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Introduction

Introduction This essay seeks to understand how Organisational Development focuses on the planned approaches and implementing the changes required to achieve organisational strategic objectives or goals. Important steps are taken by the top management of the organisation to ensure the performance or progress of the organisation as well as the various members of the organisation. So, that there is proper utilization of the various human, financial and technological resources available. Whereas, Action Research is concerned with finding out the facts and ways of doing things by taking certain steps such as interviewing, collecting past records, form filling, questionnaires etc. Action research is of various types and researchers carry on their research in different ways. It is about improving personal development and knowledge and professional practice. Organisational Development "Organisational Development embraces a wide range of intervention strategies into the social process of an organisation. These intervention strategies are aimed at the development of individuals, groups and the organisation as a total system" (Mullins, 2002, p.799). It is about bringing changes in the organisation by taking deliberate planned steps to achieve organisational objectives. Organisational Development activities involve fitting individual behaviour into an organisational plan. Organisation Development (OD) focuses on activities to improve organisation's systems' and process. It is about people in organisations and how they function. ...read more.

Middle

After getting approval from the top management it is the responsibility of the middle management or change project team to see that everything goes in planned way. Now the project is handed to the small working teams. These teams take certain important steps like identifying the tasks to be performed, introduction of new technology, software development, office relocation etc. Their performance is regularly checked by holding replanning sessions. Ultimately, in this way organisational objectives are achieved. Source: (Walker, Takavarasha, 1999) Action Research "Action Research focuses on the 'I', the self studying the self, but it is done with and for other people. The aim of action research is personal development for social transformation, so it is essentially collaborative" (Mc Niff, Lomax and Whitehead, 2000, p. 30). It is an intellectual process in which different actions or decisions are taken, based on facts, purpose etc. It is an effort made by the members of an organisation specially the top management to formulate important policies, strategies and objectives to overcome or improve the quality and the performance of the organisation. It is basically a presentation of ones idea and experience and thus helps to improve personal knowledge, professional skill etc. (Mc Niff et al., 2000) To make it simpler and easier to understand the word "Action Research" can be broken into two words i.e. ...read more.

Conclusion

the organisation's processes, basically through changes in people' variables such as values, belief, attitudes, behaviour and interpersonal relations of members of an organisation. In other words, it is action- oriented and adapted to achieve specific organisational needs or objectives. Where as, action research is a research which defines the various processes, principles and procedures of the organisation or management. It identifies the policies on the basis of which the functioning of the organisation is depended. For this purpose the various information are collected and analysed or compared with the previous data by the means of interviewing, questionnaires etc. It helps in the improvement of the personal development, knowledge and professional skill. It focuses on personal research but other people's views are also taken into account as a source of information. References Books: Mullins, L. (2002), Management And Organisational Behaviour, Sixth Edition, Prentice Hall, England. Burnes, B. (2004), Managing Change, Fourth Edition, Prentice Hall, England. Boddy, D. (2005), Management An Introduction, Third Edition, Prentice Hall, England. Mc Niff, J., Lomax, P. and Whitehead, J. (2000), You and Your Action Research Project, Hyde Publication, London. Journals: Walker, H. and Takavarasha, T. (1999), "Organisational developments in the public service: The case of self-regulatory change teams in The Ministry of Agriculture in Zimbabwe", Journal of Organization Development, Volume 17(2), p. 23 (9 pp.). Taylor, S. (2004), "Presentational Form in First Person Research", Journal of Action Research, Volume 2(1), p. ...read more.

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