The document outlines 15 keys to successful organizational development from a humanistic perspective. The keys are encapsulated in the acronym "ACHIEVER" and include establishing an irrefutable need for change, having a burning desire to excel, making optimized decisions, communicating a transcendent message, wisely selecting change leaders, creating an insightful plan, gaining keen acceptance, religiously applying the plan, engaging in dogged implementation, conducting stimulating reviews, affirming corrective actions, providing fair remuneration, delicately nurturing talent, and attractively branding the organization. The keys are meant to ensure a high probability of success for organizational development initiatives.

1. The 15 Keys to Successful
Organizational Development
(A Humanistic Perspective)
Developed and Presented
by
Murad Salman Mirza
Senior Vice President
(Client Advocacy & Organizational Effectiveness)
APAC & EMEA Regions

2. Table of Contents
• Objective
• Introduction
• Defining the 15 Keys
• The ‘ACHIEVER’ Encapsulation
• Parting Advice

3. Objective
• This presentation focuses on providing an
understanding of the 15 Keys that are essential
for successful Organizational Development (OD)
of aspiring organizations

4. Introduction
• Organizational Development has come a long way from
languishing in the shadows of HR to being widely recognized
as the primary driver of core organizational competencies
through targeted interventions. It traverses the delicate path
of progressive transition to a better state by employing the
services of Change Management that embodies the
systematic approach to managing risk in reaching desired
goals and objectives. However, too many of such promising
initiatives fail due to lack of foresight in instilling and
institutionalizing certain principles that are critical for
ensuring a high probability of success. These keys are…

5. Key # 1 - The Irrefutable Need
• This refers to the timely realization of the significance of
development and change that is required to ensure the
survival/competitiveness of the organization. It normally
stems from organizational analysis (PESTLE, SWOT, Balanced
Scorecard, Weisbord’s 6 Box Model, Mckinsey 7S, etc.). It
generally indicates the stagnating business growth,
commoditized core competencies, misalignment of strategic
priorities with tactical measures and precarious financial
situation. It is imperative in nature and demands undivided
attention on part of the top/senior management.

6. Key # 2 - The Burning Desire
• This refers to coaxing of the passion that simmers in an
enlightened top/senior management to excel beyond the
conventional and foreseeable horizon. It is manifested as an
intrinsic motivation within the primary decision makers to
engage their ambitions in taking calculated risks from a
position of relative comfort. It requires the courage to
question the status quo and the willingness to initiate
appropriate actions for shining within the constellation of
relevant industry competitors without extinguishing the fire of
innovation by dousing it with impending complacency.

7. Key # 3 - The Optimized Decisiveness
• This refers to the knack for taking balanced decisions that are
warranted in view of the indubitable need and the infectious
desire for the long term survival/competitiveness of the
organization. It takes into account the available evidence in
the form of analytical reports, employee/client feedback and
the stated vision for scaling new heights by a certain
timeframe in the future. The respective decision should be
deliberated between the senior management in a democratic
fashion, however, the final conclusion should be drawn by the
person gracing the top position with a clear idea, acceptance,
preparedness and accountability for the positive and negative
consequences of ensuing actions.

8. Key # 4 - The Transcendent Message
• This refers to creating, designing and communicating the
message that inspires a passionate following/buy-in within
the organization to the call for progressive change and
development. The respective message needs to embody an
optimum mix of both fluidity and viscosity. Fluidity to ensure
that it flows at all levels of the organization and can
funnel/seep through functional silos/questioning
mindsets/grapevine gropers without any hindrance. Viscosity
to ensure that it sticks in the reflective
minds/thoughts/attitudes of employees long after the initial
communication has take place for providing a ‘safe house’ to
keep doubts/inhibitions/fears at bay.

9. Key # 5 - The Wise Selection
• The refers to indulging in an inspired selection of the team
that can get the job done. It has to be led by a person who is
comfortable in his/her own skin with an intellectual and
technical acumen that is able to demand attention at the very
top and carry enough charisma to charm all parts of the
organization. The real challenge is to become the beacon of
hope in the ‘dark places’ of the organization, where fear and
doubt breed profusely. The associated team members should
be bundles of infectious energy, enthusiasm and drive
coupled with a delightful disposition as interactive sources of
information, facilitation and application.

10. Key # 6 – The Insightful Plan
• The refers to the inception and development of an astute
plan, peppered with strategic and operational objectives, for
proceeding forward with OD initiatives in a systematic
manner. It is an ode to action that needs to be firm in its
intent, unambiguous in its direction and accommodating in its
application to safeguard against elevation to such a
‘sacrosanct’ status that it breeds massive alienation and
incentivizes a buy-out situation. It should bolster the
confidence of key stakeholders and neutralize the
active/passive resistance from pessimistic quarters.

11. Key # 7 – The Keen Acceptance
• The refers to the eagerness in embracing the OD plan by the
employees whose desire for expediency has been
emboldened by the transcendent message delivered earlier.
It should be evident by the ‘reverberating chatter’ permeating
throughout the organization and manifested in the
invigorated emphasis on going beyond the routine. This also
serves as a timely reminder to all the conniving forces lurking
within the ‘dark alleys’ of the organization that the time for
Machiavellianism is over and ‘crossing the picket lines’ would
be a more productive option.

12. Key # 8 – The Religious Application
• This refers to the devout realization of the OD plan through
the blissful harmonization of comprehensive planning with
practical rendition. It should be knitted with the reflective
process of ‘action research’ and provide an opportunity for
the dedicated implementers to raise the flag for personal
competence as a foreword to subsequent reward and
recognition consideration. The momentum for effective
execution should be robustly maintained with visible support
from the top/senior management to sustain/reinforce the
psychological contract with key stakeholders.

13. Key # 9 – The Dogged Engagement
• This refers to the unwavering deployment of the
‘organizational citizenship’ behavior that is entrenched in the
intrinsically motivated employees and sparkles during the
performance of their duties and responsibilities. It should be
actively coveted and encouraged by elevating its status to a
‘core value’ for the progressive organization. Great examples
of its application should become part of the ‘corporate
folklore’ and case studies preserved within the knowledge
bank for onboarding/imbuing new inductees with the finer
aspects of the espoused organizational culture.

14. Key # 10 – The Stimulating Review
• This refers to the invigorating process of formal analysis done
at defined intervals to gauge the effectiveness of actions
taken to meet the strategic and operational objectives. It
should be meticulously planned, smoothly conducted, actively
participated and resolutely followed up to avoid detachment
from reaching the ultimate destination of competitive
nirvana. Records of such reviews should become an
important ingredient to the development of case studies and
for the replenishment of the knowledge bank.

15. Key # 11 - The Honest Affirmation
• This refers to the diligent completion of corrective/preventive
actions (CA/PA) that emanate from the stimulating review. It
requires an intrinsic pledge of sincerity and industriousness
on behalf of the employees tasked with the efficient
completion and effective closure of CA/PA, since,
sedentary/rudimentary/disingenuous efforts will only
exacerbate the situation and compromise the noble intent of
the whole exercise. Records of such CA/PA should be
deposited in the knowledge bank.

16. Key # 12 - The Fair Remuneration
• This refers to the inducement of intrinsic and extrinsic
motivation through the allocation of appropriate rewards and
recognition for services rendered by employees involved in
the successful OD initiatives. It should have a high ‘felt
fairness’ perception among the beneficiaries and their peers
by upholding the best tenets of organizational justice
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizational_justice).
Experimentation in terms of increasing the ‘delight’ factor
with the designing of unexpected benefits should be
habitually explored.

17. Key # 13 – The Delicate Nurturing
• This refers to an intrinsic/introspective pledge and an
extrinsic/visible commitment by the top/senior management
for effective talent management. It includes the dedication of
significant resources in inculcating desired competencies
within the employees through formal and informal means in a
sensitive manner. Such measures should not be subservient
to short term needs and tie symbiotically to the long term
growth plans of the organization. Diversity and generational
(e.g., Gen X, Gen Y) issues should form a valuable part of the
solution and not relegated as part of the problem.

18. Key # 14 – The Attractive Branding
• This refers to the image-building initiatives taken by the
top/senior management to forge an endearing bond between
the organization and its current/potential employees. Such
efforts should stem from the pervasiveness of ‘corporate
citizenship’ behavior within the organization. The resulting
success should be internally acknowledged and projected by
engaged employees in relevant surveys and externally
acclaimed by independent corporate monitors, e.g., Great
Place to Work (http://www.greatplacetowork.com/).

19. Key # 15 – The Delicious Invitation
• This refers to developing an attractive package for soliciting
desired talent that is currently residing outside the
organization. It should embody the essence of the
‘organizational goodness’, including the virtues of a durable
‘organizational brand’, and vociferously advocated by the most
effervescent employees. The primary aim of such an
enterprising initiative should be to assimilate desired talent
within the organization, as a revitalization measure, at a
manageable pace that can ease its march towards
organizational effectiveness.

20. The ‘ACHIEVER’ Encapsulation
• Inception & Expediency Oriented
– Keys # 1 to 6
• Effectuation & Harmonization Oriented
– Keys # 7 to 9
• Verification & Compliance Oriented
– Keys # 10 to 11
• Attainment & Revitalization Oriented
– Keys # 12 to 15

21. Parting Advice
• Don’t forget the Keys!