A Model For Managing Change, A Tool For Navigating the Rapids
GlobalVIEW - 1998 - Mead Johnson Nutritionals
The OSD Model
The process of using OSD to redesign an organization can be divided into three broad phases:Inputs
External influencing factors are analyzed - by conducting an environmental scan of customers, competitors, key influencers (such as suppliers and regulatory bodies), stakeholders, and best-in-class companies. Each group exerts a constantly changing set of requirements on the organization.The Conversion Process
Choices are made regarding mission, guiding principles, goals and design elements. These choices represent how the organization responds to its external influencing factors. To gain insight in order to make better choices, technical and social analyses are conducted to identify current misalignments.Outputs
Behaviors, feelings and attributes (BFAs) comprise the organization's culture and occur as a result of the choices. BFAs can be positively influenced if considered as key decisions are being made.Outcomes that will be delivered by the redesigned organization. Like BFAs, outcomes need to be considered as choices are being made because "organization are perfectly designed to get the results that they get."
If the current business climate can be compared to white-water rafting, then a new model called "OSD" is emerging as a valuable tool to help Mead Johnson navigate the roughest rapids.
This article was featured in GlobalVIEW. "We compete in an environment of permanent white-water," said Tom Ward, Vice President of Global Operations. "To stay afloat and become competitively superior, we need tools that allow us to respond quickly while being sensitive~to that environment."
Tom worked extensively with change-management systems before joining the company last year. He and Jim Long are convinced that OSD - Organizational Systems Design - has much to offer MJN, starting with Global Operations and Global Supply Chain Management.
"OSD has been an excellent process for opening the doors to communication and achieving better alignment within both facets of our organization," added Jim, who is Vice President of Global Supply Chain Management.
"With MJN entering a new era of global consumer nutrition, we have to do more with the same resources to support that strategic direction. OSD will allow us to do that."
Tom elaborated: "In helping us get aligned with the rest of the company, OSD is allowing us to realize how and where we can make choices in response to change to step back and see where things are aligned or misaligned."
More than 150 managers and supervisors in Global Operations and Global Supply Chain Management all over the world have completed OSD training. They expect soon to finish their examination of "external influencing factors."
Even though the process is still in its early stages, it has already produced some short-term [earnings leading to better alignment.
"For example, a key concept of OSD is that choices lead to the behaviors, feelings and attributes (BFAs) that drive outcomes," Tom said. "OSD has shown us some clear instances of where decisions have led to BFAs we didn't want. In other words, we're more aware now that the arrow goes both ways.
"Hopefully, this tool will help us make better choices and decisions in order to generate the BFAs that will deliver the outcomes we want."
The concept of design and renewal is also integral to OSD.
"You have to build evaluation and renewal into the design of your organization," Tom said. "That's the only way to realign quickly enough to get the outcomes you want while the white-water is trying to bounce you against the rocks.
"That's really what OSD is all about_empowering our organization with the capability to do that. We've got a great start in Global Operations and Global Supply Chain Management, and we're ready for the exhilarating ride ahead."
