RICHARDSON TIMBER PRODUCTS CORPORATION

Richardson Timber Products Corporation

Richardson Timber Products Corporation

Introduction

This is an assignment about B R Richardson Timber Product Corporation, which is all about the change intervention the company has tried to seek after morale of most employees went down and productivity decreased. While standing in the shoes of an OD consultant, I have made an attempt to analyze the case taking the information gathered by Lawler, a consultant and his two students. The analysis part goes from diagnosis to the program management, which is shown below. In order to analyze the information gathered by Lawler and his team, it is put under organizational level and group level diagnosis model for comprehension.

Company's General Environment

B R Richardson Timber Products Corporation's (BRRTPC) external environment is only moderately uncertain and not very complex. Market condition has been good. Overall business is in profit. The economy is stable enough regarding lumber and lumber products. Lamination plant is giving good profit to the companies since it was started. Politically, The company is composed of four small companies viz a logging operation, a lumber mill, lamination plant, and a mill lies in a countryside with an open yards and dirt connecting road. The lamination plant is noisy from saws, conveyors, and hoists, and especially the planner. The lamination plants and a mill are about fifty yards away from head office. The yard is graveled, with lumbers of all kinds piled up and car parks around the edges (Burke, 2004).

Organizational Development

Organizational development takes into consideration how the organization and its constituents or employees function together. Does the organization meet the needs of its employees? Do the employees work effectively to make the organization a success? How can the symbiotic relationship between employee satisfaction and organizational success be optimized? Organizational development places emphasis on the human factors and data inherent in the organization-employee relationship. Organizational development strategies can be used to help employees become more committed and more adaptable, which ultimately improves the organization as a whole.

The organizational development process is initiated when there is a need, gap, or dissatisfaction within the organization, either at the upper management level or within the employee body. Ideally, the process involves the organization in its entirety, with evidenced support from upper management and engagement in the effort by all members from each level of the organization.

To launch the process, consultants with experience in organizational development and change management are often utilized. These consultants may be internal to the company or external, with the cautionary understanding that internal consultants might be too entrenched in the existing company environment to effectively coordinate and enforce the action plans and solutions required for successful change (Cummings, 2007).

Data analysis through task forces, interviews, and questionnaires can illuminate likely causes for disconnects throughout an organization. These gaps can then be analyzed, an action plan formed, and solutions employed. This is by no means a linear process, nor is it a brief one. Feedback from all constituents should be elicited throughout the process and used to ...