ORGANISATION DEVELOPMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6750 words

ORGANISATION DEVELOPMENT - Essay Example This requires changing the upgrading the entire organizational functioning through careful diagnosis and analysis such as to attain a different organizational structure and shape such that the work process becomes more efficient and improved. The purpose of OD interventions in organizations is to address the perpetual needs of organizations through a concerted and collaborated effort of both internal and external industrial experts in the particular field to discover such processes which can be used by the organization in order to become more effective towards stakeholders and groups. The assignment seeks to explain the OD intervention process undertaken in IBM in India. For this, it makes an analysis of the need for OD intervention in the organization on the basis of its present situations and conditions. The role of managers as change agents in the intervention process is also brought forth in the study. It explains the need and extent to which managers need to be empowered to bring about the changes and implement them successfully. However, incorporating the process does not come without hurdles. There are a number of strategic and practices which are to be dealt with carefully while managing the process. Reasonable arguments are provided with regards to the ways in which the obstacles can be managed and the process can be made successful. The requirements of OD intervention in IBM can be explained with the help of the contingency theory. This is on account of the ever changing business and technological environment in which it operates. Technology is fast growing and changing at a rapid pace. Thus, it is very easy for organizations and their present technologies to become obsolete and outdated, consequently loosing the competitive edge in the market. It is seen that IBM needs to adapt itself with the changing technologies, systems and practices so as to retain

Airlines and the Oligopoly Market Structure Assignment

Airlines and the Oligopoly Market Structure - Assignment Example These advantages are witnessed in service pricing, destination services, marketing, and promotion, as well as the established hub philosophy that drives either point-to-point destination services or major hub development. Much of these competitive advantages come from establishing a market-oriented culture, defined as â€Å"delivering superior value to customers† (Narver, Slater & Tietje 1998, p.242). It is about aligning the business model based on three dimensions, having a customer orientation, a competitor orientation, and the ability to coordinate all business units with an inter-functional, systems-based philosophy and structure (Gauzente 1999, p.2). The majority of the airlines identified in the research article have established a market-oriented business model and internal culture, that provides both competitive advantages over other airlines in this oligopoly as well as a strong brand in the consumer market. A market orientation strategy â€Å"is a powerful competiti ve advantage, because it is an invisible asset that takes a long time to establish and one that is difficult to imitate† (Johnson & Verayangkura 2001, p.2). ...   a market structure, constant environmental scanning occurs to witness the competitive behaviors of rival firms to avoid market share losses or loss of brand reputation in consumer markets. Nickels, McHugh & McHugh (2005) identify a competitive advantage as better development of core competencies. These are â€Å"functions that the organization can do as well or better than any other organization in the world† (Nickels, et al., p.257). In the article â€Å"the joys of oligopoly†, it is identified that the core competencies of Southwest Airlines, as one example, is the ability of the firm to structure its scheduling, labor, and point-to-point destination services to provide low-cost, no-frills service that continues to bring the business significant revenues from satisfied customers. While larger competitors with more market presence continue to provide customers better in-flight services that require a higher pricing model, Southwest is able to manage its services ef fectively and with limited perks for the more frugal consumer. Southwest is also able to follow an A to B flight philosophy which fills more seats daily rather than waiting at a regional hub for connecting traffic that allows for almost instantaneous departure after a flight has arrived at the airport (Associated Press 2001). The core competencies of Southwest are labor-related, flight capacity scheduling, and independence from hub philosophy. However, other airlines that do utilize a hub philosophy consider this a competitive advantage in this market structure as it provides â€Å"greater frequency, more destinations and lower fares than customers could expect without it† (Associated Press, p.3).