Diagnosis

A systematic and concentrated effort to recognize the strengths and identify areas for improvement in organization aids organizations to take preventive action to curb factors that can potentially harm organizational performance.

Benefits of Organizational Diagnosis

To determine organizational strength To determine potential obstacles for organizational improvement To create an environment for change To obtain objective views on current problems To identify developmental needs To pinpoint areas need attention

To develop comprehensive competency development plan To determine organization readiness for change To align organization and its strategic objectives To establish current culture vs what needs to improve

Aimed at providing a rigorous analysis and data on the structure, administration, instruction, procedure, interfaces and other essential elements of the client system and provides a basis for structural, behavioural or technical interventions to improve organisational performance.

- OD is a data based activity. - Information about the current problems and possible opportunities for improvement - Include the division, departments, products and the relationship between those interacting elements.

Diagnosis is a cycical process which involves data gathering, interpretation and idenification of problem areas and potential action programme.

Step 1 Problem Areas identified

Step 2 Collect Data

Step 3 Analyse Data

Step 4 Data feedback

More data Needed

Step 5 Problem areas identified

Step 7 Diagnosis : work on problem Causes Result is change

Step 6 Client target motivated To work on problem

Diagnostic Models
The Analytical Model Emergent Group Behavioural Model The Sociotechnical Systems Model The Force Field Analysis Model

The Analytical Model

Referred to as the differentiation integration model Developed to study and understand interdepartmental issues by conducting a careful diagnosis of the org problems areas Most org are composed of diff units which must be integrated to a unified effort The various tasks that the units work on can be examined with respect to four characteristics of org environment.

1.
2. 3.

4. -

The degree of department structure The time orientation of members The interpersonal orientation of members towards others Org members orientation towards goals. Given the differentiation between departments, the problem is of achieving integration If the group in an organisation tend to be highly differentiated cooperation becomes difficult.

The Emergent Group Behaviour Model

Analyses behaviour in work groups particularly the interdependance of groups A complex pattern of behaviours consisting of activities, interactions, sentiments and norms develop from the set of behaviours and relationships required to perform the work of the group. Helps in understanding how group operate.

The Sociotechnical Systems Model

Used to analyse the org as a sociotechnical system & its interaction with the external environment. Acc to Trist, there exists in the org a social system consisting of the network of interpersonal relationships and a technological system consisting of task, activities and tools used to accomplish the basic purpose of organisation.

The diagnosis determines how these systems interrelate and the type of feedback or the lack of feedback between various subsystems.

The Force Field Analysis model

Kurt Lewin view organisation behaviour as a dynamic balance of forces working in opposite directions If the forces for change and the forces against change are equal, the result is org equilibrium and the organisation remains stable.(quasi stationary equilibrium) Change takes place when there is an imbalance between the two forces, and continues until the opposing forces are brought back in to equilibrium.

Weisbords model

a)

b)

Org needs to be examined with regard to the following fit between organisation and environment the extent to which purposes and structures support high performance and ability to change with conditions. fit between individual and organisation the extent to which people support or subvert formal mechanisms intended to carry out an organisations purposes.

1) 2) 3)

4)

The organisation is represented by six boxes. For each box the organisation should be diagnosed in terms of both its formal and its informal systems : Purpose goal clarity, goal agreement Structure Relationships b/w people-peers and boss subordinates, b/w units doing diff tasks Rewards compensation package, incentive systems and the like and what org feel that they are rewarded or punished for.

5) Leadership may make the diff b/w an organisation that works and are that does not.4 imp leadership tasks o Defining purpose o Embodying purposes in programmes o Defining institution integrity o Ordering internal conflict 6) Helpful Mechanism -4 processes that require helpful mechanism o Planning o Budgeting o Control o Measurement

Diagnostic Methods

Interviews :
Organization members are free to mention any sources of problems or difficulties that they may be experiencing In case of particular issues the consultant is free to ask additional questions inorder to understand more clearly the nature of a particular problem and what may be causing it.

Interviews give the consultant an opportunity to develop rapport and understanding with members of the organization Collecting information using this method is time consuming. The information collected may be subject to bias by the interviewer who may ask certain type of questions and not others. The problem associated with interviews is the difficulty of generating clear and accurate summaries from a large no of interviews.

Questions :
short period of time. The perceptions and opinion of everyone in the organization can be obtained in response to a standard set of questions that people answer in terms of numerical response scale Questionaires lack the flexibility of interviews. It does little or nothing to develop rapport and understanding between the OD consultant and members of the organisation.

- provide a large amount of standardized information in a

-

Observation :
The consultant can learn a great deal about the client through observations of the organisation and its members. The consultant can gain insight in to the nature of the organisation and the types of problems it is experiencing. Can focus attention on any or all parts of the organisation. It is difficult to adequately record and summarize the results of observations for systematic feedback to members of the organisation.

Supplementary Data :
Refers to other sources of information existing within the organisation that were not collected explicitly for purposes of the diagnistic phase of OD. Eg measures of absenteeism, turnover, financial performance, output rates, quality or reject rates No way to assess the accuracy of supplementary data since they have been collected and maintained be others.

Stream Analysis :
Understanding the basic problems that effect organizational efficiency The main challenge lies in identifying core problems which are the causes of ineffective functioning and which needs to be changed. Stream analysis is an action and research based technique developed by Porras to diagnose the deep road problems underlying organizational ills.

Helps plan and implement appropriate changes Assist in monitoring the intervention activity by tracking the actions implemented. Permits a graphic representation of the components of the change process: problem diagnosis, planning Intervention.

Guidelines on questionnaire construction

Generate questions from a variety of sources- diff sets of people, write-ups, reports, conversations, previous questionnaire etc Try to maintain the language of the organisation