stable changes in any of the proximal or distal individual determinants of work performance. Note that this excludes transient changes in work performance that may arise through temporary changes in motivation, as well as those that stem from alternations in situational factors, such as equipment modifications or changes in working conditions. Referring to Campbell et al.'s model also highlights that individual development is not limited to changes that affect task performance. The eight performance components include non-technical aspects of work performance, such as facilitation of peer and team performance.(Zemke, 2004,46)

Three Lenses On Individual Development

There are numerous streams of research relevant to the topic of individual development. We have organized these into three broad groups: behavior change, self-directed learning, and adult development. Each represents a different approach to understanding individual development in the workplace. Looking through each lens focuses our attention on different research questions, constructs, and parts of the development process. Using all three lenses provides a more comprehensive view for understanding how to enhance individual development in the workplace.Many works on organizational conflict have focused primarily on negotiation and, in particular, on formal processes of dispute resolution. This chapter focuses on that literature that explores individual and interactive processes of conflict management. The underlying presumption in much of this work is the constructive nature of conflict—aiming at understanding rather than prescription.

Behavior Change

The state of our knowledge about behavioral change in work settings is well-articulated by Hellervick, Hazucha and Schneider ...