"We already know what's going on. We just need someone to fix it."
There are countless opportunities for consulting professionals to encounter these phrases.
This would be like going to the doctor and saying, "I already know what I have. I'm just here for the cure!" The same goes for the car mechanic. Or the dentist. Or...
So, first things first: What is an Organizational Diagnosis?
Diagnosing organizations is the process that allows us to understand the current functioning of the system and collect the necessary information to design any type of intervention. taking into account all views.
In short, an effective diagnosis will result in processes that are better adapted to each business situation.
How are we like a doctor?
- The process is based on our own knowledge but also on the opinions of others. In the case of the physician, we turn to the biochemist, the radiologist, etc. In our case, we turn to the various levels of the organization: management, leadership, operations, administration, and customer service.
- Once we gather all the information, we build a complete picture of the current situation and the best possible actions.
A systemic view
At Action Group, we understand organizations as wholes or "systemic emergents," that is, as the result of the interrelationships between their parts. This means that every action, decision (or inaction) in one sector affects the entire organization in one way or another.
From this perspective, when we approach diagnosing an organization we basically look at it on 3 levels:
- The macro view: includes the strategy (short, medium and long-term vision), the structure (mode, distribution of resources, division of labor, etc.) and the processes.
- Sectors/areas/departments: we analyze the mechanisms that enable the construction of work teams and structure the interaction between members (culture, procedures, agendas, etc.)
- Individuals in their jobs: role design and adaptation of occupants to those requirements (selection, development, evaluation and reward mechanisms that influence the mix of personalities and behaviors of the organization's members)
The diagnostic process can thus cover the entire company or only some of the aforementioned parts.
In summary
An external perspective on the organization, within a framework like the one we present here, will have benefits in that it will surely provide new approaches to old situations that will be the result of a perspective uncontaminated by everyday life.
Because, as the Talmud says: “We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.”
