Getting to Point B-An OD Guide

Raymond Crowley- Barrera SHRM-SCP, Director, Organizational Development, Related Management Company

It’s never very long until someone working in organizational development uncovers that the quickest way from Point A to Point B isn’t really a straight line. When you're operating in what feels like a giant hedge maze, uncovering a new twist or turn can seriously slow you down. The types of massive-scale change that we deal with often requires a multitude of steps, partners, and of course, negotiations – each one potentially leading to more winding green pathways all in your way of getting to Point B. But you're an OD professional because you know what exceptional looks like, you have high standards, and you're excellent at facilitating change. What you need to know is: the best tip to help find the quickest, most effective way through to Point B is simple and inexpensive.

It’s all about getting feedback from your employees. Sounds simple, right?

Here's the pitfall, though. In our feedback-rich world, we have been conditioned to compartmentalize it all to a specific initiative, leader, or only to a 2-week window around annual survey time. It’s hard to zoom out and take a wider view! Get started anyway - look for patterns in existing data you’ve already collected or heard across managers, projects, and divisions. Then, ask for (and seek to understand) the history of your organization, strategically and culturally. Challenging yourself to do this gives you a greater understanding of what will be the longest journeys, tallest walls, or easiest wins.

"What you need to know is: the best tip to help find the quickest, most effective way through to Point B is simple and inexpensive"

When you can draw conclusions from the feedback you're analyzing, take the next step. Compare it against what needs to happen for the organization to reach its strategic goals. Here, you'll be able to identify all the distinct changes that must occur to get to Point B (because it's almost never just one!). Start plotting them in order of business priority and impact, including what might be low-hanging fruit. Consider which items need to be prerequisites for others. At this point, you’ll finally start to see the clearest route to Point B (hint: it’s still not a straight line). As a tremendous bonus, you've also gained way deeper knowledge of how to plan for, sell, and execute each of these changes along the way – giving you the ability to unlock maximum buy-in. So not only will you reach the elusive Point B, but you’ll get there faster and with better support. No hedge clippers required!

In addition to finding the best route through a hedge maze, there’s one more important thing to note about carefully analyzing employee feedback: your employees will actually feel listened to, not just heard. Which means they’ll be more likely to come to work highly engaged. Keep in mind that surveys help frame attitudes, but remember to think bigger – make focus groups, workshops, and frequent one-on-one interviews part of your team’s toolkit; actively listening

here will provide you with the clearest view possible. Once you have this data, you’re ready to make forward progress toward the end of the maze - instead of wandering in well-intentioned (and well-traveled) circles.