Organisational Development Review (ODR)

What is an ODR and when is it used?

An ODR is a process that can be used to gain a deeper understanding of how your staff feel about working for the organisation.  Although people are different, typically we find the same things are important to people at work.  The key areas are those shown on the diagram.

As part of this process each employee is asked a standard set of questions and information is gathered under each of these headings.  The information gathering process can be carried out in a variety of ways, however, the 1 to 1 meeting typically provides the best feedback.

There is an element of confidentiality in the process as we do not feedback on what a specific individual said but instead, we pick out the general themes and report back on them.

This process can be used in any type of organisation, typically the smallest would be around 5 people to ensure confidentiality. Sometimes organisations do this as part of their people management planning, where as others will initiate this process in response to a particular HR issue such as high turnover, high sickness absence or challenges in managing performance. 

What are the business benefits of the ODR?

The ODR is typically carried out by someone who is external to the organisation or in a larger organisation someone who is not connected to the day to day work the employees do.  The benefits of this process are:

·      A fresh perspective on HR issues from an independent person

·      A deep understanding of how staff feel about their work

·      Process which provides robust information to inform HR plans

·      A process which gives staff a voice and involvement in HR plans

This process provides the organisation with information which identifies the root cause of a particular issue which is then more likely to lead to the most effective solution being implemented. 

What process is normally followed?

A standard set of questions is defined which link to the key areas set out in the diagram. The questions are then agreed by the business owner / manager. A cross section of staff are then allocated 1 to 1 meeting times and each person is asked the same questions in a private area to ensure confidentiality.

In some cases, where it would add value to the depth of information gathered, psychometric tests can be carried out to help us to understand how individuals work or how teams work together.

A report of findings and recommendations is then produced for the organisation. 

How is the report structured and how will this help the organisation?

The first section of the ODR report focuses on general feedback provided by each of the participants.  Normally we ask each person to give us 3 words to describe working in the organisation. This is then shown in a “word cloud” format to give high level feedback.  We then drill into each of the areas and provide a summary of feedback.  The final section of the report sets out the recommendations for the organisation.  This section will form the basis of an HR plan for the next 12 months.  

Case Study:

Bell HR carried out an ODR for Fortress Security. This company was established in 1997 with only 3 staff and have grown since then to a leading security solutions provider employing a team of over 50 employees. This company did not have any specific HR challenges, but they recognised the ODR would provide a deeper insight into how their staff felt about their work.  Over 2 days 15 interviews took place with staff from a cross section of jobs.  The feedback and recommendations were summarised in a report which was presented to management. A follow up session was arranged to help the organisation define the actions they will take under their HR plan.

The feedback from the organisation has been very positive: 

‘I would like to express my sincere gratitude for guiding me through the HR consultancy project. The entire process was incredibly efficient and highly beneficial to our organisation.
I would particularly like to thank Alison Bell for her time, attention, and care in preparing and executing interviews with my staff. Her subsequent report was not only insightful and informative but also remarkably easy to understand. Alison skilfully avoided the typical consultancy approach of using fancy yet empty words. Instead, her report and recommendations were clear and practical, providing us with a solid foundation to move forward as a business.
For her exceptional work, I would like to commend and thank Alison Bell.
Regards
Craig Macfarlane