The best way to understand the Pugh OD matrix is to apply its different ‘cells’ to a real organizational example.

Choose a situation from your own experience where a need for change has been established.

Go through the matrix and note which cells are appropriate for starting interventions that will help in the change process.

If you find this too difficult to start with, look at the following list of organizational problems and activities and note in which of the Pugh matrix cell(s) you would place them:

1. The accounts department who ‘lived’ on the top floor always seemed to be at loggerheads with the research and development team who were ‘housed’ in an outside annex.

2. Since the redundancies, which were mentioned wherever you went in the organization, people were moaning about the amount of work they had to do and the lack of recognition of this by senior management.

3. The staff in the post-room appeared bored with their jobs. Admittedly, the work was rather repetitious.

4. It took too long to get an answer to queries, because the boss had always to be informed.

5. The members of the project group felt abandoned and without leadership.