SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

MBA
Course Outline
Course Title:
Instructor:
E-Mail:

Organizational Change & Interventions

Dr. S. Jeyavelu
profvelu2009@gmail.com

OBJECTIVES:
To understand the change process, and choices and challenges in managing change.
To learn to effectively diagnose an organization, conceptualize the need and intervene for changing &
developing the organization.
To understand the historical roots, the values and objectives of Organization Development in general
and specific to India.
To understand the various OD interventions, strategies, tools and techniques.
To understand, appreciate and manage the challenges faced by an OD consultant / change agent.

METHODOLOGY:
The course would follow an eclectic mix of discussions, experiential exercises, self learning, group
project, simulations and case discussions.

SESSION PLAN:
Session No. 1

Topic

: Introduction to the Course &

Review of Relevant 1yr Courses

Session No. 2

Topic
Assignment

: Perspectives on Change & Types of Change

: Reflect on the Changes that you have experienced in your
life and write a change story giving details of who, what,
when, where, why & how.
: Sharma Chapter 1

Essential
Readings
Session No. 3

Topic
Assignment
Essential
Readings

: Change Models
: Compare and Contrast the various change models
: Sharma Chapter 3

Session No. 4

Topic
Assignment
Essential
Readings

: Organizational Diagnosis
: Analyse the case and give your diagnosis
: Sharma Chapter 1

Case

: ASDA-A

Topic

: Choices in Change

Session No. 5

Beer, M & Nohria, N. 2000. Cracking the Code of Change.

HBR.

Session No. 6

Assignment
Essential
Readings

: Give a detailed change plan

: Sharma Chapter 1

Case

: ASDA-A1; ASDA-B; ASDA-C

Topic
Assignment

: Change Communication
: Give a detailed communication plan for introducing ERP
in an automobile OEM
: Palmer, Dunford & Akin Chapter 10

Essential
Readings
Session No. 7

Topic
Assignment
Essential
Readings

Session No. 8

Topic
Assignment
Essential
Readings

Beer, M & Nohria, N. 2000. Cracking the Code of Change.

HBR.

: Managing Resistance to Change

: Give a detailed plan for managing repeated strikes by AI
pilots.
: Sharma Chapter 4
: Change Management Competencies
: Who is your role model for change? Identify their change
competencies.
: Sharma Chapter 5

Session No. 9

Topic
Essential
Readings

: Introduction to OD
: French, Bell & Vohra Chapter 1

Session No. 10

Topic
Assignment

: History of OD & Evolution in India

: Search Blue chip companies and find out the OD
interventions practiced.
: French, Bell & Vohra Chapter 2
Parikh & Jeyavelu, New Trends in Sensitivity Training.

Essential
Readings
Session No. 11

Topic
Assignment
Essential
Readings

: OD Values & Assumptions

: Is OD different from change management?
: French, Bell & Vohra Chapter 3

Session No. 12

Topic
Assignment

: Foundations of OD
: What would be the difference in change strategy followed
by ASDA CEO, based on different perspectives of OD?
: French, Bell & Vohra Chapter 4

Essential
Readings
Case

: ASDA

Session No. 13

Topic
Assignment
Essential
Readings
Case

: The OD Process & Action Research

: Compare and Contrast Change Process & OD Process
Why Action Research is important to OD?
Analyze the case
: French, Bell & Vohra Chapter 5
French, Bell & Vohra Chapter 6
: Indian Case Study, in French, Bell & Vohra Chapter 6,
pp 93-95.

Session No. 14

Topic
Assignment
Essential
Readings

: OD Interventions An Introduction
: Identify a few prominent OD consultants in India
: French, Bell & Vohra Chapter 7

Session No. 15

Topic
Exercise
Assignment

: Team Interventions
: Simulation in class
: Discuss in your groups, the level of effectiveness in
working as team
: French, Bell & Vohra Chapter 8

Essential
Readings
Session No. 16
&17

Topic

: Survey Feedback 2 Sessions

Assignment

: Design a questionnaire for Employee Satisfaction Survey

for a. BPO, b. retail chain, c. bank, d. steel company, or e.
consulting firm.
: French, Bell & Vohra Chapter 10

Essential
Readings
Session No. 18

Topic
Assignment
Essential
Readings

Session No. 19

Topic
Assignment
Essential
Readings

Session No. 2022

: Training Interventions
: Design a Training Intervention for a diversified
conservative south Indian company to transform into a
professional and entrepreneurial organization.
: French, Bell & Vohra Chapter 12
Ramnarayan, Rao & Singh Chapter 3
: Other OD Interventions
: Choose one OD intervention that appeals to you and
explain why.
: French, Bell & Vohra Chapter 9 & 11

Topic

: Process Work / Process Consultation 3 sessions

Exercise

: Micro Lab

Session No. 23

Topic
Assignment
Essential
Readings

: Future Search Conference

: Design a Future Search Conference for SIBM Placements
: French, Bell & Zawacki Chapter 23

Session No.
24&25

Topic

: Appreciative Inquiry - two sessions

Assignment

: 1. What are the three things that you value in yourself?

2. What are the three things that you value in SIBM?
: French, Bell & Zawacki Chapter 22

Essential
Readings
Session No. 26

Session No. 27

Topic
Assignment
Essential
Readings
Case

: Consultant Client Relationship Management

: Analyse the case
: French, Bell & Vohra Chapter 13

Topic
Assignment

: Power, Politics & Change

: Reflect on an experience where you faced politics. What
did you do? What was the consequence of your actions?
: French, Bell & Vohra Chapter 14

Essential
Readings
Session No. 28

Topic
Assignment
Essential
Readings
Case

Session No. 29

Topic
Assignment
Essential
Readings

: Chennai Auto Component Co.

: Organizational Redesign for Uncertain Environment

: Design a new structure for Clariant and BPCL for facing
the challenges of 2010.
:
: Clariant (A) & BPCL (A)
: Managing M&A
: Identify one Indian Merger and give the detailed change
management process
: Buono & College, Consulting to Integrate Mergers and
Acquisitions. In Greiner & Poulfelt, 2005. The
Contemporary Consultant.

Session No. 30

Topic
Exercise
Essential
Readings

: Organizational Learning
: Double loop learning in class
: Ramnarayan, Rao & Singh Chapter 21
Peter Senge, Fifth Discipline

Session No. 31

Topic
Assignment

: Managing Organizational Decline and Turnaround

:
4

Session No. 32

Essential
Readings
Case

: Sunil Kumar Maheswari, 2007, Turnaround Excellence.

Part 1, pages 3-37.
: Sunil Kumar Maheswari, 2007, Turnaround Excellence.
Case Torrent Gujarat Biotech Ltd, pages 157-176.

Topic
Assignment

: Organizational Identity & Change

: Identify an organization that has undergone a major
identify change (change in name, brand, ownership,
objectives, etc)
Enumerate the process of managing the identity change
: To be provided later

Essential
Readings
Session No. 33

Topic
Assignment
Essential
Readings

: Ethnic OD Models
: Identify one ethnic OD or change model
: To be distributed later

Session No. 34

Topic

: Video Project Presentations (to be scheduled mid course)

Session No.
35&36

Topic

: Project Presentations 2 sessions (to be scheduled end of

course)

Suggested Readings/ References:

Text Book:
French, Bell & Vohra (2009) Organization Development, 6th ed. Indian edition. Pearson.
Sharma R.R. 2007. Change Management: Concepts & Applications. Tata McGraw Hill
Additional References:

Ramnarayanan, S., Rao, T.V. & Singh, K. 1998. Organization Development: Interventions &
Strategies. Response Books.
French, W. L., Bell, C. H. B. & Zawacki, R. A. 2006. Organization Development & Transformation.
6th Ed. Tata McGrawhill. Indian Adapted Edition.

Evaluation Plan: (for 90 marks)

Quizzes/Presentations/Assignments
Video Project
Project Midterm Review Report
Project Presentation
Project Report
Midterm Exam

20 Marks
20 Marks
5 Marks
5 Marks
20 Marks
20 Marks