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Diagnosing the need for change

6 important questions on Diagnosing the need for change

What is a diagnosis

-Collaborative process involving the client, key stakeholders and the consultant that enables a better understanding of an organizational issue and its causality.
-Can be carried out at organizational, team and individual level

Seven -S framework

Focuses on interaction of different parts of an organization, 7 interconnected organizational elements:
·Strategy – purpose of the business
·Structure – the division of activities
·Systems – formal and informal procedures
·Staff – employees’ motivation
·Style – typical behavior patterns of specific groups
·Shared values – core beliefs and values
·Skills – core and distinct capabilities

Fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram

- Used to help understand the root causes of an issue
- Effectiveness depends on accuracy of the identification of the problem

Eight lenses diagram

Looks at how the external environment affects elements in the organization
·External environment
·Mission – core purpose
·Customers – what value is added to the customers
·Processes – collection of related, structured activities or tasks
·Management systems – framework of policies
·Organization – how the organization is structured
·Capabilities – skills, knowledge and experience of employees
·Attitudes and behavior

Methods for collecting data

Surveys
Interviews
Focus groups
Observations
Ethnography
Secondary sources

Criteria to consider when selecting data gathering method

oResources required – time and costs of each method
oAccess – how practical is a method
oRelevance to the issue
oAccuracy – some are more prone to consultant bias than others
oFlexibility – e.g. being able to follow up on a particular question