As organizational development (OD) consultants, we are adept at solving clients’ issues by using a host of interventions. Additionally, we help companies prioritize OD principles before a crisis to maintain or elevate their organization’s performance and prevent a crisis.

When using intervention tactics, a good vulnerability assessment holds the key to understanding where to start. But when you’re looking to take it a step further, a vulnerability assessment can help, though what’s often missing is a broader set of principles that explain what companies must do well to become highly effective companies.

Here are five OD principles that can help your company bolster developmental initiatives to enhance performance.

Organization development’s central goal is to help organizations become highly effective companies by achieving cooperative order and reversing siloed self-interests. Most managers will never admit to being poor collaborators because they mistake being cooperative as collaborating. Being cooperative means being friendly and willing to share information—akin to wanting to help a friend, not some stranger.

Being collaborative also means working together towards a common goal or purpose. Collaboration as a company-wide practice involves activities that encourage cooperation and collaboration in both formal and informal work settings.

How is your company creating meaningful opportunities for employees and leaders to cooperate and collaborate regularly?

In highly effective companies, change competency is the presence of a culture that expects change and reacts with the understanding, perspectives, tools, and techniques to make change seamless and effortless.

Is making change a part of your “business as usual”?

Flexibility helps companies respond to market changes quickly and effectively. If COVID taught us anything, it’s that highly effective companies must be disciplined AND flexible during turbulent times–meaning disciplined about the outcome AND flexible with its approach the method for achieving what it needs to do.

How well does your company react to the unexpected during turbulent times? Does it flexibly bend when demands are placed on leaders and employees alike?

Effective talent management programs fill and replenish the talent pool efficiently and provide a wide range of support services to train and develop their leaders and employees. The most notable way companies expect people to improve is in job-related skills, knowledge, and expertise. Just as importantly, highly effective companies encourage employees to grow personally through self-care and well-being. Allowing employees to grow personally and professionally alongside business growth builds confidence, improves productivity and effectiveness, increases employee satisfaction, and reduces turnover.

Do employees know of, and avail themselves of, the career development and growth opportunities provided at all levels of the company?

Most everyone who has worked in a toxic workplace culture knows how poor leadership and management practices can adversely affect employees’ mental and physical health, engagement, job satisfaction, and performance. In highly effective companies, leadership and comprehensive management practices create psychological safety spaces where employees are encouraged to take risks, speak up, and contribute their unique ideas without fear of repercussion.

What does the current level of psychological safety look like in your company?

At IRI, we are experts in leadership development, employee training, organizational communication and development, and skilling, reskilling, cross-skilling, and upskilling strategies. We use this expertise to regularly help organizations develop and implement engaging and personalized organizational development programs to maintain and elevate company performance. If you’re interested in upleveling your organizational development program, contact us using the chat on the right to discuss the next steps, or give us a call at (313) 965-0350.