Attributes of The OD Practitioner – The Intervention Phase
OD practitioners, like OD interventions come in many shapes and sizes. Unlike many other organisation roles, the is multi-faceted and is hard to define in regards to the work they do.
However, despite the difficulty in describing what it is an OD practitioner does the skills they need are much easier to define.
The following is a list of attributes which the OD practitioner should possess if they are to successfully navigate the intervention phase of an .
- Methodical approach
- Leadership and ownership of interventions
- Guiding hand
- Relational
- Theoretical founding in intervention design
- Resource planning
- Collaboration
- Facilitater
- Trainer
- Developer
- Create learning opportunities
- Ongoing progress evaluation
- Flexibility and Adaptability
- Calming presence
- Tough and supportive
- Discerning
- Tolerant of Ambiguity
- Safe pair of hands
- Shared responsibility
- Enabling the Client to be independent once intervention phase is done
At every stage of the OD intervention phase, the OD practitioner must remind themselves that they are their to help improve the client organisation and each individual participant to grow, learn and develop in a positive way.
By their very presence the OD practitioner will be moving the organisation system forward, consciously or unconsciously. The ability of the OD practitioner in design, developing and delivering interventions will come to nothing is the OD practitioner is unaware of the impact they are having on the client system.
Further more they should be a hub around which participants will generate ideas and positively seek change, all the while providing insight, building trusting relationships and staying true to their own values and beliefs.