OD interventions are specific actions taken to implement specific changes. Training and development are listed first because they focus on the individual, and the other interventions often include some form of training. Training is the process of developing skills, behaviors, and attitudes to be used on the job. Virtually every organization provides some type of training.
Sensitivity training takes place in a group of 10 to 15 people. The training sessions have no agenda. People learn about how their behavior affects others and how others’ behavior affects theirs. Team building is an OD intervention designed to help work groups increase structural and team dynamics and performance. Process consultation is often part of team building, but it is commonly used as a separate, more narrowly focused intervention. Process consultation is an OD intervention designed to improve team dynamics.
Forcefield analysis is an OD intervention that diagrams the current level of performance, the forces hindering change, and the forces driving toward change. The process is to list the hindering and driving forces to make the desired change. Collecting feedback is one of the oldest and most popular OD techniques at the department, division, and organizational levels. Survey feedback is an OD intervention that uses a questionnaire to gather data to use as the basis for change.