# Instructional design/BADL/Organizational Culture

| Welcome to BDAL | Introduction to BDAL | Challenges | Organizational Culture | BDAL Participants | Design Situation Analysis |

## Organizational Culture

BDAL in practice involves the use of both Active Learning and Organizational Development principles and practices. From an organizational culture perspective, the shared values between action learning and OD can be summarized as trust, respect for the individual, legitimacy of feelings, open communication, decentralized decision-making, active participation by organization members, collaboration and co-operation, appropriate use of power and authentic interpersonal relations (Edmonstone, 2011, p. 94).
Edmonstone, J. (2011). Action learning and organisation development: Overlapping fields of practice. Action Learning: Research and Practice, 8(2), 93-102. doi:10.1080/14767333.2011.581017
Additionally, BDAL requires the active involvement of senior leaders in the roles of sponsor, and coach.
* Sponsors share their problem and vision on an issue that is critical to the future of the organization.
* Sponsors demonstrate commitment by providing resources, giving encouragement, and engaging with the participants when needed.
* Coaches engage with participants when there is a need to clarify a problem, see a threat to group processes, or see a need to ask questions for the good of the group.
* Coaches should demonstrate a high degree of emotional intelligence especially during periods of reflection and inquiry.

## Organizational Cultural Attributes for BDAL

Organizational Cultural Attributes :
| Appropriate | Inappropriate |
| Organizations and leaders behave in ways that demonstrate they value individual, team, and organizational learning | Command and control leadership reflected in a hierarchical organizational structure |
| Asking good questions is rewarded and encouraged | Employees compete against each other for positions |
| Organizations and leaders encourage reflection as a form of learning | Policies and procedures take power away from employees |
| Communication flows freely regardless of position or organizational unit | Employees are punished for mistakes and missing targets |
| Conflict is allowed to surface and is dealt with respectively and timely | Communication is one-way, top-down |
| Organizational leaders commit time and resources necessary to resolve issues | Employees are encouraged to avoid risk |
| Organizational leaders empower their employees to make decisions and learn from mistakes | Information is controlled |
| Performance expectations and feedback are clearly defined and given | Conflict is suppressed |

## Examples of Organizational Cultures for BDAL

| Culture Description | Collaborative and emphasize cooperation among employees, open to new ideas |
| Appropriate for BDAL? | Yes. |
| Why? | Involves multiple stakeholders and processes that interact together No right solution Could have impact on larger business initiatives |
| Challenge: | Predictable, rule-oriented, and bureaucratic. Resist quick action and have centralized decision-making |
| Appropriate for BDAL? | No. |
| Why? | Could be solved with regular problem-solving techniques Low degree of uncertainty Can be objectively evaluated |

## Organizational Culture Quiz

Before continuing, let's verify that you understand what types of organizational cultures are best for BDAL. Examine the 3 cultures below and choose the 1 culture that ia most appropriate for BDAL. Check your answers with the feedback given.
Now that you understand which organizational cultures work best for BDAL, you can see how to select BDAL Participants
| Welcome to BDAL | Introduction to BDAL | Challenges | Organizational Culture | BDAL Participants | Design Situation Analysis |