Choosing the Depth of Organization Intervention

While surfing through back issues of the NTL publication, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, I stumbled across an incredible article written 38 years ago by Roger Harrison.

Roger may not be as well known as some of his contemporaries, but suffice it to say that he has been a leading organization development (OD) practitioner and theorist since 1956, and has been involved in most of the developments and applications of OD from its inception. A leading force behind the advent of t-groups and sensitivity training, his writings and work are a treasure trove of original thought on building healthier organizations.

His article, “Choosing the Depth of Organizational Intervention,” really struck home for me. He advances two key axioms in the article:

An organization development intervention should occur at a level no deeper than that required to produce enduring solutions to the problems at hand; and

The intervention should be at a level no deeper than that at which the energy and resources of the client can be committed to problem solving and to change.

All too often organizational development and human resource professionals ignore those two pearls of wisdom – and embark on a change interventions that are doomed to fail.

Comments

[Jim Stroup]

Both principles are the sort of common sense that results from deep insight, appearing obvious only when stumbled upon.

The first is reminiscent of a basic tenet of Aaron Beck's Cognitive Therapy (my wife is a cognitive therapist), which examines people's thought structures only as deeply as necessary to resolve their presenting problem (this is a simplification, of course, but the relevant relation to your post).

The second adds a basic customer-focus and respect to the mix (and in CT, also, the patient, not the therapist, bears the main responsibility for setting the framework for examining the problem and determining success).

Thanks for the interesting source - I'll be looking for more from him.

One more thing: I noted from your last post that you were in Istanbul, recently. I live there. I hope you enjoyed your stay!

[Robert Cenek]

Jim.....Well put.

The beauty of Roger's article is that it was written in 1970, but more especially that it contains two simple pieces of conventional wisdom/advice that many in the world of OD forget.

[Frank Roche]

Robert, those words are timeless. I am going to quote them over and over in my head today. Sometimes clients say they want to solve world hunger, when, in fact, their real goal is more like having a good lunch. I like the advice of doing no more than they're prepared to do. Well said!

[Roger Harrison]

Thanks for the appreciative comments. The article seems to be among the top one or two in popularity of all those I compiled for my "Collected Papers of Roger Harrison." Since I have now recovered the copyright for that publication from the original publisher, Jossey-Bass, I can send the full text to anyone who needs it.