Assessing Organizational Planning and Teamwork: An Action Research Methodology

Abstract

Organizations often undertake planned change or OD interventions such as Management By Objectives (MBO) or team building without clearly identifying the current state of teamwork and planning among their own personnel. To overcome that deficiency, this article illustrates an approach for providing both quantitative and qualitative data regarding teamwork and planning. Utilization of such data concurrently with a "white paper" and OD survey feedback methodology is described. A case history of an actual intervention and sample data are provided. This approach is assessed using the theory bases of role perception accuracy and role compliance. The use of data from the methodology for providing feedback to individuals, dyads, and management teams as well as a baseline for considering planning or team-building approaches to OD is stressed. Methodological limitations are also considered.