Chapter 7

Process Intervention
Skills

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 1

Learning Objectives

Understand key OD process skills and

determine how they can be applied.

Practice using OD process skills.

Identify and gain insights into your own OD

style.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 2

Walking the Front at Disney

(part 1 of 2)
The actions of one leader, multiplied by
thousands of leaders, can reshape a culture.
Judson Green, head of Walt Disney Attractions.

Disney has one of the worlds most deeply

rooted corporate cultures.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 3

Walking the Front at Disney

(part 2 of 2)
The leadership style at Disney is inclusive.
Managers work frontline shifts during peak
periods.
Where guests satisfaction ratings are highest,
cast members rate their leaders as
outstanding.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 4

New Paradigm in Organizations

Change occurring in leadership styles because
of importance of teams.
Organizations relying more on team approach.
Managers will need new skills.
Understanding group and team behavior is
needed.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 5

Process Interventions (part 1 of 2)

Process intervention is OD practitioner skill for
helping work groups become more effective.
Helps work group to understand way it
operates.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 6

Process Interventions (part 2 of 2)

The manager helps team learn to diagnose and
solve their own problems.
Team becomes more independent.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 7

Group Process
Process interventions concentrates on how
groups and individuals within those groups
behave.

Process is the how of the group.

Content is the what of the group.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 8

Five Areas Crucial to Effective

Organization Performance
1.

Communication.

2.

Member roles & functions in groups.

3.

Group problem-solving & decision-making.

4.

Group norms & growth.

5.

Leadership & authority.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 9

Figure 7.1
Group Process Interventions

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 10

Communications
Analyzing communications process within
group.
Observing length of time member talks, who
talks to whom, and who interrupts whom.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 11

Member Roles and Functions

Observing roles and functions of members.
Roles divided into 3 categories:

Group task.

Group building and maintenance.

Individual.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 12

Table 7.1
Group Behavior Interventions

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 13

Problem Solving and

Decision Making
Helping group understand how it makes
decisions.
Group consensus is one all members share in
making and will support.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 14

Group Norms and Growth

Assisting group in understanding its norms and
how they affect decision making.
Group will improve decision making as
members grow.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 15

Leadership and Authority

Group understands impact of leadership and
authority.
Roles of formal and informal leaders clarified.
Leadership functions shared among group
members.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 16

Our Changing World: Grassroots

Leadership at Shell (part 1 of 3)
Managing director Steve Miller tried to
transform Shell but with little progress.
Went directly to employees in field (coal-face).
He brought change to lower levels and let it
spread to managers above.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 17

Our Changing World

(part 2 of 3)

Leadership changes at Shell:

Solutions to problems reside with people at

coal face.

Leader finds ways to empower frontline

people and hold them accountable.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 18

Our Changing World

(part 3 of 3)

Approach to change:

Brought in 6 to 8 member teams.

Teaching method used was the fishbowl.

One team in middle working on problem,

another team observes.

Observing team learns from another teams

performance.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 19

Types of Process Interventions

Process interventions differ but never involve
the groups task.
Concern is how group going about
accomplishing its task.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 20

Process Interventions Include:

Clarifying.

Providing Support.

Summarizing.

Coaching.

Synthesizing.

Counseling.

Generalizing.

Modeling.

Probing.

Setting the Agenda.

Questioning.

Feedback.

Listening.

Structural Suggestions.

Reflecting Feelings.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 21

Clarifying and Summarizing

Purpose is to resolve misunderstandings.
Provides a summary of major points.
Helps the group to understand where it is.
Example: Mary, I seem to be hearing you
say. Is this correct?

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 22

Synthesizing and Generalizing

Puts several points together in common theme.
Takes ideas of one person and attaches them to
group.
Example: Am I correct in assuming the rest of
you share Irwins position?

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 23

Probing and Questioning

Seeks more information and asks questions.
Useful at beginning of discussion if members
reaching hasty conclusions.
Example: Larisa, Im not sure everyone
understands your point. Could you explain it
in more detail?

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 24

Listening
Communicates nonverbally that one is listening.
Uses eye contact and body posture.
Hears entire message including feelings.
Examples: eye contact, nod of head, body
posture.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 25

Reflecting Feelings
Communicates back to speaker feeling part of
message.
Listener practices empathy.
Example: Shannon, am I correct in assuming
you have a problem with what Murphy has
just reported?

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 26

Providing Support, Coaching,

and Counseling
Gives assistance to group or individual on
behaviors to improve.
Encourages members to talk and express
ideas.
Compliments group for productive meeting.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 27

Modeling
Learning to give process observations by
observing someone else making process
observations.
Members encouraged to take role of providing
process interventions.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 28

Setting the Agenda

Sets aside time to discuss process issues apart
from content issues.
May include how well members communicate
with each other.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 29

Feeding Back Observations

Provides feedback on group process.
Limited to extent that group is able to accept
feedback.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 30

Structural Suggestions
Provides suggestions on group membership,
communication patterns, allocation of work,
and lines of authority.
Manager avoids stepping in and taking over.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 31

Results of Process Interventions

Little empirical evidence on success of process
interventions.
Some findings suggest positive effects on
participants.
Process interventions relied upon by OD
practitioners and increasingly used by line
managers in daily operations.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 32

OD in Practice:
Shaking up HP (part 1 of 2)
Discuss HP in light of new information.
CEO Fiorina dismissed by HPs board.
Official reason was strategic differences with
the board.
Discuss HP in light of new information.
What does B.W. and W.S.J. report?
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 33

OD in Practice:
Shaking up HP (part 2 of 2)
Who is her replacement?
Has new CEO been able to bring change to
HP?
What style of change does this new person
brings to HP.
What happened to Fiorina?
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 34

Key Words and Concepts

Agenda setting interventions - sets aside time

when process issues discussed.

Empathy - listener tries to see world from

speakers point of view.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 35

Group building and maintenance functions help group grow and improve members
relationships.

Group consensus - decision made by group

that all members can support.

Group content - task or what a group does.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 36

Group process - how group goes about

accomplishing task.

Group task functions - behaviors that directly

help the group solve its task.

Individual functions - behaviors that satisfy

individual needs and inconsequential to
groups task.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 37

Member roles - functions that individual

members play in a group.

Norms - organized and shared ideas

regarding what group members should do
and feel.

Process interventions - how the group is

accomplishing its task.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 38

Preparations for Next Chapter

Read Chapter 8.

Read instructions for OD Skill Simulation 8.1

and complete Step 1.

Read and prepare analysis for Case: The

Farm Bank.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition

Chapter 7
Slide 39