The Pyramid of Organizational Development

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Gargolas

A pyramid is one of the strongest structures - use it to build a strong organization.

Imagine that you've just been put in charge of a small, entrepreneurial company. Although the company is still in its infancy, it has incredible potential.

You want to ensure that it grows and realizes this potential, but you're aware that there's a huge amount to do to transform it into a strong, successful, mature business.

So, how will you guide the company through this process?

At key stages in their development, entrepreneurial companies need to perform certain actions and put in formal systems, if they're going to grow further.

This is where a model like the Pyramid of Organizational Development is useful. The model creates a route map that young and growing companies can use to manage the activities necessary for growth or development. By using the pyramid, leaders can ensure that they address key issues, and can avoid the sometimes serious problems that can come with not having done this.

In this article, we'll look at the Pyramid of Organizational Development, and we'll think about how you can address each step in the pyramid.

About the Model

After two decades of management systems consulting experience and research, Eric Flamholtz and Yvonne Randle developed the Pyramid of Organizational Development, and published it in their 2000 book, "Growing Pains."

The Pyramid presents seven key developmental steps, or tasks, that the authors say must be completed successfully for an organization to develop into a mature, successful business.

The seven steps show the order in which you should construct the pyramid, starting with its foundation:...